Golf Ball Dimple Pattern Rotation for Aerodynamic Consistency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current golf ball dimple patterns fail to optimize aerodynamics for consistent flight distance and performance across varying swing speeds and environmental conditions, with limitations in dimple coverage, interdigitation, and non-alignment, leading to suboptimal flight characteristics.
Innovation Solution
The golf ball features a modified aerodynamic configuration with rotating repeating geometric elements about pre-determined center points, allowing for increased dimple coverage and interdigitation by expanding or contracting the elemental arrangements and adding extra dimples to occupy created spaces, thereby enhancing dimple patterns for improved flight performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional dimple patterns are used, then manufacturing is simple, but aerodynamic performance and flight consistency are suboptimal
Solution Approach 1:
The dimple pattern is segmented into multiple zones (first plurality and second plurality of dimples) with different characteristics. The first zone contains dimples with first characteristics while the second zone contains dimples with second characteristics, allowing optimization of aerodynamic performance across different flight conditions without requiring complex manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs asymmetric dimple arrangements where dimples in different zones have different characteristics (size, depth, spacing). This asymmetry creates optimized airflow patterns that improve flight consistency and distance by better managing boundary layer separation and wake characteristics.
2Reliability
If dimple coverage is increased, then aerodynamic performance improves, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Different zones of the golf ball surface have different dimple qualities - the first plurality of dimples has different characteristics (size, depth, spacing) than the second plurality. This local differentiation allows high dimple coverage for aerodynamic performance while using simpler manufacturing processes in each zone, reducing overall precision requirements.
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 approach increases dimple coverage by up to 15 percentage points, leading to more consistent and longer flight distances, regardless of swing speed or ball orientation, and provides novel dimple patterns with increased interdigitation and non-alignment, enhancing overall flight performance.
Implementation Method 1
The dimples on a golf ball create a turbulent boundary layer around the ball, i.e., the air in a thin layer adjacent to the ball flows in a turbulent manner. The turbulence energizes the boundary layer and helps it stay attached further around the ball to reduce the area of the wake.
Implementation Method 2
A boundary layer forms beginning at the stagnation point on the front of the ball. As is well known in the art, at some point generally halfway between the front and the back of a sphere, the boundary layer separates from the surface due to an adverse pressure gradient.
Implementation Method 3
Drag is defined as the aerodynamic force component acting parallel to the ball flight direction. The difference between the high pressure in front of the ball and the low pressure behind the ball reduces the ball speed and acts as the primary source of drag for a golf ball.
Implementation Method 4
Lift is defined as the aerodynamic force component acting perpendicular to the flight path. It results from a difference in pressure that is created by a distortion in the air flow that results from the back spin of the ball.
Implementation Method 5
For the case of a golf ball with backspin, the top of the ball moves in the direction of the airflow, which retards the separation of the boundary layer to a point further aft. In contrast, the bottom of the ball moves against the direction of airflow, thus advancing the separation of the boundary layer to a point further forward. This asymmetrical separation creates an arch in the flow pattern, requiring the air over the top of the ball to move faster and, thus, have lower pressure than the air underneath the ball.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention concerns golf balls having a modified aerodynamic configuration and a method for creating a modified aerodynamic configuration that improves dimple coverage, interdigitation, and non-alignment in golf ball dimple patterns by rotating the repeating area elements about pre-determined center points, with further optional steps of expanding or contracting the elemental arrangements about pre-determined center points, enlarging or reducing the sizes of dimples, and adding extra dimples to occupy land areas created by the previous steps. The resulting modified aerodynamic configuration with a rotated element has increased dimple coverage, greater interdigitation and improved non-alignment.