Golf ball cores comprising blends of polybutadiene rubbers

• US 6,774,187 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2002
• Issued: 08/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Bulpett, David A., Sullivan, Michael J., Ladd, Derek A., Voorheis, Peter R., Pasqua, Samuel A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Buttner, David J.
• Application Number:
  US10/164,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20030229183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 525/193, 525/274, 473/354, 473/373, 473/374, 473/375, 473/376
• US Class Current: 525/193
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0033 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0045 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0047 Density; Specific gravity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0052 Liquid cores
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0054 Substantially rigid, e.g. metal
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0056 Hollow; Gas-filled
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0064 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0093 Moisture vapour transmission rate [MVTR]
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/06 Elastic cores

Abstract

A golf ball comprising a solid core and a cover disposed about the core, wherein the core is formed from a polybutadiene blend comprising a) a first polybutadiene having a first Mooney viscosity between about 50 and about 150, and b) a second polybutadiene having a second Mooney viscosity between about 30 and about 100, wherein the first Mooney viscosity is greater than the second Mooney viscosity, and wherein the blend has a greater weight percentage of the first polybutadiene than that of the second polybutadiene.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising a core, a cover, and at least one intermediate layer disposed between the core and the cover, wherein the intermediate layer comprises an elastomeric composition formed from a reactive co-agent in an amount of about 10 phr or less by weight of the elastomer and a polybutadiene blend comprising:

a first polybutadiene formed with a cobalt or nickel catalyst having a first Mooney viscosity of from about 50 to about 150, and

a second polybutadiene formed with a neodymium catalyst having a second Mooney viscosity of from about 30 to about 100.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer has a water vapor transmission rate of less than about 250 g·

mil/100 in²·

24 h.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the reactive co-agent comprises a salt of an unsaturated carboxylic acid having about 3 to 8 carbon atoms;

an unsaturated vinyl compound;

polyfunctional monomer;

phenylene bismaleimide;

or a mixture thereof.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core is solid, hollow, gas-filled, gel-filled, or fluid-filled.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core comprises an elastomeric composition having a reactive co-agent in an amount between about 10 phr and about 50 phr by weight of the elastomer.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core comprises an elastomeric composition having a reactive co-agent in an amount of at least about 50 phr by weight of the elastomer.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core has an outer diameter of about 0.25 inches to about 1.60 inches.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer has a thickness between about 0.01 inches and about 0.60 inches.

9. The golf ball of claim 8, wherein the thickness of the intermediate layer is between about 0.02 inches and about 0.10 inches.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer comprises two or more layers.

11. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises two or more layers.

12. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core comprises a center and at least one outer core layer.

13. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the elastomeric composition further comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of natural rubber;

balata;

gutta-percha;

cis-polybutadiene;

trans-polybutadiene;

synthetic polyisoprene;

polyoctenamer, styrene-propylene-diene rubber;

metallocene rubber;

styrene-butadiene rubber;

ethylene-propylene rubber;

chloroprene rubber;

acrylonitrile rubber;

acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber;

styrene-ethylene block copolymer, ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer;

maleic anhydride or succinate modified metallocene catalyzed ethylene copolymer;

polypropylene resin;

ionomer resin;

polyamide;

polyester;

urethane;

polyurea;

chlorinated polyethylene;

polysulfide rubber; and

fluorocarbon.