Multi-material Golf Club Head with Internal Ribbon Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern golf club heads with lightweight composite materials face challenges in achieving structural rigidity and desirable sound characteristics due to the difficulty in attaching high-density weights without adding unwanted weight or compromising structural integrity.
Innovation Solution
A golf club head design featuring a metallic frontal portion and a lightweight aft portion with an internal ribbon support member, which includes a secondary wall to separate volumetric chambers and attach weights directly to the frontal striking face, enhancing structural rigidity and acoustic performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If high-density weights are added to lightweight composite golf club heads, then weight distribution and performance are improved, but structural integrity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
A metallic reinforcement structure acts as an intermediary between the lightweight composite shell and the high-density weight. This metallic framework provides a strong attachment substrate that can support the weight without compromising the integrity of the lightweight composite material, effectively mediating between the weight addition requirement and structural integrity preservation.
Solution Approach 2:
The golf club head utilizes a composite construction combining lightweight composite materials (such as carbon fiber reinforced polymers) with metallic reinforcement elements and high-density weights. This multi-material composite approach allows the structure to simultaneously achieve lightweight properties, structural strength, and proper weight distribution by leveraging the complementary properties of different materials.
2Strength
If material thickness is increased to strengthen the lightweight portion, then structural rigidity is improved, but overall weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly increasing material thickness throughout the lightweight portion, metallic reinforcement elements are strategically placed only in specific locations where structural strength is needed, such as around weight attachment points and in high-stress areas. This localized reinforcement approach provides necessary structural rigidity while minimizing additional weight compared to uniform thickening.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution employs composite materials combining lightweight composite sections with strategically placed metallic reinforcement elements. This allows the structure to achieve necessary rigidity through the metallic components in critical areas while maintaining lightweight properties in non-critical areas, optimizing the strength-to-weight ratio.
3Weight of moving object
If weights are attached to lightweight composite portions, then weight distribution is improved, but structural integrity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
A metallic reinforcement structure serves as an intermediary substrate between the lightweight composite shell and the high-density weight. This metallic intermediate layer provides a strong attachment surface that can reliably support the weight forces without transferring excessive stress to the lightweight composite material, thereby maintaining structural integrity while achieving proper weight distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment structure is segmented into distinct functional zones: the lightweight composite shell for overall structure, metallic reinforcement elements for localized strength and weight support, and dedicated weight attachment points. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally without compromising the overall structural integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-material golf club head having an improved performance is disclosed. More specifically, the present invention relates to a multi-material golf club head having a metallic frontal portion and a lightweight aft portion with an addition of an internal ribbon support member. The lightweight aft portion could be formed of a multi-layered sandwich material with at least one layer having low damping properties. The present invention may also further be comprised of a weighting mechanism that is accessible via an opening in the lightweight after portion but connects directly to the metallic frontal portion to mitigate any of the structural integrity issues associated with installing weights in a lightweight portion of a golf club head.