WO2004089475A2

WO2004089475A2 - Golf club head

Info

Publication number: WO2004089475A2
Application number: PCT/US2004/010102
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alan Hocknell; J. Andrew Galloway
Original assignee: Callaway Golf Company
Priority date: 2003-03-31
Filing date: 2004-03-30
Publication date: 2004-10-21
Also published as: GB0522190D0; US7153221B2; GB2415637A; GB2415637B; US20040192467A1; CN101018589A; US6994636B2; CN100563759C; WO2004089475A3; US20060094529A1

Abstract

A golf club head (20) having a body (22) with a front wall (30) with an opening (32) and a face component (40) is disclosed herein. The face component (40) preferably has a striking plate (50), a crown extension (52) and a sole extension (54). The golf club head (20) has a volume between 200 cubic centimeters and 600 cubic centimeters. The golf club head (20) has a mass between 140 grams and 215 grams.

Description

Title

GOLF CLUB HEAD

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a golf club head. More specifically, the

present invention relates to a golf club head with a face component.

Background Art

High performance drivers employ relatively thin, high strength face

materials. These faces are either formed into the curved face shape then welded into

a driver body component around the face perimeter, or forged into a cup shape and

connected to a body by either welding or adliesive bonding at a distance offset from

the face of up to 0.75 inch. In a popular embodiment of the sheet-formed face insert

driver, the weld between the formed face insert and the investment cast driver body

is located on the striking face, a small distance from the face perimeter. It is

common practice for the face insert to be of uniform thickness and to design the

surrounding driver body component to be of equal thickness. In this way there is

continuity of face thickness across the weld.

Several patents disclose face inserts. Anderson, U.S. Patent Numbers

5,024,437, 5,094,383, 5,255,918, 5,261,663 and 5,261,664, disclose a golf club head

having a full body composed of a cast metal material and a face insert composed of a hot forged metal material. Viste, U.S. Patent Number 5,282,624 discloses a golf club head with a cast

metal body and a forged steel face insert with grooves on the exterior surface and the

interior surface of the face insert and having a thickness of 3mm.

Rogers, U.S. Patent Number 3,970,236, discloses an iron club head with a

formed metal face plate insert fusion bonded to a cast iron body.

Galloway, et al, U.S. Patent Number 6,354,962 discloses a golf club head of

a face cup design.

However, there is a need for a golf club head with a face component that

performs better than conventional face insert club heads and provides cost savings.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention overcomes the problems of the prior art by providing a

golf club head that has a body with a face component. This allows the golf club

head of the present invention to have better performance than a conventional face

insert golf club head and to have a lower cost than a full face cup golf club head.

One aspect of the present invention is a golf club head with a body and a face

component. The body has a crown, a sole, a ribbon, a heel front wall and a toe front

wall. The crown has a thickness of 0.030 inch to 0.050 inch. The sole has a

thickness of 0.030 inch to 0.050 inch. The body is preferably composed of a cast

titanium alloy material. The body has an opening in a portion of the front wall, a

portion of the crown and a portion of the sole. The body also has a hollow interior. A face component is positioned within the opening of the body. The face component preferably has a striking plate, a crown extension substantially

perpendicular to the striking plate, and a sole extension substantially peφendicular

to the striking plate. The striking plate is preferably welded to the heel front wall

and the toe front wall. The crown extension is preferably welded to the crown of the

body. The sole extension is preferably welded to the sole of the body. The face

component preferably has a uniform thickness in the range of 0.080 inch to 0.120

inch. The face component is preferably composed of a formed titanium alloy

material. Having briefly described the present invention, the above and further objects,

features and advantages thereof will be recognized by those skilled in the pertinent

art from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in

conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the components of a preferred embodiment of

the golf club head of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a golf club head of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a golf club head of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the heel end of a golf club head of the present

invention. FIG. 5 is side view of the toe end of a golf club head of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of a golf club head of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a rear view of a golf club head of the present invention.

FIG. 8 a front view of a golf club head of the present invention showing the

perimeter region in dashed lines.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view along line 9-9 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 10 is an isolated view of a face component.

FIG. 11 is an isolated view of an alternative face component.

FIG. 12 is an isolate view of yet another alternative face component.

FIG. 13 is an isolated view of the face component illustrating an alternative

embodiment with variable thickness.

