Golf Club Head Crown Turbulators for Drag Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Golf club heads experience increased drag due to flow separation, leading to reduced ball speed, as air flow detachment occurs prematurely, causing pressure differential and drag forces that slow down the club head.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating turbulators on the crown of the golf club head, which are ridges that trip the air flow to create turbulence, delaying separation and moving the separation region towards the aft, thereby reducing drag forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If air flow is allowed to travel smoothly over the club head surface, then drag is reduced, but flow separation occurs prematurely causing increased drag
Solution Approach 1:
Turbulators are positioned upstream on the club head surface to preemptively trip the boundary layer into turbulence before flow separation occurs. This preliminary action of creating turbulence upstream delays the separation point and reduces wake drag, resolving the contradiction between smooth flow and flow attachment stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the flow regime parameter from laminar to turbulent by introducing turbulators. This parameter change in boundary layer state allows the flow to remain attached longer despite the adverse pressure gradient, reducing drag while maintaining flow attachment stability.
2Speed
If turbulators are added to delay flow separation, then drag is reduced and club head speed increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Turbulators are applied locally at specific positions and orientations on the club head surface rather than uniformly across the entire surface. This localized application achieves the desired flow control effect while minimizing the addition of complexity to the overall club head structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The turbulators are designed as simple, easily manufactured surface features that can be integrated into the club head molding process. These simple geometric elements provide complex flow control functionality without requiring expensive or complicated manufacturing steps.
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 turbulators delay air flow separation, reducing drag forces and increasing club head speed, resulting in higher ball speed by maintaining air flow attachment for a longer distance.
Implementation Method 1
a turbulator including a plurality of ridges to trip the air flow on the crown to create turbulence within the boundary layer
Implementation Method 2
This velocity gradient region is called a boundary layer. Flow separation occurs when the boundary layer travels on the golf club head far enough against an adverse pressure gradient
Implementation Method 3
Flow separation occurs when the boundary layer travels on the golf club head far enough against an adverse pressure gradient that the air flow velocity in the boundary layer relative to the surface of the club head falls almost to zero
Data Source
AI summary
A golf club head includes a crown surface having an apex at a highest point and extending between the face, the rear, the heel and the toe of the golf club head. The golf club head also includes a plurality of crown turbulators projecting from the surface of the crown and located between the face and the apex, wherein each adjacent pair of crown turbulators is separate and spaced apart to define a space between the adjacent pair of crown turbulators.