Thermoplastic Polyester Elastomer Golf Ball Core Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Thermoplastic polyester elastomers (TPEEs) used in golf ball cores lack sufficient rebound resilience for higher compression applications and do not match the resilience of ionomeric thermoplastic elastomers, limiting their use in golf ball core layers.
Innovation Solution
A multi-layer golf ball design featuring a core composed of a thermoplastic polyester elastomer with a molecular weight greater than or equal to 1400 g/mol, combined with highly neutralized ionomer layers and a thermoplastic polyurethane cover, to enhance rebound resilience and coefficient of restitution (COR).
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If TPEEs are used in golf ball cores, then economic advantages and high rebound resilience are achieved, but sufficient rebound resilience for higher compression applications is not attained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines TPEE with other materials to create composite core formulations. Specifically, it uses TPEE as a base material and incorporates additional components or modifies the TPEE structure to achieve higher rebound resilience while maintaining the economic benefits of TPEE over thermoset systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the TPEE material parameters, specifically using polytetramethylene glycol with molecular weight greater than or equal to 1400 g/mol as the polyol component. This parameter change in the base material structure enhances the rebound resilience of the TPEE to meet higher compression application requirements.
2Ease of manufacture
If TPEEs are used in golf ball cores, then cost effectiveness is improved, but rebound resilience does not match ionomeric thermoplastic elastomers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the molecular weight parameter of the polyol component to greater than or equal to 1400 g/mol, which fundamentally alters the TPEE properties to achieve rebound resilience levels comparable to ionomeric elastomers while retaining the cost effectiveness of TPEE materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates composite formulations that combine TPEE with additional materials or modifiers to bridge the performance gap with ionomeric elastomers, achieving comparable rebound resilience without sacrificing the economic advantages of TPEE.
3Reliability
If higher molecular weight polytetramethylene glycol is used, then rebound resilience is increased, but material cost may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent sets a specific threshold for the polyol molecular weight (greater than or equal to 1400 g/mol) to achieve the desired rebound resilience improvement while attempting to optimize the balance with material cost considerations.
Data Source
AI summary
A golf ball having a core layer comprising a thermoplastic polyester elastomer formed from a polytetramethylene glycol with a molecular weight greater than or equal to 1400 g/mol is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, an inner core sphere is the core layer and has a diameter ranging from 0.875 inch to 1.4 inches. The core comprises the inner core, an intermediate core and an outer core. The mantle component comprises an inner mantle and an outer mantle. The cover layer is preferably composed of a thermoplastic polyurethane.