Reverse Camber Golf Club Head for Greater Impact Flexure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Metalwood golf club heads experience energy loss during impact due to high stresses and deformations, leading to inefficient energy transfer to the golf ball, and prior art designs with outward cambered soles complicate ball contact.
Innovation Solution
A golf club head with a reverse camber sole featuring an indented region that inwardly curves between the front and back ends, allowing greater deflection and internal energy transfer, enhanced by internal beams for reinforcement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If outward camber is increased in the sole region, then deformation of the club head body is increased, but the strikeface resides higher off the ground at address position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional outward camber design by implementing an inward camber where the sole region curves inward between the front and back of the club head. This reverse geometry allows the strikeface to remain lower at address while still achieving increased deformation during impact, directly resolving the contradiction between deformation capability and ball contact position.
2Loss of energy
If faceplate flexure is increased, then energy transfer efficiency is improved, but structural integrity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by implementing variable thickness distribution in the faceplate, with thinner regions positioned to maximize flexure and energy transfer while thicker regions maintain structural integrity. This localized variation in thickness allows different parts of the faceplate to serve different functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates curvature modifications to the faceplate geometry, using curved surfaces and rounded transitions to distribute stresses more evenly during impact. This curvature design enhances flexure characteristics while maintaining structural strength, resolving the contradiction between energy transfer and structural integrity.
3Loss of energy
If sole thickness is reduced to promote deformation, then energy transfer is improved, but sole strength and durability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite material construction in the sole region, combining materials with different mechanical properties to achieve both flexibility for deformation and sufficient strength for durability. The composite structure allows thin sections to flex while maintaining overall structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses curved geometry in the sole design to distribute impact stresses across broader areas, allowing reduced thickness while maintaining strength. The curved surfaces redirect stress paths, preventing stress concentration that would compromise durability in thinner sections.
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 reverse camber sole design increases energy transfer efficiency, resulting in longer golf shots with reduced ball spin, while maintaining optimal contact during impact.
Implementation Method 1
the reverse camber sole follows a more tightly curved profile between a front end of the club head and a back end of the club head, as compared to prior art metalwood golf club heads. This promotes greater deflection in the sole of the body as the golf club head impacts a golf ball.
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are embodiments of golf club heads with flexible soles. In one embodiment, the golf club head includes a body having a crown opposite a sole, a toe opposite a heel, a back end opposite a front end, and a hosel. The golf club head also includes a sole curvature profile comprising a radius of curvature that varies as the sole curvature profile extends between the front end and the back end. The radius of curvature is configured to increase the flexure of the entire golf club head, thereby increasing the internal energy of the golf club head.