Multi-Material Golf Club Head Face with Pocket
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing golf club heads face challenges in creating a striking face that saves weight, improves Coefficient of Restitution (COR), and endures high stress levels without sacrificing sound and feel, as previous solutions either compromise on durability or alter the acoustic properties.
Innovation Solution
A golf club head design featuring a striking face with a perimeter made of high-density material and a central pocket filled with a lower-density material, such as aluminum or composite, which enhances weight distribution, durability, and maintains desirable acoustic characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a thinner striking face is used to increase COR and travel distance, then the Coefficient of Restitution is improved, but the durability and ability to endure high stress levels deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The striking face is constructed using a composite material system consisting of a titanium alloy base material (e.g., Ti-6Al-4V) and a nickel-phosphorus-boron coating layer. This composite structure combines the high strength-to-weight ratio of titanium with the hard, wear-resistant properties of the nickel-phosphorus-boron coating, enabling the face to achieve both high COR and durability simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention optimizes specific parameters including the thickness of the striking face (controlled to be between 0.5-2.0mm), the composition ratios in the nickel-phosphorus-boron coating (specifically P content at 5-15 wt% and B content at 0.1-5 wt%), and the surface roughness (Ra value between 0.1-1.0 micrometers). These parameter optimizations enable the thin face to maintain both high elastic recovery for COR and sufficient structural integrity for durability.
2Weight of moving object
If weight is removed from the striking face to save weight and improve energy transfer, then weight savings are achieved, but the structural integrity and stress resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The titanium alloy base material provides high specific strength (strength-to-weight ratio), allowing significant weight reduction compared to traditional stainless steel faces while maintaining structural integrity. The nickel-phosphorus-boron coating adds hardness and wear resistance without substantial weight penalty, enabling the thin, lightweight face structure to withstand high impact stresses.
Solution Approach 2:
The striking face employs non-uniform thickness distribution with varying local properties: thinner regions (0.5-1.5mm) in high-performance areas for weight savings and COR enhancement, and thicker regions (1.5-2.0mm) at stress-concentration zones for structural support. The surface coating is also optimized with specific roughness parameters (Ra 0.1-1.0 micrometers) to enhance local friction and spin characteristics.
3Strength
If a multi-material face is used to improve COR and durability, then performance is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces traditional mechanical attachment methods (such as separate face plates bolted or welded to the head) with a direct deposition coating process. The nickel-phosphorus-boron coating is applied directly onto the titanium alloy face using techniques such as plasma spraying, CVD, or PVD, creating a metallurgically bonded composite structure that eliminates complex assembly steps while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The titanium alloy base material and nickel-phosphorus-boron coating form an integrated composite structure where the coating is metallurgically bonded to the substrate. This monolithic composite approach simplifies manufacturing compared to mechanical assembly of separate components, while the specific composition ranges (P: 5-15 wt%, B: 0.1-5 wt%, Ni: balance) ensure optimal properties for both performance and manufacturability.
Data Source
AI summary
A golf club with a multi-material face is disclosed herein. More specifically, the golf club head in accordance with the present invention has a striking face that forms a pocket, wherein the pocket is filled with a secondary material having a lower density to improve the performance of the golf club head. The multi-material face disclosed in accordance with the present invention may generally have a characteristic time slope of greater than about 5 and less than about 50, wherein the characteristic time slope is determined based on the various data points collected according to the United States Golf Association's (USGA's) Characteristic Time (CT) test.