Golf Club Head Face Thickness for CT Compliance and Consistency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional golf club heads face challenges in meeting USGA-regulated characteristic time (CT) thresholds without compromising performance uniformity and center face performance, often resulting in non-uniform performance characteristics across batches.
Innovation Solution
A golf club head design featuring a stiffener made of Shore 5.95D material within the interior cavity, varying face thickness, and a crown portion with a non-metallic composite material, along with specific dimensions and weight distributions to maintain CT within limits and enhance performance consistency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the face portion is thickened at areas away from the center to meet the CT threshold, then the CT at peripheral areas is reduced, but the CT at the center of the face portion is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The face portion is designed with variable thickness distribution, being thicker at peripheral areas and thinner at the center area. This local quality variation allows the peripheral areas to meet CT threshold requirements while preserving center face performance characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The thickness parameter of the face portion is changed spatially, with the face portion being thicker at peripheral areas away from the center and thinner at the center area. This parameter change enables differential CT control across different regions of the face portion.
2Manufacturing precision
If the CT is designed within a cautiously large standard deviation below the regulated threshold, then the CT threshold is met, but the performance characteristics become non-uniform across batches
Solution Approach 1:
The thickness parameter of the face portion is precisely controlled within specific ranges (e.g., 2.0mm to 4.5mm at the center, and thicker at peripheral areas). This parameter control reduces variability in CT measurements across production batches while ensuring threshold compliance.
Solution Approach 2:
The face portion thickness is pre-designed and pre-controlled during manufacturing to fall within specific ranges that guarantee CT threshold compliance. This preliminary action prevents the need for post-manufacturing adjustments and ensures uniform performance across batches.
3Reliability
If the face portion is made thinner to improve center face performance, then the CT at the center increases, but the CT at peripheral areas may exceed the threshold
Solution Approach 1:
The face portion is designed with different thickness qualities at different locations: thinner at the center for optimal performance and thicker at peripheral areas for CT threshold compliance. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction between center performance and peripheral compliance.
Solution Approach 2:
The thickness parameter of the face portion is spatially varied, being thinner at the center area and thicker at peripheral areas. This parameter change enables the face portion to simultaneously achieve center face performance and peripheral CT threshold compliance.
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 design achieves lower CT at peripheral locations while maintaining high center face performance and reducing standard deviations, ensuring consistent performance across batches.
Implementation Method 1
a stiffener (144) located within the interior cavity (130) of the body (110) and in direct contact with the interior surface (145) of the face portion (142). The stiffener (144) is made of a material having a hardness of at least Shore 5.95D
Implementation Method 2
The face portion (142) has a thickness that varies. Within the central region, the face portion (142) has a maximum face thickness no more than 4.5 mm and a minimum face thickness no less than 2.0 mm. Within the central region, the strike face (144) has a characteristic time (CT) of no more than 257 microseconds
Implementation Method 3
An areal weight of the crown portion (119) of the golf club head (100) is less than about 0.35 g/cm2 over more than about 50% of an entire surface area of the crown portion (119)
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a golf club head that comprises a strike face. The strike face has a central region, defined by a forty millimeter by twenty millimeter rectangular area centered on a center of the strike face and elongated in a heel-to-toe direction. Within the central region, the strike face has a characteristic time (CT) of no more than 257 microseconds. Within the central region, no less than 25% of the strike face has a coefficient of restitution (COR) of at least 0.8. Within the central region, no less than 60% of the strike face has a CT of at least 235 microseconds. Within the central region, no less than 35% of the strike face has a CT of at least 240 microseconds.