Polymeric Hosel Golf Club Head Mass Distribution
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Golf club heads face a trade-off between structural resilience and forgiveness, as increasing perimeter weighting for higher moment of inertia reduces club head speed and hitting distance, while minimizing structural mass for customization is challenging without compromising resiliency.
Innovation Solution
A golf club head with a polymeric hosel molded from a resin and fibers, where the fibers are oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis to maximize strength and minimize weight, allowing for customization of mass distribution and reduced structural weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If perimeter weighting is increased to improve moment of inertia, then forgiveness is improved, but club head speed and hitting distance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The hosel is designed with non-uniform thickness, being thicker at the impact zone and thinner at the grip end, creating localized mass distribution that optimizes both moment of inertia and club head speed without requiring overall perimeter weighting
Solution Approach 2:
The hosel is constructed as a composite structure combining polymeric materials with embedded fibers (such as carbon or glass fibers), creating a lightweight yet strong component that can be precisely engineered for optimal mass distribution
2Speed
If total mass is reduced to improve club head speed, then hitting distance is improved, but moment of inertia deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hosel employs localized mass concentration at specific strategic points (impact zone, toe, heel) rather than uniform distribution, allowing low overall mass while maintaining high moment of inertia through precise positioning of mass at the perimeter
Solution Approach 2:
The composite polymeric material with embedded fibers provides high strength-to-weight ratio, enabling the hosel to be lightweight overall while containing concentrated mass at critical locations to maximize moment of inertia
3Adaptability or versatility
If structural mass is minimized for customization, then design flexibility is improved, but resiliency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hosel is made from composite polymeric materials with embedded reinforcement fibers, providing a lightweight base material that can be easily molded into custom shapes while the embedded fibers maintain structural resiliency and impact resistance
Solution Approach 2:
The hosel design incorporates localized reinforcement zones with higher fiber concentration or thickness at impact-prone areas, allowing minimal overall mass for customization while ensuring adequate resiliency at critical structural points
Data Source
AI summary
A golf club head includes a face, a club head body, and a hosel. The hosel has a tubular hosel body extending along a longitudinal axis and defining a bore. The bore is configured to receive a golf club shaft or a shaft adapter. The tubular hosel body is molded from a polymeric material that includes a resin and a plurality of fibers, each fiber has a length of from about 0.01 mm to about 12 mm.