Golf Ball Core Formulation for Sound and Distance Balance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Premium golf balls face a challenge in balancing high resilience for distance with good feel, particularly in sound perception, as hard balls produce a loud, high-pitched sound associated with hardness, while soft balls provide better feel but less distance, and existing mechanical properties do not accurately reflect perceived sound characteristics.
Innovation Solution
A multilayer golf ball formulation comprising 50-95% thermoplastic composition and 5-50% crosslinked material, including ethylene acid copolymers and aliphatic monofunctional organic acids, to alter sound frequency and pressure levels without changing hardness or compression, using a process that neutralizes acid moieties to adjust sound output.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If high resilience materials are used to increase distance, then the golf ball produces a loud, high-pitched sound, but this is perceived as too hard and reduces feel for pitch shots and putting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the golf ball materials, specifically using a thermoplastic composition with controlled melt index (200-600 g/10 min) and incorporating crosslinked materials (5-50 wt%) with specific gel content (≥80%), to alter the sound frequency and pressure level while maintaining mechanical properties like resilience and compression
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by combining thermoplastic composition (50-95 wt%) with crosslinked elastomer or rubber materials (5-50 wt%), creating a multi-component formulation that balances high resilience for distance with modified sound characteristics for improved feel
2Object-affected harmful factors
If soft materials are used to improve feel, then the golf ball produces a soft, low-pitched sound, but this reduces distance for long shots
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies material parameters by selecting thermoplastic compositions with specific melt indices and controlling the concentration and gel content of crosslinked materials to achieve a balance where the ball feels soft (lower sound frequency) while maintaining the resilience needed for distance
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the sound frequency is lowered to improve perceived feel, then the mechanical properties such as hardness and compression may be altered, but this compromises performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent carefully controls parameter ranges - thermoplastic melt index (200-600 g/10 min), crosslinked material content (5-50 wt%), and gel content (≥80%) - to achieve sound frequency modification while maintaining stable mechanical properties including hardness and compression
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different material properties to different functional requirements: the thermoplastic composition provides the base structure with controlled sound characteristics, while the crosslinked material (elastomer or rubber) is specifically incorporated to maintain resilience and mechanical stability without significantly altering sound frequency
Data Source
AI summary
A formulation for making at least one element of a golf ball, wherein the formulation includes: (i) from 50 weight percent to 95 weight percent of a thermoplastic composition comprising: (1) at least one ethylene acid copolymer consisting essentially of copolymerized comonomers of: (A) ethylene, and (B) from 5 weight percent to 25 weight percent of at least one α,β-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid having from 3 carbon atoms to 8 carbon atoms, based on the total weight of monomers present in the ethylene acid copolymer; wherein the acid moieties of component (1) are neutralized to a level of from 25 percent to 220 percent; and (ii) from 5 weight percent to 50 weight percent of a crosslinked material having a gel content of at least 80 weight percent, wherein the crosslinked material is a crosslinked elastomer, a crosslinked rubber, or a blend of a crosslinked elastomer and a crosslinked rubber; a process for making the above formulation; at least one element of a multilayer golf ball and a process for making the at least one element of a multilayer golf ball using the above formulation; a multilayer golf ball including (a) at least one core, and (b) a cover; wherein the at least one core is made from the above formulation; and a process of manufacturing the above multilayer golf ball.