Golf Ball Dimple Conical Base Airflow Turn Angle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional circular dimples on golf balls create inconsistent airflow conditions due to non-uniform land areas, leading to suboptimal aerodynamic performance and varying turn angles, which affect drag and lift characteristics.
Innovation Solution
The use of dimple structures with annular conical bases and sloped sides that form valleys instead of flat land areas, ensuring a consistent turn angle regardless of proximity to neighboring dimples, thereby optimizing airflow conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional circular dimples are used, then the dimples can be easily manufactured with radial symmetry, but the land areas between dimples become non-uniform causing inconsistent airflow and varying turn angles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by transitioning from symmetric circular dimples to asymmetric dimple structures with conical sides. Each dimple comprises a conical side portion with a specific apex angle that creates asymmetric airflow patterns. This asymmetry is intentional and designed to achieve uniform turn angles across different dimple locations, resolving the airflow consistency issue while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through consistent conical geometry
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the dimples by specifying a conical side portion with a defined apex angle (e.g., 60 degrees). This parameter change from circular to conical geometry fundamentally alters the airflow characteristics. The consistent application of this specific angular parameter across all dimples ensures uniform turn angles and consistent airflow patterns throughout the golf ball surface
2Device complexity
If circular dimples with varying land areas are used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the turn angle varies depending on proximity to neighboring dimples affecting aerodynamic performance
Solution Approach 1:
The conical side portion with its asymmetric geometry creates a standardized turn angle regardless of the dimple's position on the ball. The apex angle of the cone is specifically designed to achieve the desired airflow turn, and this geometric feature is consistent across all dimples, ensuring uniform aerodynamic performance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs curved surfaces by defining the dimple side portions as conical shapes with specific apex angles. This curvature approach creates smooth airflow transitions around each dimple. The consistent conical geometry ensures that airflow follows predictable paths around all dimples, achieving uniform turn angles across the entire golf ball surface
3Productivity
If conventional dimples are used, then there are flat land areas between dimples, but these land areas create non-uniform airflow conditions and suboptimal aerodynamic performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent effectively removes the flat land area portion from the dimple configuration. By designing dimples that extend closer together with conical sides that meet or overlap, the invention eliminates the flat land areas that cause non-uniform airflow. This extraction of the problematic flat surface element improves aerodynamic performance by ensuring continuous, uniform airflow patterns across the entire golf ball surface
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 configuration reduces aerodynamic drag and enhances aerodynamic performance by maintaining consistent airflow characteristics across the golf ball surface, improving both drag reduction and lift generation.
Implementation Method 1
The dimples on the golf ball cause a thin boundary layer of air adjacent to the ball's outer surface to flow in a turbulent manner. Thus, the thin boundary layer is called a turbulent boundary layer. The turbulence energizes the boundary layer and helps move the separation point further backward
Implementation Method 2
The air develops a thin boundary layer adjacent to the ball's outer surface. The dimples on the golf ball cause a thin boundary layer of air adjacent to the ball's outer surface to flow in a turbulent manner
Implementation Method 3
At some separation point, the air separates from the surface of the ball and generates a large turbulent flow area behind the ball. The conical slopes create a more optimal flow condition by causing the incoming air to see the same turn angle regardless of the proximity of neighboring dimple structures
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to golf balls, specifically to a golf ball comprising an aerodynamic pattern having novel shaped dimple structures which reduce the variation in airflow turning angle thereby improving the golf ball's flight performance. The dimple structures have a conical shaped base with a dimple in the center and reduced or no flat land areas between the dimples.