Golf Club Shaft Layering for Center of Gravity Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing golf club shafts face challenges in achieving a high degree of freedom for center of gravity positioning and weight saving while maintaining strength, particularly in lightweight designs where the center of gravity tends to shift towards the tip, limiting design flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A golf club shaft design featuring a plurality of fiber-reinforced resin layers, including a first straight layer with minimal 0°-compression strength and a second straight layer with maximum 0°-compression strength, strategically positioned and oriented to create a specific tip part with a defined strength difference, using glass and carbon fibers to optimize weight and strength distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the shaft is designed to be lightweight, then weight is reduced, but the center of gravity shifts toward the tip, limiting design freedom
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft is divided into multiple layers with different fiber types (carbon fiber and glass fiber) and different 0°-compression strength characteristics. The first straight layer uses glass fiber with minimum 0°-compression strength, while the second straight layer uses carbon fiber with maximum 0°-compression strength. This segmentation allows independent optimization of different shaft regions, enabling weight reduction while maintaining center of gravity position flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
Different layers are assigned different material properties and positions based on local requirements. The first straight layer (glass fiber, minimum compression strength) is positioned at the innermost layer, while the second straight layer (carbon fiber, maximum compression strength) is disposed outside the central position in the thickness direction. This local differentiation enables weight optimization in specific regions without compromising overall structural integrity or center of gravity control.
2Strength
If prepreg is concentrated on the tip side to reinforce the tip part, then strength is improved, but the center of gravity approaches the tip, reducing design freedom
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different fiber materials and layer configurations to different regions of the shaft. The first straight layer with glass fiber and minimum 0°-compression strength is positioned at the innermost layer, while the second straight layer with carbon fiber and maximum 0°-compression strength is disposed outside the central position. This local quality differentiation allows strength optimization at the tip while controlling the center of gravity position through strategic material distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft combines glass fiber and carbon fiber in a composite structure. The first straight layer uses glass fiber reinforced resin, while the second straight layer uses carbon fiber reinforced resin. This composite material approach enables the shaft to achieve both weight reduction and strength enhancement, with the different fiber types contributing different mechanical properties to optimize both tip strength and center of gravity positioning flexibility.
3Manufacturing precision
If the difference in 0°-compression strength between layers is increased, then structural optimization is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies that the difference in 0°-compression strength between the first straight layer (Cmin) and the second straight layer (Cmax) should be equal to or greater than 550 MPa. This parameter control enables precise optimization of the shaft's structural performance by managing the strength distribution across layers, while the clear numerical specification simplifies the manufacturing process by providing explicit design criteria.
Data Source
AI summary
A shaft 6 includes a plurality of fiber reinforced resin layers s1 to s10. The plurality of layers include a first straight layer s1 in which a 0°-compression strength is the minimum and a second straight layer s9 in which a 0°-compression strength is the maximum. A specific tip part Tx which is a region between a tip end Tp and a position separated by 100 mm from the tip end Tp satisfies the following (a) to (c):(a) the first straight layer forms a innermost layer;(b) the second straight layer is arranged outside a central position in a thickness direction; and(c) when a 0°-compression strength of the first straight layer is defined as Cmin and a 0°-compression strength of the second straight layer is defined as Cmax, a difference (Cmax−Cmin) is equal to or greater than 550 MPa.