Golf ball incorporating grafted metallocene catalyzed polymer blends

• US 5,981,658 A
• Filed: 10/14/1997
• Issued: 11/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Rajagopalan, Murali, Harris, Kevin M.
• Primary Examiner(s): BUTTNER, DAVID J
• Application Number:
  US08/950,197
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 525/74, 525/221, 525/72, 473/354, 473/355, 473/357, 473/365, 473/378, 473/385, 473/373, 473/374, 521/134
• US Class Current: 525/72
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0031 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0033 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0045 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0052 Liquid cores
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0062 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0064 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0074 Two piece balls, i.e. cover and core
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0075 Three piece balls, i.e. cover, intermediate layer and core
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/04 Rigid cores
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/12 Special coverings , i.e. outer layer material balls with finger holes A63B37/0001, golf ball covers A63B37/0023
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 222/06 Maleic anhydride
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 255/00 Macromolecular compounds obtained by polymerising monomers on to polymers of hydrocarbons as defined in group C08F10/00
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 8/00 Chemical modification by after-treatment graft polymers, block polymers, crosslinking with unsaturated monomers or with polymers C08F251/00 - C08F299/00; of conjugated diene rubbers C08C
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/04 Homopolymers or copolymers of ethene
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/08 Copolymers of ethene C08L23/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/0815 Copolymers of ethene with aliphatic 1-olefins
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/0876 Neutralised polymers, i.e. ionomers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/10 Homopolymers or copolymers of propene
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/26 modified by chemical after-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2314/06 : Metallocene or single site catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/02 : Organic macromolecular compounds, natural resins, waxes or and bituminous materials
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/04 : Macromolecular compounds according to groups C08L7/00 - C08L49/00, or C08L55/00 - C08L57/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 51/06 : grafted on to homopolymers or copolymers of aliphatic hydrocarbons containing only one carbon-to-carbon double bond
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/005 : adapting radio receivers, transmitters andtransceivers for operation on two or more bands, i.e. frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/006 : using switches for selecting the desired band H04B1/0057 takes precedence

Abstract

The disclosed invention provides novel golf ball compositions which contain non-ionic olefinic copolymers produced by use of metallocene catalysts, wherein the metallocene catalyzed polymers have been functionalized with a post-polymerization reaction. The grafted metallocene catalyzed polymers may be blended with ionomers, non-grafted metallocene catalyzed polymers, or other non-ionomeric polymers. These compositions exhibit improved mechanical properties such as tensile and flexural properties, and can be foamed or unfoamed. Golf balls that employ at least one layer of these compositions in any of the golf ball cover, core, or a mantle situated between the cover and the core provide ball properties and performance similar to and in some cases better than the state of the art ionomer based golf balls.

Claims

1. A golf ball having at least one layer, the layer formed from a composition comprising at least one metallocene catalyzed polymer that has been functionalized by sulfonation, carboxylation, addition of an amine or hydroxy, or by grafting an ethylenically unsaturated monomer onto the at least one metallocene catalyzed polymer using a post-polymerization reaction.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the ethylenically unsaturated monomer is an olefinic monomer having a functional group selected from the group consisting of sulfonic acid, sulfonic acid derivatives, chlorosulfonic acid, vinyl ethers, vinyl esters, primary amines, secondary amines, tertiary amines, mono-carboxylic acids, dicarboxylic acids, partially or fully ester derivatized mono-carboxylic acids, partially or fully ester derivatized dicarboxylic acids, anhydrides of dicarboxylic acids, cyclic imides of dicarboxylic acids, and ionomeric derivatives thereof.

3. The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the ethylenically unsaturated monomer is maleic anhydride.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the composition comprises a blend of at least one grafted metallocene catalyzed polymer and at least one of an ionomer, a non-grafted metallocene catalyzed polymer, or a non-ionomeric polymer.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the composition comprises a blend of at least one grafted metallocene catalyzed polymer and at least one ionomer.

6. The golf ball of claim 5, wherein the at least one grafted metallocene catalyzed polymer is present in an amount of from about 10 to about 75 phr and the ionomer is present in an amount of from about 90 to about 25 phr.

7. The golf ball according to claim 1, comprising a cover, wherein the layer forms at least a portion of the cover.

8. The golf ball according to claim 7, wherein the cover layer has a foamed structure.

9. The golf ball according to claim 7, wherein the cover layer has a Shore D hardness of from about 15 to about 80.

10. The golf ball according to claim 7, wherein the cover layer has a thickness of from about 0.005 to about 0.125 inch.

11. The golf ball according to claim 1, comprising a core, wherein the layer forms at least a portion of the core.

12. The golf ball according to claim 11, wherein the core comprises a liquid center.

13. The golf ball according to claim 11, wherein the core layer has a foamed structure.

14. The golf ball according to claim 11, wherein the core layer has a Shore D hardness of from about 15 to about 80.

15. The golf ball according to claim 11, wherein the core has a diameter of from about 1.0 to about 1.63 inch, and the core layer has a thickness of from about 0.005 to about 0.125 inch.

16. The golf ball according to claim 1, further comprising a cover and a core and a mantle situated between the cover and the core.

17. The golf ball according to claim 16, wherein the core comprises a liquid or solid center wrapped in elastomeric windings.

