Golf Club Head Variable Face Thickness for COR and MOI Balance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional golf club heads face challenges in optimizing mass and performance properties such as Center of Gravity (CG) location, Coefficients of Restitution (COR), and Moments of Inertia (MOIs) while maintaining structural integrity, appearance, and overall weight, particularly for iron-type club heads.
Innovation Solution
A variable face thickness pattern is introduced for golf club heads, allowing discretionary weight redistribution from the striking face to other areas, enhancing CG location, COR, and MOIs, while maintaining similar stress limits and traditional appearances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mass is redistributed in the club head to improve performance properties (CG location, COR, MOI), then performance is improved, but structural integrity and stress limits may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The striking face is designed with variable thickness across different regions, creating local variations in mass distribution. The face is thinner at certain locations (e.g., upper and lower portions) and thicker at others (e.g., central region), allowing precise control over CG location and MOI while maintaining adequate structural integrity in each local area
Solution Approach 2:
The thickness parameter of the striking face is systematically varied across different zones to optimize performance properties. By changing the thickness parameter locally, the design achieves improved CG location and COR values while ensuring stress limits are not exceeded through careful engineering of the thickness distribution pattern
2Use of energy by moving object
If the striking face is made thinner to reduce weight and improve COR, then energy transfer is improved, but structural integrity and durability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than uniformly thinning the striking face, the design applies local quality by making the face thinner only in specific regions where mass reduction benefits performance (improving COR and adjusting CG). The central region and other critical areas maintain sufficient thickness to ensure structural integrity and durability
Solution Approach 2:
The striking face is segmented into multiple zones with different thickness characteristics. This segmentation allows each zone to be optimized independently - some zones are thinner to reduce weight and improve energy transfer, while other zones maintain greater thickness for structural support, achieving both goals simultaneously
3Reliability
If discretionary weight is removed from the striking face to improve mass properties, then CG location and MOI are improved, but the amount of weight available for redistribution is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The design utilizes parameter changes in the striking face thickness to generate discretionary weight. By systematically varying the thickness across different zones of the face, significant mass can be removed and redistributed to other areas of the club head, providing sufficient discretionary weight to optimize CG location and MOI without compromising face integrity
Data Source
AI summary
A variable face thickness pattern is determined for a golf club head by setting a target value for a first constraint. Parametrization zones are defined and values set for a first parameter and a second parameter for each parametrization zone. Resultant first constraint values are evaluated from simulated impacts against the target first constraint value and the values are changed for the first and second parameters to result in a simulated face thickness pattern. In one aspect, the club head has a maximum coefficient of restitution at a first location of the striking face and a second coefficient of restitution that is no less than 98% of the maximum coefficient of restitution at a second location that is at least 7.5 mm from the first location. In another aspect, the club head has a moment of inertia, Izz, and a mass, mh, satisfying: Izz>mh*9.3 cm2.