Golf Club Head Face Insert Layout for COR Hot Spot Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional golf club heads suffer from reduced flexibility and diminished forgiveness due to the arrangement of mass in the body, which affects the coefficient of restitution (COR) and distance, especially when the point of impact is away from the geometric face center.
Innovation Solution
The golf club head features a body with a face insert cavity and a bridge stiffener, along with a reduced face insert span and a filler material in the internal cavity, which adjusts the COR 'hot spot' to the typical impact location, lowering the center of gravity and enhancing flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If mass is arranged toward the sole and trailing edge to promote higher launch angle and lower center of gravity, then launch angle is improved, but flexibility and forgiveness are diminished
Solution Approach 1:
The face insert is segmented into a thin facial portion and a thicker peripheral portion, allowing the facial portion to be more flexible for forgiveness while the peripheral portion provides structural support. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by enabling different regions to have different flexibility characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The face insert has non-uniform thickness with a thinner facial portion and thicker peripheral portion, creating local quality variations. The thinner facial portion allows greater deformation for forgiveness, while the thicker peripheral portion maintains structural integrity, resolving the flexibility contradiction.
2Stability of the object's composition
If face insert thickness is reduced to increase allowable deformation, then forgiveness is improved, but structural strength is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The face insert employs local quality variation with different thicknesses in different regions. The facial portion is thinner to allow deformation for forgiveness, while the peripheral portion is thicker to provide structural strength, resolving the contradiction between forgiveness and strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The face insert is divided into functional segments with different thickness characteristics. The thin facial region provides forgiveness through deformation, while the thick peripheral region provides structural support, resolving the strength-forgiveness contradiction.
3Reliability
If COR hot spot is positioned at geometric face center, then maximum COR is achieved, but distance is reduced for typical impact locations
Solution Approach 1:
The face insert is positioned asymmetrically within the club head, with its center located below the geometric face center. This asymmetric positioning shifts the COR hot spot to align with the typical impact location, resolving the contradiction between maximum COR and practical distance for typical golfers.
Solution Approach 2:
The position parameter of the face insert is changed from the conventional geometric center location to a lower position. This parameter change shifts the COR hot spot location to match typical impact points, resolving the contradiction between theoretical maximum COR and practical distance.
4Ease of operation
If face insert span is reduced, then COR hot spot alignment with impact location is improved, but face insert area is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The face insert uses local quality variation with concentrated thickness at the periphery and reduced thickness at the face center. This allows the insert to maintain sufficient structural area while positioning the effective COR hot spot lower to align with impact location, resolving the contradiction between alignment and area.
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
This design improves shot distance by aligning the COR 'hot spot' with the typical impact point, providing increased forgiveness and distance for a wider range of golfer impacts.
Implementation Method 1
the face insert and the body combine to form a front face on a front side... allowing more face insert deformation during impact... the strain energy stored in the face insert is returned to the ball after impact
Implementation Method 2
The body includes a bridge stiffener extending rearwardly from the front face and the bridge stiffener extends across the body from a heel region to a toe region
Implementation Method 3
a filler material in the internal cavity, which adjusts the COR 'hot spot' to the typical impact location, lowering the center of gravity
Data Source
AI summary
A golf club head includes a body including a toe region, a heel region, and a medial region extending between the toe region and the heel region, and a face insert that is coupled to the body. The face insert and the body combine to form a front face on a front side. A top edge of the face insert is disposed within a face insert cavity and located between a central plane CP and a topline of the body. The face insert extends about 60% or less of a body height defined between the topline and the sole.