Composite Golf Club Head Structure for Weight and Strength Balance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current golf club head constructions face challenges in reducing structural mass without compromising strength and structural support, particularly in utilizing lightweight polymeric materials in areas subject to high-speed impact from golf balls.
Innovation Solution
The golf club head is constructed with a frame component, a rear cap component, and a striking plate, where the rear cap is overmolded with a thermoplastic polymeric material to provide reinforcement at load-bearing sections and facilitate bonding with the striking face, while using a hybrid molding process to enhance strength and ease of production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If lightweight polymeric materials are used in the club head, then weight is reduced and discretionary mass is increased, but structural strength and support may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining thermoplastic polymeric material with metal components (frame component, striking plate). The polymeric material provides lightweight properties while the metal components provide structural strength. The overmolding process creates a composite structure where the polymer reinforces load-bearing sections and bonds the metal components together, achieving both weight reduction and maintained strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by selectively overmolding thermoplastic polymeric material only at specific load-bearing sections of the club head rather than throughout the entire structure. This targeted application provides structural reinforcement where needed while maintaining weight savings in other areas, optimizing the balance between strength and weight.
2Adaptability or versatility
If club head size is increased to improve forgiveness and sweet spot area, then performance is improved, but structural mass and material requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The use of lightweight thermoplastic polymeric material allows the club head to achieve a larger overall size and volume without proportionally increasing the quantity of heavy metal materials required. The polymer's low density enables volume expansion while maintaining acceptable weight, thereby improving forgiveness and sweet spot area without excessive material consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The selective overmolding approach allows strategic placement of material to reinforce specific areas that contribute to structural integrity and forgiveness characteristics, rather than uniformly distributing material throughout the entire club head volume.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This construction allows for significant weight savings by utilizing lightweight polymeric materials, enhancing discretionary mass distribution and improving club performance and adjustability without compromising structural integrity.
Implementation Method 1
the rear cap is overmolded with a thermoplastic polymeric material to provide reinforcement at load-bearing sections and facilitate bonding with the striking face
Implementation Method 2
facilitate bonding with the striking face
Data Source
AI summary
A golf club head has a body defining a crown opening and a sole opening, a forward portion of the crown opening having a lip recessed below an outer surface of the crown and extending rearwardly. A composite crown insert is connected to the lip and covers the crown opening. A ratio of an outer surface area of the body and a combined outer surface area of the crown and sole inserts is less than 0.9. The club head has a crown height as measured relative to a ground plane at address, and there is a first crown height at a face-to-crown transition zone, a second crown height at a crown-to-skirt transition zone, and a maximum crown height that is greater than the first and second crown heights, the maximum crown height being located on the crown insert at or rearward of the lip.