Golf Iron Face Piston Bumper System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing golf club heads with vibration damping inserts face a trade-off between reducing sound and stress on the striking face during high-speed impacts, often compromising performance by lowering the coefficient of restitution (COR).
Innovation Solution
A golf club head design featuring a piston and bumper system within a receptacle structure, where the piston extends through a through-opening and is received within a chamber, with bumpers positioned to reduce stress and dampen vibrations without direct contact with the striking face, utilizing a graphene material for the bumpers and a metal alloy for the body and face component.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If a vibration damping insert is placed between the striking face and the club head body, then the sound amplitude is reduced, but the coefficient of restitution (COR) is reduced and face performance is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
A bumper made of elastomeric material is introduced as an intermediary element between the striking face and the club head body. This bumper acts as a mediator that selectively dampens vibrations and reduces sound amplitude while maintaining the coefficient of restitution through its specific material properties and placement configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameters by using an elastomeric material with specific durometer hardness (e.g., 40-80 Shore A) for the bumper. This parameter selection allows the bumper to provide vibration damping while preserving face performance, resolving the contradiction between sound reduction and COR maintenance
2Object-generated harmful factors
If a damping insert is compressed between the striking face and the club head body during impact, then vibrations are damped, but stress on the face is not efficiently reduced and face breakage can occur
Solution Approach 1:
The elastomeric bumper is positioned and configured to engage beforehand during high-speed impacts, providing cushioning protection to the striking face before excessive stress can cause breakage. This prior cushioning effect reduces peak stresses while still allowing normal play
Solution Approach 2:
By selecting elastomeric material with appropriate durometer hardness parameters, the bumper provides sufficient cushioning to reduce face stress during high-impact collisions while maintaining vibration damping capabilities, thus protecting the face without compromising structural integrity
3Object-generated harmful factors
If a vibration damping insert is used, then sound is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional components and assembly requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The elastomeric bumper is integrated with existing club head components such as the cavity back or sole structure, merging the vibration damping function with the club head's structural elements. This integration reduces overall device complexity while achieving sound improvement
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 effectively reduces sound amplitude and stress on the striking face during high-speed impacts without impairing performance, allowing for selective stress reduction based on golfer skill and power, while maintaining structural integrity and avoiding direct contact between the receptacle and the striking face.
Implementation Method 1
the front bumper may damp vibration in the striking face after the striking face impacts a golf ball
Implementation Method 2
U.S. Pat. No. 9,168,437 to Roach et al. discloses an elastomeric insert attached to the back of the striking face of an iron
Implementation Method 3
the rear bumper may reduce stress in the striking face after the striking face impacts a golf ball
Data Source
AI summary
An golf club head with a structure that improves the sound and reduces stress placed on the face upon impact with a golf ball is disclosed herein. In particular, the golf club head is an iron with a face having a rear protrusion, also referred to as a piston, with both forward and rearward facing surfaces. The piston is at least partially received within a receptacle provided in the body of the golf club head. The receptacle also includes a pair of bumpers, one of which interacts with the piston to improve the sound of the face upon impact with a golf ball at speeds at which an average golfer would swing the club head, and the other of which reduces the stress placed on the face when the club makes impact with a golf ball at high speeds.