Multi-piece Golf Ball Hardness Profile and Layer Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multi-piece solid golf balls fail to simultaneously achieve excellent flight performance, feel on impact, controllability, spin performance, and durability, with previous designs often compromising on one or more of these attributes.
Innovation Solution
A multi-piece golf ball design featuring a solid core with optimized hardness profile, an intermediate layer made from a highly neutralized ionomer, and a polyurethane cover, which balances core and cover hardness differences to enhance feel, spin, and durability, while maintaining a lower spin rate on full shots and improved distance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the cover is made with high Shore D hardness ionomer material, then durability and scuff resistance are improved, but spin performance on approach shots deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The golf ball is divided into multiple layers with different material properties: a core layer, an intermediate layer with specific ionomer composition, and a cover layer. This segmentation allows each layer to be optimized for its specific function while working together to resolve the contradiction between durability and spin performance.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the golf ball have different material compositions and hardness levels. The intermediate layer uses highly neutralized ionomer with specific physical properties that differ from the core and cover, creating local quality variations that enable the ball to achieve both durability and good spin characteristics on approach shots.
2Strength
If the cover thickness is increased, then durability is improved, but flight performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the thickness parameter of the cover layer to a specific range that balances durability and flight performance. By precisely controlling the cover thickness and the physical properties of the intermediate layer, the design achieves both protection and aerodynamic efficiency.
3Force
If the core hardness is increased, then rebound is improved, but feel on impact and controllability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The core has a non-uniform hardness profile with different hardness levels at the center versus the outer region. This local quality variation allows the core to provide sufficient rebound while maintaining a softer interface with the intermediate layer for better feel and controllability.
Solution Approach 2:
The golf ball uses composite material construction with the core made from materials having different hardness characteristics than the intermediate and cover layers. This composite structure enables the ball to achieve high rebound through the core while the softer intermediate layer provides good feel on impact.
4Strength
If a soft inner cover and hard outer cover configuration is used, then durability is improved, but spin performance on approach shots and flight performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a soft inner cover and hard outer cover configuration, the patent inverts this approach by using a harder intermediate layer with highly neutralized ionomer and a cover with optimized hardness that is not excessively hard. This inverted structure achieves durability while maintaining spin performance and flight characteristics.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a multi-piece solid golf ball composed of a solid core, a cover, at least one intermediate layer situated therebetween, and a plurality of dimples on a surface of the ball. The diameter of the solid core, the deflection of the core when compressed under a final load of 130 kgf from an initial load of 10 kgf, the hardness at the center of the core, the hardness in a region 5 mm to 10 mm from the center of the core, the hardness 15 mm from the center of the core, and the surface hardness are set within specific ranges. The intermediate layer is composed primarily of a material obtained by mixing under applied heat a specific resin composition. The golf ball of the invention has an excellent flight performance, feel, controllability and scuff resistance.