Golf Ball Cover Hardness Gradient for Scuff Resistance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional golf balls with general-purpose urethane cover materials suffer from inferior scuff resistance, productivity, and feel on approach shots, despite improvements in spin performance and durability.
Innovation Solution
A golf ball design with a core and multiple-layer cover, where specific Martens hardness variations (HU-A, HU-B, and HU-C) are achieved through the use of thermoplastic materials like polyurethane and polyurea, with the outermost layer treated with an isocyanate compound, ensuring a hardness gradient that enhances scuff resistance and spin performance while improving feel on approach shots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If general-purpose urethane materials are used for the cover, then spin performance is improved, but scuff resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a cover with non-uniform hardness distribution. The cover includes a first region with hardness of 70-80 Shore D and a second region with hardness of 80-90 Shore D, allowing different areas to have optimized properties for their specific functions while using a single thermoplastic polyurethane material throughout.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter of hardness by selecting specific hardness ranges for different regions of the cover. By controlling the hardness values within specified ranges (70-80 Shore D for the first region, 80-90 Shore D for the second region), the patent achieves both improved spin performance and scuff resistance.
2Reliability
If general-purpose urethane materials are used for the cover, then spin performance is improved, but productivity and cost deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter by switching from general-purpose urethane to thermoplastic polyurethane, which offers better processability and productivity while maintaining the required spin performance through controlled hardness parameters in different cover regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses thermoplastic polyurethane as a composite material that combines the benefits of improved productivity and cost-effectiveness with the spin performance requirements, achieving a balance between manufacturing efficiency and performance.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the outermost layer hardness is increased to improve scuff resistance, then scuff resistance is improved, but feel on approach shots deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the cover hardness location-dependent. The first region (70-80 Shore D) provides softer feel for approach shots, while the second region (80-90 Shore D) provides harder scuff resistance, allowing both requirements to be satisfied simultaneously in different areas.
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 superior scuff resistance, spin performance, and feel on approach shots, along with improved productivity, by maintaining a hardness gradient within the outermost layer, which is achieved through precise control of Martens hardness and elastic modulus values.
Implementation Method 1
the surface of the cover is treated with an isocyanate compound that is free of organic solvent
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a golf ball having a core and a cover of one or more layer encasing the core, wherein, letting HU-A and HU-B be respectively the Martens hardnesses measured at positions 100 μm and 200 μm inward from a surface of an outermost layer of the cover and toward a center of the core, and letting HU-C be the Martens hardness measured at a position 100 μm from an inner side of the outermost cover layer and toward the surface, HU-A or HU-B is harder than HU-C.