Golf Club Head Pliant Spring Vibration Damping

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Solution Overview

Problem

Hollow golf club heads with thinner and stiffer materials can experience unwanted vibrations, leading to inconsistent vibrational responses across the club head, particularly at impact with a golf ball.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating pliant springs within the golf club head to contact the interior surfaces, specifically the strike face and other areas, to dampen vibrations and adjust the vibrational response.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If thinner and stiffer materials are used in golf club construction, then the strength and structural integrity of the club head is improved, but unwanted vibrations and inconsistent vibrational responses occur

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovestrengthVSAvoidvibrations

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A vibration damping material is introduced as an intermediary layer between the strike face and the club head body. This material serves as a mediator that absorbs and dampens unwanted vibrations generated during ball impact, while allowing the thin, strong strike face to maintain its structural integrity and strength properties.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The golf club head employs a composite structure combining a thin, strong strike face material (such as metal or composite) with a separate vibration damping material layer. This composite construction allows each material to perform its optimal function - the strike face provides strength and stiffness, while the damping material controls vibrations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Speed

If the strike face is made thinner to reduce weight and increase flexibility, then ball speed and distance are improved, but high amplitude vibrations and unpleasant sounds are generated

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveball speedVSAvoidhigh amplitude vibrations

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The vibration damping material acts as an intermediary that decouples the thin strike face from the club head body, allowing the thin face to flex and generate ball speed while the damping material absorbs the resulting high amplitude vibrations and unwanted sounds.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention converts the harmful high amplitude vibrations generated by the thin strike face into beneficial dampened vibrations. The vibration damping material transforms the unwanted vibrational energy into heat through internal friction, converting a harmful effect into a neutral or beneficial outcome.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If area specific vibrational damping is applied to interior surfaces, then unwanted vibrations are reduced, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveunwanted vibrationsVSAvoidcomplexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The vibration damping solution is segmented into discrete, localized applications rather than requiring complete coverage of all interior surfaces. The damping material can be applied as separate strips, patches, or localized layers at specific high-vibration areas such as behind the strike face or at the crown and sole, reducing manufacturing complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of uniformly damping all interior surfaces, the invention applies vibrational damping selectively at specific locations where vibration problems occur most severely. This localized approach targets the root causes of unwanted vibrations while minimizing the amount of damping material needed and simplifying the manufacturing process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

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 pliant springs effectively reduce the amplitude and duration of vibrations, enhancing the consistency of the vibrational response across the club head, thereby improving the overall performance and feel of the golf club.

Implementation Method 1

one or more pliant springs may be configured to move in response to the movement of that surface, while also damping vibrations at the contacted surface

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectVibration damping: Damping

Implementation Method 2

a pliant spring is not a brace, stop, or rib. The pliant spring does not directly transfer any significant stress or force from the surface to another golf club head portion

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentUS20250099822A1Golf club heads having pliant vibrational mitigation

Publication Date: 2025.03.27 KARSTEN MFG CORP

AI summary

Embodiments of a damping mechanism comprising a pliant spring mounted on the interior of a hollow golf club having one end affixed to a first club head interior surface location and a moveable end non-affixedly in contact with another club head interior surface location.