Golf balls incorporating polyamide polymers

• US 6,800,690 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2002
• Issued: 10/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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:
  US10/138,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20030078348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 525/183, 525/432, 528/335, 473/371, 473/374, 473/378, 473/385
• US Class Current: 525/183
• 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 37/0037 Flexural modulus; Bending stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0045 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0049 Flexural modulus; Bending stiffness
• 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 23/08 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

Golf balls having at least one layer formed from compositions including a polyamide a copolymer that lacks affinity for water formed from at least one dibasic acid and at least one diamine. The polyamide copolymer compositions may be mixed with ionomers or non-ionomers, including grafted or non-grafted metallocene catalyzed polymers.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising a core and a cover, wherein at least a portion of the cover is formed from a composition comprising a polyamide copolymer formed from reactants consisting essentially of at least one dibasic acid and at least one diamine, wherein the at least one dibasic acid comprises about 14 carbons to about 40 carbons, and wherein the polyamide copolymer lacks affinity for water.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyamide copolymer has a flexural modulus of about 5,000 psi to about 200,000 psi.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises an inner cover and an outer cover, and wherein the outer cover is formed of a composition comprising a castable reactive liquid material.

4. The golf ball of claim 3, wherein the castable reactive liquid material comprises thermoset cast polyurethane, polyurea, epoxy, reaction injection moldable materials, or mixtures thereof.

5. The golf ball of claim 3, wherein the layer is an inner cover layer having a thickness of about 0.02 inches to about 0.06 inches.

6. The golf ball of claim 5, wherein the inner cover layer has a thickness of about 0.02 inches to about 0.35 inches.

7. The golf ball of claim 3, wherein the outer cover has a thickness of about 0.02 inches to about 0.035 inches.

8. The golf ball of claim 3, wherein the core has a diameter of about 1.5 inches to about 1.6 inches.

9. The golf ball of claim 8, wherein the core comprises an inner core layer and an outer core layer.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyamide copolymer is ionomeric and comprises a sulfonated moiety, a carboxylated moiety, or a combination thereof.

11. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises an inner cover and an outer cover, and wherein the golf ball has at least one of a ratio of the Shore D hardness of the outer cover to the inner cover of about 1.0 or less, a ratio of the thickness of the inner cover to the outer cover of about 3 or less, or a ratio of the flexural modulus of the inner cover to the outer cover of about 0.11 to about 4.5.

12. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyamide is selected from the group consisting of polyamide 66,6,18, polyamide 66,6,36, polyamide 6/6,18, polyamide 6/6,36, polyamide 6/6,10/6,18, polyamide 6/6,10/6,36, polyamide 6,10/6,18, polyamide 6,12/6,18, polyamide 6,12/6,36, polyamide 6/66/6,18, polyamide 6/66/6,36, polyamide 66/6,10/6,18, polyamide 66/6,10/6,36, polyamide 6/6,12/6,18, polyamide 6/6,12/6,36, and mixtures thereof.

13. A golf ball comprising a core, an intermediate layer, and a cover, wherein the intermediate layer is formed from a composition comprising a polyamide copolymer formed from at least one dibasic acid and at least one diamine, wherein the at least one dibasic acid comprises about 14 carbons to about 40 carbons, and wherein the polyamide copolymer lacks affinity for water.

14. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the polyamide copolymer has a flexural modulus of about 50,000 psi to about 100,000 psi.

15. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the polyamide copolymer has a melt index of about 0.5 grams in a ten-minute period to about 100 grams in a ten-minute period.

16. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the polyamide copolymer is ionomeric.

17. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the polyamide copolymer is non-ionomeric.

18. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the cover is formed from a castable reactive liquid material.

19. The golf ball of claim 18, wherein the cover has a thickness of about 0.02 inches to about 0.06 inches.

20. A golf ball comprising a core, an inner cover, and an outer cover, wherein at least a portion of the cover is formed from a composition comprising a hydrophobic polyamide copolymer formed from reactants consisting essentially of at least one dibasic acid and at least one diamine, wherein the at least one dibasic acid comprises about 14 carbons to about 40 carbons, and wherein having at least one of a ratio of the Shore D hardness of the outer cover to the inner cover of about 1.0 or less, a ratio of the thickness of the inner cover to the outer cover of about 3 or less, or a ratio of the flexural modulus of the inner cover to the outer cover of about 0.11 to about 4.5.

21. The golf ball of claim 20, wherein the composition further comprises an ionomer, wherein the ionomer comprises an E/X/Y copolymer where E comprises ethylene, X comprises a softening comonomer from about 0 weight percent to about 50 weight percent of the copolymer, and Y comprises an α

, β

-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid from about 5 weight percent to about 35 weight percent of the copolymer, wherein about 1 percent to about 100 percent of the carboxylic acid is neutralized with a metal ion.

22. The golf ball of claim 20, wherein the composition further comprises a non-ionomer.

23. The golf ball of claim 22, wherein the nonionomer is a thermoplastic elastomer or thermoplastic material.

24. A golf ball comprising a core, an inner cover layer, and an outer cover layer, wherein the inner cover layer is formed from a composition comprising a hydrophobic polyamide copolymer formed from at least one dibasic acid and at least one diamine, wherein the at least one dibasic acid comprises about 14 carbons to about 40 carbons, and wherein the outer cover layer is formed of a castable reactive liquid material.

25. The golf ball of claim 24, wherein the castable reactive liquid material comprises thermoset cast polyurethane, polyurea, epoxy, reaction injection moldable materials, or mixtures thereof.