FIG. 13 A is a cross-sectional view of the face component of FIG. 13.

Best Mode(s) For Carrying Out The Invention

As shown in FIGS. 1-8, the golf club head of the present invention is

generally designated 20. The golf club head 20 of FIGS. 1-8 is a driver, however,

the golf club head of the present invention may alternatively be a fairway wood. The

golf club head 20 has a body 22 that is preferably composed of a metal material such

as titanium, titanium alloy, or the like, and is most preferably composed of a cast

titanium alloy material. Alternatively, the body is composed of a non-metal material such a plies of pre-preg material or thermoplastic materials such as thermoplastic

polyurethane.

The body 22 composed of a metal material is preferably cast from molten

metal in a method such as the well-known lost-wax casting method. The metal for

casting is preferably titanium or a titanium alloy such as 6-4 titanium alloy, alpha-

beta titanium alloy or beta titanium alloy for forging, and 6-4 titanium for casting.

Alternatively, the body 22 is composed of 17-4 steel alloy. Yet further, the body is

composed of a magnesium, magnesium alloy, aluminum or aluminum alloy material.

Additional methods for manufacturing the body 22 include forming the body 22

from a flat sheet of metal, super-plastic forming the body 22 from a flat sheet of

metal, machining the body 22 from a solid block of metal, electrochemical milling

the body from a forged pre-form, casting the body using centrifugal casting, casting

the body using levitation casting, metal injection molding, and like manufacturing

methods. The golf club head 20, when designed as a driver, preferably has a volume

from 200 cubic centimeters ("cm³")to 600 cm³, more preferably from 275 cm³ to 460

cm³, more preferably from 300 cm³ to 450 cm³, and most preferably from 350 cm³ to

420 cm³. A golf club head 20 for a driver with a body 22 composed of a cast

titanium alloy most preferably has a volume of 380 cm³. The volume of the golf club

head 20 will also vary between fairway woods (preferably ranging from 3-woods to

eleven woods) with smaller volumes than drivers. The golf club head 20, when designed as a driver, preferably has a mass no more than 215 grams, and most preferably a mass of 180 to 215 grams. When the

golf club head 20 is designed as a fairway wood, the golf club head preferably has a

mass of 135 grams to 180 grams, and preferably from 140 grams to 165 grams.

The body 22 has a crown 24, a sole 26, a ribbon 28, and a front wall 30

preferably composed of a heel front wall 30b and a toe front wall 30a. The body

also has an opening 32 in the front wall 30 and preferably extending optionally into

the crown 24, the sole 26 or both the crown 24 and sole 26. The body 22 preferably

has a hollow interior 47. The golf club head 20 has a heel end 36, a toe end 38 an aft

end 37. A shaft, not shown, is placed within a hosel 49 at the heel end 36. In a

preferred embodiment, the hosel 49 is internal to the body 22, and the shaft extends

to the sole 26.

The golf club head 20 has face component 40 that is attached to the body 22

over the opening 32. The face component 40 is preferably composed of a striking

plate 50 and a crown extension 52, a sole extension 54 or both a crown extension 52

and sole extension 54. The striking plate 50, the crown extension 52 and the sole

extension 54 preferably form a U-shaped face component 40. As shown in FIG. 10,

the striking plate 50 has a width Wfc that preferably ranges from 2.0 inches to 4.0

inches. As shown in FIG. 10, the crown extension 52 extends from the edge of the

striking plate 50 a distance "Dc" that preferably ranges from 0.250 inch to 2.5

inches. As shown in FIG. 10, the sole extension 54 extends from the edge of the striking plate 50 a distance "Ds" that preferably ranges from 0.250 inch to 2.5 inches.

The face component 40 preferably is composed of a formed titanium alloy

material. Such titanium materials include titanium alloys such as 6-22-22 titanium

alloy, Ti 10-2-3 alloy and Beta-C titanium alloy, all available from RTI International

Metals of Ohio, SP-700 titanium alloy available from Nippon Steel of Tokyo, Japan,

DAT 55G titanium alloy available from Diado Steel of Tokyo, Japan, and like

materials. The preferred material for the face component 40 is a heat treated 6-22-22

titanium alloy, which is a titanium alloy composed by weight of titanium, 6%

aluminum, 2% tin, 2% chromium, 2% molybdenum, 2% zirconium and 0.23%

silicon.

