Multi-Piece Golf Ball Layer Hardness Spin Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multi-piece solid golf balls fail to effectively balance spin rate on full shots, distance, and durability while providing a soft feel and good controllability, particularly for mid-level amateur golfers with mid-range head speeds.
Innovation Solution
A multi-piece solid golf ball design featuring a core, intermediate layer, and cover with specific material hardness ranges, thickness ratios, and core deflection, utilizing a resin material for the intermediate layer and urethane resin for the cover, along with optimized dimple patterns to control spin and feel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the intermediate layer is made harder to reduce spin rate on full shots, then distance is improved, but the feel at impact becomes harder and less desirable
Solution Approach 1:
The golf ball is divided into three distinct layers (core, intermediate layer, cover) with progressively different hardness characteristics. The intermediate layer has a hardness of 61-70 Shore D, which is harder than the soft cover (55 Shore D or less) but softer than a traditional single-layer hard ball, allowing it to reduce spin on full shots while the soft cover maintains a pleasant feel at impact.
Solution Approach 2:
Each layer of the golf ball is assigned specific local properties: the core provides structural support, the intermediate layer (61-70 Shore D) locally reduces spin rate on full shots, and the soft cover (55 Shore D or less) locally provides a soft feel at impact. This spatial differentiation of material properties allows simultaneous optimization of conflicting performance attributes.
2Ease of operation
If the cover is made softer to improve feel at impact, then durability to repeated impact deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The golf ball structure separates the functions of feel and durability into different layers. The soft cover (55 Shore D or less) handles the feel-at-impact function, while the harder intermediate layer (61-70 Shore D) and core provide the durability function, protecting the soft cover from degradation through repeated impacts.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediate layer acts as a cushioning layer between the soft cover and the core, absorbing and distributing impact forces before they reach the soft cover. This pre-cushioning effect protects the soft cover from direct repeated impacts, maintaining both the soft feel and durability over time.
3Speed
If the intermediate layer thickness is increased to reduce spin rate, then distance is improved, but the soft feel at impact is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the thickness ratio of the intermediate layer to the core diameter within a specific range (0.025-0.043). This parameter optimization allows the intermediate layer to be thick enough to reduce spin rate on full shots (improving distance) while remaining thin enough to allow the soft cover to transmit adequate feel information to the golfer at impact.
4Reliability
If the cover thickness is increased to improve durability, then spin performance on approach shots deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the cover thickness to core diameter ratio within a specific range (0.014-0.027). This optimized parameter allows the cover to be thick enough to provide durability but thin enough to maintain high spin rates on approach shots, where the soft cover material can still effectively interact with the clubface to generate spin.
Data Source
AI summary
In a multi-piece solid golf ball made up of, successively, a core, an intermediate layer and a cover having numerous dimples on the surface thereof, the intermediate layer is formed of a resin material and the cover is formed of a urethane resin material, each having a specific respective Shore D hardness. The ball has a specific (intermediate layer thickness)/(core diameter) value and a specific (cover thickness)/(core diameter) value, and the core has a specific deflection. The sphere consisting of the core encased by the intermediate layer has an initial velocity A and the core has an initial velocity B which together satisfy the condition A−B≥0 m/s. This golf ball provides an increased distance and has both a soft feel when played and a high durability to repeated impact.