Multi-Component Golf Club Head with Adjustable Loft Hinge
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in golf club head design is to create a structure that provides increased discretionary mass while maintaining desired performance attributes such as forgiveness and flexibility, which is difficult to achieve with traditional one-piece constructions due to manufacturing limitations and the need for improved mass manipulation.
Innovation Solution
A multi-component golf club head structure comprising a crown, heel, and toe bodies that define a central cavity, allowing for the concentration of mass towards the heel and toe, with a hinge and locking mechanism for adjustable loft angles, enabling independent adjustment of face and loft angles without altering the lie angle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a multi-component construction is used, then manufacturing precision and mass manipulation capability are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The club head is divided into multiple separate components (crown body, heel body, toe body, face body) that can be manufactured independently to high precision and then assembled together. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured to tight tolerances without the constraints of a single-piece construction, while the modular nature manages complexity through standardized interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The components are designed to nest within a common cavity space, with the crown body, heel body, toe body, and face body fitting together within the overall head structure. This nesting approach allows precise fitment while maintaining a unified structural appearance, effectively managing complexity through spatial organization.
2Strength
If mass is concentrated towards the heel and toe, then moment of inertia is improved, but center of gravity location becomes more difficult to control
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the club head are assigned different mass concentrations - the heel and toe bodies have increased mass to raise moment of inertia, while the crown and face regions maintain lighter construction. This local differentiation allows precise control over the center of gravity location despite overall mass concentration at specific zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-component construction allows the use of different materials or material densities in different body parts. Heavier materials can be used in the heel and toe bodies to increase moment of inertia, while lighter materials are used in the crown and face, enabling precise center of gravity control through material selection rather than solely relying on geometric mass distribution.
3Strength
If the face body is made separate, then face flexibility is improved, but structural integrity becomes more difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The face body is separated from the crown and sole bodies, allowing it to be constructed as an independent flexible component. This segmentation enables the face to have optimized flexibility for ball contact while the other bodies provide structural support, maintaining overall integrity through the assembled configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The face body can be constructed as a thin-walled or flexible component that provides the necessary flexibility for optimal ball contact, while the thicker-walled crown and sole bodies provide structural rigidity. This differentiation of wall thickness and material properties across segments maintains both face flexibility and overall structural integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
A golf club head with multi-component construction. The golf club head includes heel and toe portions that generally provide ground contacting surfaces and a raised central region. A center of gravity of the club is located outside of an envelope defined by the outer surface of the club head below the raised central region.