In the preferred embodiment, the face component 40 is cut from a flat sheet

of material. The face component 40 is cut using a water jet or electro-discharge

machining method, and then hot-formed to the required shape by bending the sheet

to form the final face component shape. Use of a formed sheet material allows for a

club head with a deeper face than typical forged materials. Further methods such as

chemical milling or precision grinding may be used to reduce the thickness or

portions of all of the face component 40. One such chemical milling method is

disclosed in U.S. Patent Number 6,381,828, entitled Chemical Etching Of A Striking

Plate For A Golf Club Head.

The face component 40 is preferably welded to the body 22, thereby covering the opening 32. The striking plate 50 is preferably welded to the toe front wall 30a and the heel front wall 30b. The crown extension 52 is preferably welded to the

crown 24. The sole extension 54 is preferably welded to the sole 26. Alternatively,

the face component 40 is press-fitted into the opening 32. In an alternative

embodiment where the body 22 is composed of a non-metal material, the face

component 40 is preferably attached to the body 22 using an adhesive.

In a preferred embodiment, the striking plate 50 has uniform thickness that

ranges from 0.040 inch to 0.250 inch, more preferably a thickness of 0.080 inch to

0.120 inch, and is most preferably 0.108 inch for a titanium alloy face component

40.

As shown in FIG. 10, the preferred embodiment of the face component 40

has a crown extension 52 and a sole extension 54 that have an arc shape. As shown

in FIG. 11, in an alternative embodiment, the crown extension 52 and the sole

extension 54 have a triangular shape. As shown in FIG.12, in yet another alternative

embodiment, the crown extension 52 and the sole extension 54 have pseudo-

trapezoidal shapes. In these alternative embodiments, the opening 32 of the body 22

would be shaped to fit the face component 40.

The present invention is directed at a golf club head that has a high

coefficient of restitution thereby enabling for greater distance of a golf ball hit with

the golf club head of the present invention. The coefficient of restitution (also

referred to herein as "COR") is determined by the following equation: Vl →l u,-ϋ₃

wherein Uj is the club head velocity prior to impact; U₂ is the golf ball velocity prior

to impact which is zero; v; is the club head velocity just after separation of the golf

ball from the face of the club head; v₂ is the golf ball velocity just after separation of

the golf ball from the face of the club head; and e is the coefficient of restitution

between the golf ball and the club face.

The values of e are limited between zero and 1.0 for systems with no energy

addition. The coefficient of restitution, e, for a material such as a soft clay or putty

would be near zero, while for a perfectly elastic material, where no energy is lost as a

result of deformation, the value of e would be 1.0. The present invention provides a

club head 20 preferably having a coefficient of restitution preferably ranging from

0.80 to 0.87, and more preferably from 0.82 to 0.86, as measured under standard

USGA test conditions.

The depth of the club head 20 from the striking plate insert 50 to the aft-end

37 preferably ranges from 3.0 inches to 4.5 inches, and is most preferably 3.75

inches. As shown in FIG. 2, The height, "H", of the club head 20, as measured

while in address position, preferably ranges from 2.0 inches to 3.5 inches, and is

most preferably 2.50 inches or 2.9 inches. The width, "W", of the club head 20

from the toe end 38 to the heel end 36 preferably ranges from 4.0 inches to 5.0

inches, and more preferably 4.7 inches.

The face 45 of the golf club head 20 preferably has a large aspect ratio. The aspect ratio as used herein is defined as the height, "H", of the face 45 divided by the width, "W", of the face 45. The width, W, is measured between the farthest limits of

the face 45 from the heel end 36 to the toe end 38. The measured width, W, does not

include any portion of the body 22 that may be on the front of the club head 20 but

not part of the face 45. The face 45 does include the striking plate 50 of the face

component, the toe front wall 30a and the heel front wall 30a. The height, H, is

measured from between the farthest limits of the face 45 from the crown 24 to the

sole 26. As with the width, W, the height, H, does not include any portion of the

body 22 that may be on the front of the club head 20 but not part of the face 45.

