Golf Ball Material Soft Feel Rebound Resilience
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing golf ball materials struggle to achieve a balance between soft feel and high rebound resilience, with materials like hydrogenated aromatic vinyl elastomers and highly neutralized ionomer resins either compromising on feel or rebound.
Innovation Solution
A golf ball material composed of fine particles with an average size of less than 300 μm, made from a crosslinked multi-component copolymer with conjugated diene, non-conjugated olefin, and aromatic vinyl units, combined with a thermoplastic resin, which maintains low hardness and high rebound resilience, providing both soft feel and excellent flight performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a hydrogenated aromatic vinyl elastomer such as SEBS is added to an ionomer resin to achieve a soft feel, then the soft feel is improved, but the rebound resilience deteriorates when a large amount of SEBS is added
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical composition parameters by using a multi-component copolymer with specific ratios of conjugated diene units (5-50 wt%), non-conjugated olefin units (40-80 wt%), and aromatic vinyl units (5-30 wt%). This parameter optimization allows achieving both soft feel and high rebound resilience without relying on large amounts of SEBS elastomer, thereby resolving the contradiction between softness and rebound.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite material system combining a multi-component copolymer with specific thermoplastic resin additives. This composite approach integrates the benefits of different polymer components: the multi-component copolymer provides softness through its conjugated diene content while maintaining rebound through its unique molecular structure, and the thermoplastic resin additives further optimize the balance between soft feel and rebound resilience.
2Reliability
If a fatty acid is added to completely neutralize the acid in an ionomer resin composition to achieve high rebound, then the rebound is improved, but the soft feel deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of complete neutralization with fatty acids, the invention changes the approach by using a multi-component copolymer with controlled acid content (5-30 wt% aromatic vinyl units) that provides rebound resilience without requiring excessive neutralization. This parameter change allows maintaining softness while achieving high rebound, as the copolymer's molecular structure inherently provides both properties without relying on complete acid neutralization.
3Ease of operation
If the material hardness is reduced to achieve a soft feel, then the soft feel is improved, but the rebound resilience may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention develops a composite material where the multi-component copolymer serves as the base matrix providing softness through its low hardness (Shore A 20-40), while specific thermoplastic resin additives (2-20 parts by weight per 100 parts copolymer) are incorporated to enhance rebound resilience. This composite structure allows the material to simultaneously achieve soft feel and high rebound, resolving the contradiction between hardness reduction and rebound maintenance.
Data Source
AI summary
A golf ball material contains (i) fine particles that have an average particle size of less than 300 μm and are composed of a crosslinked multi-component copolymer having conjugated diene units, non-conjugated olefin units and aromatic vinyl units; and (ii) a thermoplastic resin. The conjugated diene units include butadiene units, the non-conjugated olefin units include units selected from the group consisting of ethylene, propylene and 1-butene units, the aromatic vinyl units include styrene units, and the content of the conjugated diene units in the multi-component copolymer is 5 wt % or more. This golf ball material is soft, has an excellent rebound resilience and also has a good processability.