Golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads

• US 10,596,425 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2019
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parsons Xtreme Golf, Llc
• Original Assignee: Parsons Xtreme Golf, Llc
• Inventors: Parsons, Robert R., Nicolette, Michael R., Schweigert, Bradley D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US16/246,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20190143183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 438 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0479 Wedge-type clubs, details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0412 Volume
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0445 Details of grooves or the like on the impact surface
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0475 with one or more enclosed cavities
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/002 Resonance frequency related characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations

Abstract

Embodiments of golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads are generally described herein. In one example, a golf club head may have a toe portion, a heel portion, a top portion, a sole portion, a back portion, and a front portion with a face opening. The golf club head may have a face portion joined to the body portion and covering the face opening. The golf club head may include an interior cavity partially, substantially, or entirely filled with a structural adhesive. Other examples and embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a body portion comprising a toe portion, a heel portion, a top portion, a sole portion, a front portion, a back portion, a face opening in the front portion, an interior cavity, a filling port accessing the interior cavity from the back portion, and an exhaust port accessing the interior cavity from the back portion;

a face portion joined to the body portion and covering the face opening, the face portion having a front surface and a back surface, the back surface extending from the sole portion to the top portion of the body portion, the face portion coupled to the front portion by a weld extending along a perimeter edge of the back surface of the face portion and along a top perimeter surface, a bottom perimeter surface, and a toe perimeter surface of the body portion, the face portion having a thickness less than 1.5 mm;

a structural adhesive disposed in the interior cavity, the structural adhesive bonded to the back surface of the face portion and bonded to a surface of the interior cavity, the structural adhesive having a density of less than 1.2 g/cm³ and a tensile strength of at least 11.0 MPa at a temperature of 21°

C.;

a first set of ports located in the back portion above a horizontal midplane of the golf club head, the first set of ports comprising at least three ports arranged in a first row along the toe portion, the first set of ports comprising the exhaust port;

a second set of ports located in the back portion below the horizontal midplane, the second set of ports comprising at least three ports arranged in a second row extending from the toe portion to the heel portion, the second set of ports comprising the filling port;

a first mass portion sealing the filling port; and

a second mass portion sealing the exhaust port.

2. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein the structural adhesive has an overlap shear strength of at least 8.6 MPa at a temperature of 21°

C. relative to the back surface of the face portion.

3. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein the structural adhesive has an overlap shear strength of at least 8.6 MPa at a temperature of 21°

C. relative the surface of the interior cavity.

4. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein the structural adhesive has a Shore D hardness of between and including 48 and 62.

5. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein the structural adhesive has a thermal coefficient of expansion of between and including 90 and 95.

6. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein the interior cavity comprises an interior cavity volume, and the structural adhesive occupies at least 75% of the interior cavity volume.

7. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein a ratio of a structural adhesive volume to a body portion volume is between and including 0.45 and 0.55.

8. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein the structural adhesive is a cured structural adhesive, and wherein the structural adhesive is an epoxy adhesive formed by mixing liquid reactive polymers comprising a base material and a mercaptan-based accelerator material.

9. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein the structural adhesive has a coefficient of restitution of between and including 0.793 and 0.877 relative to a golf ball.

10. A golf club head comprising:

a body portion comprising a toe portion, a heel portion, a top portion, a sole portion, a front portion, a back portion, a face opening in the front portion, an interior cavity, a filling port accessing the interior cavity from the back portion, and an exhaust port accessing the interior cavity from the back portion;

a face portion joined to the body portion and covering the face opening, the face portion having a front surface and a back surface, the back surface extending from the sole portion to the top portion of the body portion, the face portion coupled to the front portion by a weld extending along a perimeter edge of the back surface of the face portion and along a top perimeter surface, a bottom perimeter surface, and a toe perimeter surface of the body portion, the face portion having a thickness less than 0.8 mm;

a first set of ports located in the back portion above a horizontal midplane of the golf club head, the first set of ports comprising at least three ports arranged in a first row along the toe portion, the first set of ports comprising the exhaust port;

a second set of ports located in the back portion below the horizontal midplane, the second set of ports comprising at least three ports arranged in a second row extending from the toe portion to the heel portion, the second set of ports comprising the filling port; and

a structural adhesive disposed in the interior cavity, the structural adhesive bonded to the back surface of the face portion and bonded to a surface of the interior cavity, the structural adhesive having a density of less than 1.2 g/cm³,

wherein the structural adhesive has an overlap shear strength of at least 8.6 MPa at a temperature of 21°

C. relative to the back surface of the face portion.

11. A golf club head as defined in claim 10, wherein the structural adhesive has an overlap shear strength of at least 8.6 MPa at a temperature of 21°

C. relative to the surface of the interior cavity.

12. A golf club head as defined in claim 10, wherein the structural adhesive has a Shore D hardness greater than 45.

13. A golf club head as defined in claim 10, wherein the structural adhesive has a thermal coefficient of expansion between and including 90 and 95.

14. A golf club head as defined in claim 10, wherein the interior cavity comprises an interior cavity volume and the structural adhesive occupies at least 85% of the interior cavity volume.

15. A golf club head as defined in claim 10, wherein a ratio of a structural adhesive volume to a body portion volume is greater than 0.2.

16. A golf club head as defined in claim 10, wherein the structural adhesive is an epoxy adhesive formed by mixing liquid reactive polymers comprising a base material and a mercaptan-based accelerator material.

17. A golf club head as defined in claim 10, wherein the structural adhesive has a coefficient of restitution of between and including 0.751 and 0.919 relative to a golf ball.

18. A golf club head as defined in claim 10, wherein the golf club head has a first COR (COR_A) at a first point on the front surface of the face portion and a second COR (COR_B) at a second point on the front surface of the face portion, and wherein a percent difference between the first COR and the second COR is less than 0.25%.

19. A golf club head as defined in claim 10, wherein the golf club head has a first COR (COR_A) at a first point on the front surface of the face portion and a second COR (COR_B) at a second point on the front surface of the face portion, and wherein a percent difference between the first COR and the second COR is less than 0.5%, the first point coinciding with a sweet spot on the front surface of the face portion and the second point located outside of the sweet spot and a distance of at least 8 mm from the first point.

20. A golf club head comprising:

a body portion comprising a toe portion, a heel portion, a top portion, a sole portion, a front portion, a back portion, a face opening in the front portion, an interior cavity, a filling port accessing the interior cavity from the back portion, and an exhaust port accessing the interior cavity from the back portion, the body portion having a density greater than 7 g/cm³;

a face portion joined to the body portion and covering the face opening, the face portion having a front surface and a back surface, the back surface extending from the sole portion to the top portion of the body portion, the face portion coupled to the front portion by a weld extending along a perimeter edge of the back surface of the face portion and along a top perimeter surface, a bottom perimeter surface, and a toe perimeter surface of the body portion, the face portion having a thickness less than 1.9 mm and a density greater than 7 g/cm³;

a first set of ports located in the back portion above a horizontal midplane of the golf club head, the first set of ports comprising at least three ports arranged in a first row along the toe portion, the first set of ports comprising the exhaust port;

a second set of ports located in the back portion below the horizontal midplane, the second set of ports comprising at least three ports arranged in a second row extending from the toe portion to the heel portion, the second set of ports comprising the filling port; and

a structural adhesive disposed in the interior cavity, the structural adhesive bonded to the back surface of the face portion and bonded to a surface of the interior cavity of the body portion, the structural adhesive having a density of less than 1.2 g/cm³,

wherein the structural adhesive has an overlap shear strength of at least 8.6 MPa at a temperature of 21°

C. relative to the surface of the interior cavity of the body portion.