Iron golf club head made of fiber-reinforced resin

• US 5,228,694 A
• Filed: 02/28/1992
• Issued: 07/20/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yokohama Rubber Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Yokohama Rubber Company Limited
• Inventors: Ninomiya, Toshio, Hayashi, Tetsuo, Okumoto, Takaharu, Kawada, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Millin, V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, STEVEN B
• Application Number:
  US07/843,229
• Time in Patent Office: 508 Days
• Field of Search: 273/167 R, 273/167 A, 273/167 F, 273/167 J, 273/167, 273/169, 273/172, 273/173, 273/171, 273/DIG. 5, 273/DIG. 7, 273/DIG. 12, 273/DIG. 23, 264/241, 264/255, 264/259, 264/271.1, 264/328.18, 264/297.2, 428/308.4, 428/318.4
• US Class Current: 473/348
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• 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 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• 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 golf club head having a sole and a hosel molded integrally as a frame from a metallic material, a core portion disposed in an upper part above the sole and the outer periphery of the core portion and the outer periphery of the frame except for the sole are covered with a fiber-reinforced resin and a weight having a greater specific gravity than the metallic material of the frame disposed between the sole and the core portion. The weight consists of a mass of 92 to 98 wt. % of powdery tungsten mixed in a polyamide resin.

Claims

1. An iron golf club head made of a fiber-reinforced resin, comprising:

a frame having a sole portion and a hosel portion molded integrally from stainless steel, said sole portion having a recess formed in its upper surface;

a core portion disposed above the upper surface of said sole portion of said frame;

a separate weight comprising a molded composite of from 92 to 98% by weight of powdery tungsten and a polyamide resin, said weight being disposed in said recess in said sole portion between the sole portion and said core portion, said weight having a specific gravity greater than that of the stainless steel of said frame; and

a fiber-reinforced resin covering the outer periphery of said core portion and the outer periphery of said frame other than said sole portion.

2. The iron golf club head of claim 1, wherein the powdery tungsten of said composite has an average particle diameter of 50 μ

m or less.

3. The iron golf club head of claim 2, wherein the particle diameter of at least 50% by weight of the powdery tungsten based on the total weight of said tungsten is 10 μ

m or less.

4. The iron golf club head of claim 1, wherein said polyamide resin in said composite is nylon 6 or nylon 66.

5. The iron golf club head of claim 4, wherein said polyamide resin in said composite is nylon 6.

6. The iron golf club head of claim 1, wherein said composite contains a saturated aliphatic carboxylic acid compound.

7. The iron golf club head of claim 1, wherein said composite contains a saturated aliphatic carboxylic acid compound and an acrylic acid ester copolymer.

8. The iron golf club head of claim 1, wherein said club head has a toe side remote from the hosel portion and wherein the recess is located in said sole portion so that said weight is disposed towards the toe side of said golf club head.

9. The iron golf club head of claim 1, wherein said club head has a front face and a rear part opposite therefrom, said recess being located in said sole portion so that said weight is disposed towards the rear part of said golf club head.

10. The iron golf club head of claim 1, wherein said weight is bonded to said core portion.

11. The iron golf club head of claim 1, wherein said fiber-reinforced resin is a carbon fiber-reinforced resin.