18. The golf ball according to claim 16, wherein the layer forms at least a portion of the mantle.

19. The golf ball according to claim 18, wherein the core has a diameter of from about 1 to about 1.63 inch, the cover has a thickness of from about 0.005 to about 0.125 inch, and the mantle has a thickness of from about 0.005 to about 0.125 inch.

20. The golf ball according to claim 18, wherein the layer has a foamed structure.

21. The golf ball according to claim 18, wherein the layer has a Shore D hardness of from about 15 to about 80.

22. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the grafted metallocene catalyzed polymer is formed by grafting an ethylenically unsaturated monomer onto a metallocene catalyzed polymer selected from the group consisting of polyethylene and copolymers of ethylene with propylene, butene, pentene, hexene, heptene, octene, and norbornene.

23. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the grafted metallocene catalyzed polymer is formed by grafting an ethylenically unsaturated monomer onto a metallocene catalyzed polymer of the formula:

##STR18## wherein R₁ is hydrogen;

R₂ is hydrogen or lower alkyl selected from the group consisting of CH₃, C₂ H₅, C₃ H₇, C₄ H₉, and C₅ H₁₁ ;

R₃ is hydrogen or lower alkyl selected from the group consisting of CH₃, C₂ H₅, C₃ H₇, C₄ H₉, and C₅ H₁₁ ;

R₄ is selected from the group consisting of H, CH₃, C₂ H₅, C₃ H₇, C₄ H₉, C₅ H₁₁, C₆ H₁₃, C₇ H₁₅, C₈ H₁₇, C₉ H₁₉, C₁₀ H₂₁, and phenyl, in which from 0 to 5 H within R₄ can be replaced by substituents selected from the group consisting of COOH, SO₃ H, NH₂, F, Cl, Br, I, OH, SH, silicone, lower alkyl esters and lower alkyl ethers, with the proviso that R₃ and R₄ can be combined to form a bicyclic ring;

R₅ is hydrogen, lower alkyl, carbocyclic, aromatic or heterocyclic;

R₆ is hydrogen, lower alkyl, carbocyclic, aromatic or heterocyclic; and

wherein x ranges from 99 to 50 weight percent of the polymer, y ranges from 1 to 50 weight percent of the polymer and z ranges from 0 to 49 weight percent of the polymer.

24. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the grafted metallocene catalyzed polymer has a flexural modulus of from about 500 psi to 200,000 psi, and is blended with an ionomer having a flexural modulus of from about 50 psi to about 150,000 psi.

25. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the grafted metallocene catalyzed polymer has a foamed structure, and, further wherein the grafted metallocene catalyzed polymer has a flexural modulus of from about 1,000 to about 150,000 psi.

26. The golf ball according to claim 1, further comprising a cover and a core, wherein the grafted metallocene catalyzed polymer blend has a foamed structure.

27. The golf ball according to claim 26, wherein the layer forms at least a portion of the core, and the cover comprises a density increasing filler material.

28. The golf ball according to claim 26, wherein the layer forms at least a portion of the cover, and the core comprises a density increasing filler material.

29. The golf ball according to claim 26, further comprising a mantle situated between the cover and the core, wherein the layer forms at least a portion of the mantle, and either the cover or the core comprises a density increasing filler material.

30. A golf ball comprising a cover and a core and a mantle situated between the cover and the core, wherein at least one of the cover, the core, and the mantle comprises at least one layer, the layer formed of a grafted metallocene catalyzed polymer blend, comprising from about 1 to about 100 phr of at least one grafted metallocene catalyzed polymer and from about 99 to 0 phr of at least one ionomer.

31. The golf ball according to claim 30, wherein the at least one layer has a foamed structure.

32. The golf ball according to claim 30, wherein the grafted metallocene catalyzed polymer is formed by grafting an ethylenically unsaturated monomer onto a metallocene catalyzed polymer selected from the group consisting of copolymers of ethylene with butene, hexene, octene, and norbornene.

33. The golf ball according to claim 30, wherein the grafted metallocene catalyzed polymer is formed by grafting an ethylenically unsaturated monomer onto a metallocene catalyzed polymer of the formula:

##STR19## wherein R₁ is hydrogen;

R₂ is hydrogen or lower alkyl selected from the group consisting of CH₃, C₂ H₅, C₃ H₇, C₄ H₉, and C₅ H₁₁ ;

R₃ is hydrogen or lower alkyl selected from the group consisting of CH₃, C₂ H₅, C₃ H₇, C₄ H₉, and C₅ H₁₁ ;

R₄ is selected from the group consisting of H, CH₃, C₂ H₅, C₃ H₇, C₄ H₉, C₅ H₁₁, C₆ H₁₃, C₇ H₁₅, C₈ H₁₇, C₉ H₁₉, C₁₀ H₂₁, and phenyl, in which from 0 to 5 H within R₄ can be substituents selected from the group consisting of COOH, SO₃ H, NH₂, F, Cl, Br, I, OH, SH, silicone, lower alkyl esters and lower alkyl ethers, with the proviso that R₃ and R₄ can be combined to form a bicyclic ring;

R₅ is hydrogen, lower alkyl, carbocyclic, aromatic or heterocyclic;

R₆ is hydrogen, lower alkyl, carbocyclic, aromatic or heterocyclic; and

wherein x ranges from 99 to 50 weight percent of the polymer, y ranges from 1 to 50 weight percent of the polymer and z ranges from 0 to 49 weight percent of the polymer.