Golf Ball Core with Linear Hardness Gradient for Flight Distance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing golf balls do not achieve optimal flight distance due to inadequate hardness distribution in the core, leading to insufficient resilience and spin rate control.
Innovation Solution
A golf ball design featuring a spherical core with a rubber composition that includes α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid, a metal salt, a crosslinking initiator, and a carboxylic acid, resulting in a linearly increasing hardness from the center to the surface, enhancing resilience and reducing spin rate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a core having high resilience is used, then initial speed is enhanced, but spin rate control and launch angle are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The core is designed with a non-uniform hardness distribution where the hardness increases from the center toward the surface. Specifically, the center region has lower hardness to maintain high resilience and initial speed, while the outer region has higher hardness to control spin rate and launch angle. This local differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between speed enhancement and spin control.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameter of hardness distribution within the core. By creating a gradient structure where hardness varies from center to surface, the core simultaneously achieves high resilience (through softer center) and effective spin control (through harder outer layer), thus resolving the contradiction between these opposing requirements.
2Reliability
If a core having hardness increasing toward the surface is used, then launch angle and spin rate control are improved, but initial speed is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The core is designed with a non-uniform hardness distribution where the hardness increases from the center toward the surface. Specifically, the center region has lower hardness to maintain high resilience and initial speed, while the outer region has higher hardness to control spin rate and launch angle. This local differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between speed enhancement and spin control.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameter of hardness distribution within the core. By creating a gradient structure where hardness varies from center to surface, the core simultaneously achieves high resilience (through softer center) and effective spin control (through harder outer layer), thus resolving the contradiction between these opposing requirements.
3Ease of manufacture
If uniform hardness is used throughout the core, then manufacturing is simplified, but flight performance and resilience are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The core is designed with a non-uniform hardness distribution where the hardness increases from the center toward the surface. Specifically, the center region has lower hardness to maintain high resilience and initial speed, while the outer region has higher hardness to control spin rate and launch angle. This local differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between speed enhancement and spin control.
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
The golf ball exhibits improved flying performance with increased flight distance and better resilience, while maintaining a high launch angle and low spin rate on driver shots.
Implementation Method 1
a rubber composition containing (a) a base rubber, (b) an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms and/or a metal salt thereof as a co-crosslinking agent, (c) a crosslinking initiator
Data Source
AI summary
An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball excellent in flying performance, in particular, to provide a golf ball traveling a great flight distance. The present invention provides a golf ball having a spherical core and at least one cover layer covering the spherical core, wherein the spherical core is formed from a rubber composition containing (a) a base rubber, (b) an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms and/or a metal salt thereof as a co-crosslinking agent, (c) a crosslinking initiator, and (d) a carboxylic acid, provided that the rubber composition further contains (e) a metal compound in the case of containing only (b) the α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms as the co-crosslinking agent.