Iron type golf club head

• US 5,176,384 A
• Filed: 05/31/1989
• Issued: 01/05/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Sata, Takeo, Hoshi, Toshiharu, Iijima, Kenzaburo
• Primary Examiner(s): Millin, V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US07/359,343
• Time in Patent Office: 1,315 Days
• Field of Search: 273/167-175
• US Class Current: 473/329
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like

Abstract

An iron type golf club head includes a head body constituted by a blade portion, a sole portion, and an impact surface portion. At least the impact surface portion of the head body is constituted by a thin plate consisting of a thermoelastic type martensite transformation alloy. The thickness of the impact surface portion is set in the range of 1.0 to 5.0 mm, and is smaller than that of each of the blade and sole portions of the head body.

Claims

1. An iron type golf club head comprising:

a head body constituted by a blade portion, a sole portion, and an impact surface portion,

wherein at least said impact surface portion of said head body is constituted by a thin plate consisting of a thermoelastic type martensite transformation alloy comprising a NiTi alloy of CuZnAl alloy or CuNiAl alloy, and a thickness of said impact surface portion is set in the range of 1.0 to 5.0 mm and is smaller than that of each of said blade and sole portions of said head body.

2. A head according to claim 1, wherein said thermoelastic type martensite transformation alloy consists of an Ni-Ti alloy in which part of Ti is substituted with 0.1 to 2.0 wt. % of at least one element selected from the group consisting of Pt, Pd, Fe, Co, V, Cu, and Al.

3. A head according to claim 1, wherein said blade and sole portions and said impact surface portion of said head body are integrally formed by using a material consisting of the thermoelastic type martensite transformation alloy.

4. A head according to claim 1, wherein said impact surface portion has an opening and said thin plate is disposed to seal said opening.

5. An iron type golf club head comprising:

a head body including a blade portion, a sole portion and an impact surface portion;

said head body including means for improving directional stability of a golf ball when the golf ball is struck with said impact surface portion and for increasing a distance the ball travels after being struck with said impact surface portion, said means comprising a thin plate which constitutes said impact surface portion, said thin plate comprising a thermoelastic type martensite transformation alloy which exhibits super elastic behavior due to stress-induced martensite formed upon impact with the ball sot hat a larger contact area and contact time between the ball and the thin plate can be obtained, said thin plate having a thickness of 1.0 to 5.0 mm.

6. The head according to claim 7, wherein said thickness of said thin plate is less than that of said blade and sole portions of said head body.

7. The head according to claim 5, wherein said blade portion has a thickness which is less than that of said sole portion.

8. The head according to claim 5, wherein said thin plate comprises a NiTi alloy.

9. The head according to claim 5, wherein said thin plate comprises a NiTi alloy wherein part of Ti is substituted with 0.1 to 2.0 wt. % of at least one element selected from the group consisting of Pt, Pd, Fe, Co, V, Cu and Al.

10. The head according to claim 5, wherein said thin plate comprises a Cu-Zn-Al alloy.

11. The head according to claim 5, wherein said thin plate comprises a Cu-Ni-Al alloy.

12. The head according to claim 5, wherein said blade portion, said sole portion and said thin plate comprise said thermoelastic type martensite transformation alloy and said blade portion, said sole portion and said thin plate are integral with each other.

13. The head according to claim 5, wherein said head body includes an opening extending therethrough, said opening being located between said blade and sole portions and said thin plate covering said opening such that one side of said thin plate faces said opening and an opposite side of said thin plate comprises a ball striking surface.