Golf Ball Cover Using Compatibilizing Agent for Ionomer and Polyethylene Blends
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Solution Overview
Problem
Golf balls using ionomer resins as cover materials face issues with durability and compatibility when mixed with low-cost resins like polyethylene or ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, requiring time-consuming compounding steps and resulting in inadequate durability to repeated impact.
Innovation Solution
A golf ball composition combining olefin-unsaturated carboxylic acid random copolymers, polyethylene, polyesters, or polyamide elastomers with a compatibilizing agent that includes hydrogenated diene and olefinic polymers, allowing for dry blending and injection-molding without the need for extrusion, enhancing compatibility and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If low-cost resins such as polyethylene or ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer are mixed with ionomer resin to reduce costs, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but compatibility between the resins is poor resulting in inadequate durability
Solution Approach 1:
A compatibilizing agent comprising a graft copolymer of an olefin and an unsaturated carboxylic acid is introduced as an intermediary substance between the ionomer resin and low-cost polyethylene or EVA resin. This graft copolymer contains both olefinic segments (compatible with polyethylene/EVA) and carboxylic acid groups (compatible with ionomer resin), thereby mediating the interface between the two incompatible resins and improving overall compatibility and durability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite material system consisting of ionomer resin, low-cost polyethylene or EVA resin, and a graft copolymer compatibilizing agent. This composite structure leverages the high rebound properties of ionomer resin while incorporating the cost advantages of polyethylene/EVA, with the graft copolymer ensuring proper integration and durability of the composite system
2Reliability
If organic peroxide is added and kneading is performed to improve durability, then durability is improved, but manufacturing time and effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The graft copolymer compatibilizing agent is pre-synthesized with the carboxylic acid groups already attached to the olefin backbone before being mixed with the ionomer and polyethylene/EVA resins. This preliminary preparation of the compatibilizing agent eliminates the need for time-consuming post-mixing kneading operations with organic peroxides, as the compatibility enhancement is achieved through the pre-formed graft structure
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates the time-consuming kneading step with organic peroxide from the manufacturing process. Instead, the compatibilizing function is achieved through the pre-synthesized graft copolymer that can be directly mixed with the resins without requiring additional chemical reactions or extended processing time
3Strength
If polyester block copolymer is mixed with ionomer resin to improve flexibility, then flexibility and rebound are improved, but compatibility is poor resulting in inadequate durability to repeated impact
Solution Approach 1:
The graft copolymer of olefin and unsaturated carboxylic acid serves as a mediator between the polyester block copolymer and ionomer resin. The carboxylic acid groups in the graft copolymer interact with the ionomer resin while the olefinic backbone provides compatibility with the polyester elastomer components, thereby improving interfacial adhesion and durability to repeated impact while maintaining flexibility
Data Source
AI summary
A golf ball material includes (A) one or more resin ingredient selected from the group consisting of olefin-unsaturated carboxylic acid random copolymers, olefin-unsaturated carboxylic acid-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester random copolymers, and metal ion neutralization products of these copolymers; (D) an amino compound having at least 2 amino groups per molecule; (B) one or more resin ingredient selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polyesters and polyamide elastomers; and (C) an agent for compatibilizing components (A) and (B). The compatibilizing agent (C) includes: (C-i) two different types of base polymer selected from a specific group, (C-ii) a hydrogenated diene polymer having at least one type of functional moiety selected from a specific group of moieties, and (C-iii) an olefinic polymer having at least one type of functional moiety selected from a specific group of moieties.