In one embodiment, the width W is 3.35 inches and the height H is 2.0 inches

giving an aspect ratio of 0.6. The face 45 of the golf club head 20 preferably has an

aspect ratio that is greater than 0.575. The aspect ratio of the face 45 preferably

ranges from 0.575 to 0.8, and is most preferably from 0.6 to 0.7. A discussion of

the aspect ratio of the face of a golf club head is disclosed in Kosmatka, U.S. Patent

Number 6,338,683 for Striking Plate For A Golf Club Head, which is hereby

incoφorated by reference in its entirety.

The center of gravity and the moments of inertia of the golf club head 20 may

be calculated as disclosed in U.S. Patent Number 6,607,452, entitled High Moment

Of Inertia Composite Golf Club, and hereby incoφorated by reference in its entirety.

In general, the moment of inertia, Izz, about the Z axis for the golf club head 20 will

preferably range from 2700g-cm² to 4000g-cm², more preferably from 3000g-cm² to 3800g-cm². The moment of inertia, Iyy, about the Y axis for the golf club head 20 will preferably range from 1500g-cm to 3500g-cm .

Further, the golf club head 20 preferably has superior products of inertia

wherein at least one of the products inertia, Ixy, Ixz and Iyz, of the golf club head 20

has an absolute value less than lOOg-cm , and more preferably two or three products

of inertia, Ixy, Ixz and Iyz, of the golf club head 20 have an absolute value less than

100g-cm². A discussion of the products of inertia is disclosed in Cackett, et al., U.S.

Patent Number 6,425,832 for Large Volume Driver Head With High Moments Of

Inertia, which is hereby incoφorated by reference in its entirety.

In an alternative embodiment, the face component 40 has a variable thickness

wherein a central region is thicker than periphery regions. As illustrated in FIG. 13,

the central region 83 is thicker than periphery regions 85. In a preferred

embodiment, the central region 83 extends across the striking plate 50 from heel to

toe, and the thickness of the periphery region tapers from the edge of the central

region 83 to the crown and sole edges of the face component 40. FIG. 13A

illustrates a cross-sectional view of the thickness variation. In a preferred

embodiment, the central region 83 has a thickness that ranges from 0.080 inch to

0.125 inch, and most preferably approximately 0.100 inch. The central region 83 has

preferably extends 0.75 inch across the center of the striking plate 50 in a crown to

sole direction. The periphery region 85 preferably has a thickness that tapers from

the edge 83a of the central region 83 to a final thickness of approximately 0.040 inch at the edge of the face component 40. The variable thickness in the face component

40 may preferably be accomplished through machining, form grinding or in the

rolling of the material. Those skilled in the pertinent art will recognize numerous

other methods to impact variable thickness to the face component without departing

from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Other such variable thickness patterns are disclosed in Kosmatka, U.S. Patent

Number 5,830,834 for a Contoured Golf Club Face, Galloway, et al, U.S. Patent

Number 6,354,962 for a Golf Club Head With A Face Composed Of A Forged

Material, Galloway, U.S. Patent Number 6,368,234, for a Golf Club Striking Plate

Having Elliptical Regions Of Thickness, and Evans, et al., U.S. Patent Number

6,398,666, for a Golf Club Striking Plate With Variable Thickness, each of which is

hereby incoφorated by reference in its entirety.

From the foregoing it is believed that those skilled in the pertinent art will

recognize the meritorious advancement of this invention and will readily understand

that while the present invention has been described in association with a preferred

embodiment thereof, and other embodiments illustrated in the accompanying

drawings, numerous changes, modifications and substitutions of equivalents maybe

made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention which is

intended to be unlimited by the foregoing except as may appear in the following

appended claims. Therefore, the embodiments of the invention in which an

exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined in the following appended claims.

Claims

ClaimsWe claim as our invention:

1. A golf club head comprising:

a body having a crown, a sole, a ribbon, a heel front wall and a toe

front wall, the crown having a thickness of 0.030 inch to 0.050 inch, the sole having

a thickness of 0.040 inch to 0.250 inch, the body having an opening in a portion of

the front wall and a portion of the crown; and

a face component positioned within the opening and attached to the

body, the face component having a striking plate and a crown extension substantially

peφendicular to the striking plate, the striking plate attached to the heel front wall

and the toe front wall, the crown extension attached to the crown of the body, the

face component having a thickness in the range of 0.030 inch to 0.2000 inch, the

face component composed of a metal material;

wherein the golf club head has a volume ranging from 300 cubic

centimeters to 450 cubic centimeters, and the golf club head has a coefficient of

restitution ranging from 0.80 to 0.87.

