Golf Club Head Composite Face Assembly for Weight-Durability Balance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing golf club heads face challenges in achieving a balance between durability and lightweight construction, particularly in areas subject to impact forces such as the club face, while also affecting the center of gravity (CG), moment of inertia (MOI), and coefficient of restitution (COR), which influence the launch angle, spin rate, and direction of the golf ball.
Innovation Solution
The golf club head incorporates a composite material crown portion with thin portions and stiffening structures to enhance durability and reduce weight, while maintaining structural integrity and improving aerodynamic performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If composite materials are used to move the CG of a golf club head, then weight is reduced, but durability deteriorates in areas subject to impact forces
Solution Approach 1:
The crown portion is designed with varying thickness to achieve local optimization: thin portions (reducing weight) are strategically placed in areas where durability is less critical, while thicker portions (enhancing durability) are positioned in impact-prone zones. This non-uniform thickness distribution allows the crown to simultaneously reduce overall weight while maintaining durability where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The crown portion is constructed from composite material, which provides a favorable strength-to-weight ratio. This enables the design to achieve both weight reduction and maintained durability through the inherent properties of composite materials, which offer high strength at low weight.
2Weight of moving object
If the crown portion is made thinner to reduce weight, then weight is reduced, but strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly reducing thickness in one dimension, the design varies thickness across different spatial locations on the crown. This dimensional variation allows weight reduction in certain areas while maintaining or enhancing strength in critical areas through strategic thickening, effectively using spatial distribution to resolve the contradiction.
Solution Approach 2:
The crown incorporates both thin portions for weight reduction and thick portions for strength enhancement at specific locations. This local differentiation of thickness allows the structure to optimize both weight and strength by placing material where it is most needed rather than uniformly distributing it.
3Weight of moving object
If composite material is used at the club face, then weight is reduced, but durability deteriorates under impact forces
Solution Approach 1:
The face portion is designed with a non-uniform thickness profile where thinner regions reduce weight and thicker regions enhance durability in impact zones. This localized variation in thickness allows the face to be lightweight overall while maintaining durability where impact forces are applied.
Solution Approach 2:
The face portion is constructed from composite material, which provides high strength-to-weight ratio. This enables the face to achieve weight reduction while maintaining durability through the inherent mechanical properties of composite materials that offer both lightness and impact resistance.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads are generally described herein. In one example, a golf club head includes a metal body portion including a front portion having a peripheral face portion surrounding an opening. A face plate is set in the opening and includes a metal bezel welded to the opening and a strike assembly set in the bezel. The strike assembly includes an outer metal sheet welded to the metal bezel, an inner metal sheet welded to the metal bezel, and an intermediate composite sheet disposed between the outer metal sheet and the inner metal sheet. The intermediate composite sheet includes a fiber reinforced thermoplastic having a plurality of discontinuous fibers transversely aligned. Other examples and embodiments may be described and claimed.