Golf Club Head With Tiered Sole Flexing for Energy Storage
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing golf club head designs do not allow for sufficient flexing in the crown to sole direction, fail to change the peak bending location, and lack the ability to store additional spring energy upon impact with the golf ball, limiting ball speed and performance.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a cascading sole and back cavity designs in the golf club head, featuring tiered internal thin sections and a hollow construction with a back cavity, which allows for controlled flexing and increased energy storage, enhancing ball speed and performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional solid construction is used, then structural strength is maintained, but flexing capability in crown to sole direction is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The club head is divided into multiple sections with varying thicknesses, creating a segmented structure that allows different regions to flex independently. The tiered internal thin sections create distinct zones that can bend at different rates, enabling controlled flexing while maintaining overall structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the club head are given different thicknesses and material properties to optimize local performance. The internal thin sections have reduced thickness to promote flexing, while outer regions maintain sufficient thickness for strength. This local variation in quality allows the structure to be both strong and flexible in appropriate locations.
2Ease of manufacture
If uniform thickness design is used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but energy storage capability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The uniform thickness is segmented into multiple tiers with progressively varying thicknesses. This segmentation allows the structure to store more elastic energy during impact by creating a progressive deformation pattern across the tiers, while still using conventional manufacturing processes to create the stepped structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The design transitions from a two-dimensional uniform thickness to a three-dimensional tiered structure with varying thicknesses in the crown-to-sole direction. This dimensional change enables the structure to exploit elastic deformation more effectively, storing additional spring energy that can be released during ball impact.
3Stability of the object's composition
If fixed peak bending location is used, then structural predictability is maintained, but ball speed optimization is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The tiered structure creates a dynamic bending pattern where the peak bending location can shift depending on the impact conditions and force applied. During normal play, the bending remains predictable, but under higher impact forces, the structure can utilize additional tiers for energy storage and release, potentially increasing ball speed while maintaining overall structural predictability.
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
The designs result in increased ball speed, improved launch angle, reduced spin, and enhanced carry distance by distributing stress over a larger area, providing a more efficient energy transfer and better performance characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
Additional spring energy can increase ball speed across the strikeface
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of golf club heads with energy storage characteristics are presented herein. In some embodiments, a golf club head comprises a hollow body comprising a strikeface, a heel region, a toe region opposite the heel region, a sole, a top rail and an inflection point. The inflection point provides increase bending of the strikeface thereby providing performance enhancement over clubs without an inflection point.