2. The golf club head according to claim 1 the striking plate of the face

component has a width ranging from 2.0 inches to 4.0 inches.

3. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the crown extension of the

face component extends from 0.250 inch to 2.5 inches from the striking plate.

4. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the crown extension of the

face component has an arc shape.

5. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the body is composed of a

non-metal material.

6. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the body is composed of a

cast titanium alloy material.

7. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the body is composed of a

magnesium alloy material.

8. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the crown extension of the

face component has a triangular shape.

9. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the striking plate of the face

component is 50% to 80% of the face area of the golf club head.

10. A golf club head comprising:

a body having a crown, a sole, a ribbon and a front wall, the body

having an opening in the front wall and extending into the crown and the sole, the

body having a hollow interior; and

a face component positioned within the opening and attached to the

body, the face component having a striking plate, a crown return extending from the

striking plate, and a sole return extending from the striking plate, the face component

composed of a metal material;

wherein the golf club head has a volume ranging from 300 cubic

centimeters to 500 cubic centimeters, and the golf club head has a coefficient of

restitution ranging from 0.80 to 0.88.

11. The golf club head according to claim 10 wherein the body is composed of a

cast titanium alloy material and the face component is composed of a formed

titanium alloy material.

12. The golf club head according to claim 10 the striking plate of the face

component has a width ranging from 2.0 inches to 4.0 inches.

13. The golf club head according to claim 10 wherein the crown return of the

face component extends from 0.250 inch to 2.5 inches from the striking plate.

14. The golf club head according to claim 10 wherein the crown return of the

face component has an arc shape.

15. The golf club head according to claim 10 wherein the sole return of the face

component extends from 0.250 inch to 2.5 inches from the striking plate.

16. The golf club head according to claim 10 wherein the sole return of the face component has an arc shape.

17. The golf club head according to claim 10 wherein the sole return of the face

component has a triangular shape.

18. The golf club head according to claim 10 wherein the crown return of the

face component has a triangular shape.

19. The golf club head according to claim 10 wherein the striking plate of the face component is 50% to 80% of the face area of the golf club head.

20. A golf club head comprising:

a body having a crown, a sole, a ribbon and a front wall, the body having an opening in the front wall and extending into the crown and the sole, the body composed of a titanium alloy material and having a hollow interior; and a face component positioned within the opening and attached to the body, the face component having a striking plate, a crown return extending from the striking plate, and a sole return extending from the striking plate, the face component composed of a formed titanium alloy material; wherein the golf club head has a volume ranging from 300 cubic centimeters to 500 cubic centimeters, the golf club head has a coefficient of restitution ranging from 0.80 to 0.88, and a moment of inertia, Izz, about the Z axis of the center of gravity of the golf club head ranging from 2700g-cm² to 4000g-cm²

21. The golf club head according to claim 20 wherein a face of the golf club head has an aspect ratio of at least 0.565.

22. The golf club head according to claim 20 wherein the golf club head has a

moment of inertia lyy, about the Y axis of the center of gravity of the golf club head

ranging froml500g-cm² to 3500g-cm².

23. A golf club head comprising:

a body having a crown, a sole, a ribbon and a front wall, the body

having an opening in the front wall and extending into the crown, the body

composed of a metal material and having a hollow interior; and

a face component positioned within the opening and attached to the

body, the face component having a striking plate and a crown return extending from

the striking plate, the face component composed of a metal material, wherein the

face component has a central region of a first thickness and a periphery region

having a tapering thickness from an edge of the central region to an edge of the face

component.

24. The golf club head according to claim 23 wherein the central region has a

thickness ranging from 0.125 inch to 0.080 inch.

25. A method for forming a face component for a golf club head, the method

comprising: cutting a flat sheet of a metal material, the flat sheet having a striking

plate portion and at least one of a crown portion and a sole portion; and

bending the at least one of the crown portion or sole portion

substantially peφendicular to the striking plate portion.

26. The method according to claim 25 wherein the flat sheet is composed of a

titanium alloy material.

27. The method according to claim 25 wherein the flat sheet has a thickness

ranging from 0.040 inch to 0.250 inch.

28. The method according to claim 25 wherein the flat sheet is composed of a

steel alloy material.

29. The method according to claim 25 wherein the cutting is laser cutting.