Golf Club Shaft Gradient Overlap Winding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional golf club shafts experience discontinuous flexural rigidity in the lengthwise direction due to the distal-end reinforcing layer, leading to inadequate flexibility and head speed, and using rectangular carbon prepregs results in instability in flexural rigidity dispersion in the circumferential direction.
Innovation Solution
A golf club shaft formed by winding at least three rectangular carbon prepregs as full-length layers with zero overlap at the proximal end and increasing overlap towards the distal end, where the wind start positions are clocked, eliminating the need for a distal-end reinforcing layer and ensuring all prepregs are 0-degree layers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a distal-end reinforcing layer is added to improve flexural rigidity at the distal end, then the flexural rigidity at the distal end is improved, but discontinuous flexural rigidity occurs in the lengthwise direction causing poor flexibility and reduced head speed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the overlap amount of rectangular carbon prepregs along the lengthwise direction. The overlap amount increases from the proximal end to the distal end, creating a gradient structure that locally adjusts flexural rigidity. This eliminates the need for a separate distal-end reinforcing layer while achieving continuous flexural rigidity distribution, thereby maintaining both distal end strength and overall flexibility for smooth bending during swing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of overlap amount progressively along the lengthwise direction of the shaft. By increasing the overlap amount from proximal to distal end, the flexural rigidity is continuously adjusted without abrupt changes. This parameter gradient approach resolves the contradiction by achieving enhanced distal end rigidity while maintaining continuous flexibility throughout the shaft for improved head speed.
2Ease of manufacture
If rectangular carbon prepregs are used to simplify manufacturing, then manufacturing is simplified, but flexural rigidity dispersion in the circumferential direction increases causing unstable performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by introducing intentional circumferential offset (clocking) of the rectangular carbon prepregs. Instead of aligning all prepregs symmetrically, each prepreg is positioned at a different circumferential angle. This asymmetric arrangement distributes the reinforcement more evenly around the shaft circumference, reducing flexural rigidity dispersion and stabilizing performance while maintaining the manufacturing simplicity of using rectangular prepregs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent addresses the circumferential dispersion issue by introducing a new dimension - the circumferential offset angle. By controlling the angular position of each rectangular prepreg around the shaft axis, the patent transforms a one-dimensional stacking problem into a two-dimensional spatial arrangement, thereby achieving uniform rigidity distribution in the circumferential direction while preserving manufacturing simplicity.
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 configuration improves flexural rigidity at the distal end without affecting the proximal end, reduces circumferential direction rigidity dispersion, and enhances the smoothness of bending and head speed during a golf swing.
Implementation Method 1
a golf club shaft formed by winding prepregs made of uncured thermosetting resin into a tapered shape and curing the prepregs thermally
Data Source
AI summary
A golf club shaft is provided in which the flexural rigidity of the distal end portion can be improved with no change in flexural rigidity on the proximal end while the dispersion in the values of the flexural rigidity in the circumferential direction can be reduced without the use of a distal-end reinforcing layer that causes discontinuous points in the lengthwise direction in flexural rigidity. A golf club shaft is provided which satisfies the following conditions: that the golf club shaft includes at least three rectangular carbon prepregs as full-length layers, that all the rectangular carbon prepregs are each composed of a 0-degree layer, the long fiber direction of which is coincident with the longitudinal direction of the golf club shaft, that all the rectangular carbon prepregs are configured such that the amount of overlapping of each rectangular carbon prepreg is zero on the large-diameter proximal end portion of the gold club shaft and increasingly overlaps at positions increasingly toward the distal end of the golf club shaft, and that wind start positions of the rectangular carbon prepregs are different from one another.