Zinc stearate-cis-to-trans catalyst blends for improved golf ball core compositions

• US 7,375,153 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2005
• Issued: 05/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Bulpett, David A., Sullivan, Michael J., Goguen, Douglas S., Rajagopalan, Murali
• Primary Examiner(s): Buttner; David J.
• Application Number:
  US11/111,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20050187353A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 524/394
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0027 Polyurea
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0054 Substantially rigid, e.g. metal
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0061 Coefficient of restitution
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0064 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0065 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/008 Diameter

Abstract

A golf ball including a solid core formed from a composition comprising a diene rubber, a metallic fatty acid salt present in an amount of from 6.3 parts to 7.5 parts, a cis-to-trans catalyst present in an amount of 2.35 parts or greater, and an organic peroxide present in an amount of 0.8 parts or less; and a cover; wherein the core has a coefficient of restitution of 0.810 or greater and a compression of 58 to 78.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising:

a solid core having an Atti compression, the core being formed from a composition comprising a diene rubber, a metallic fatty acid salt present in an amount of 6.3 to 7.5 per hundred parts diene rubber such that the compression increases by 4 to 10 points, a cis-to-trans catalyst, and an organic peroxide initiator present in an amount of 1.2 parts per hundred parts diene rubber or less; and

a cover comprising a polyurea that consists essentially of urea linkages.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the initiator is present in an amount of 0.8 parts per hundred parts diene rubber or less.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the metallic fatty acid salt is formed from a fatty acid selected from the group consisting of stearic acid, lauric acid, behenic acid, erucic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, pelargonic acid, and dimerized derivatives thereof.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the metallic fatty acid salt is formed from a metal cation selected from the group consisting of barium, lithium, sodium, zinc, bismuth, chromium, cobalt, copper, potassium, strontium, titanium, tungsten, magnesium, cesium, iron, nickel, silver, aluminum, tin, and calcium.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the metallic fatty acid salt comprises zinc stearate.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises an inner cover layer and an outer cover layer.

7. The golf ball of claim 6, wherein the inner cover layer comprises an ionomeric material, vinyl resins, polyolefins, polyurethanes, polyureas, polyamides, acrylic resins, thermoplastics, polyphenylene oxide resins, thermoplastic polyesters, thermoplastic rubbers, fully-neutralized polymers, or fully-neutralized ionomers.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the initiator comprises dicumyl peroxide;

1,1-di(t-butylperoxy) 3,3,5-trimethyl cyclohexane;

α

,α

-bis (t-butylperoxy) diisopropylbenzene;

2,5-dimethyl-2,5 di(t-butylperoxy) hexane;

or di-t-butyl peroxide.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cis-to-trans catalyst comprises pentafluorothiophenol;

2-fluorothiophenol;

3-fluorothiophenol;

4-fluorothiophenol;

2,3-fluorothiophenol;

2,4-fluorothiophenol;

3,4-fluorothiophenol;

3,5-fluorothiophenol 2,3,4-fluorothiophenol;

3,4,5-fluorothiophenol;

2,3,4,5-tetrafluorothiophenol;

2,3,5,6-tetrafluorothiophenol;

4-chlorotetrafluorothiophenol;

pentachlorothiophenol;

2-chlorothiophenol;

3-chlorothiophenol;

4-chlorothiophenol;

2,3-chlorothiophenol;

2,4-chlorothiophenol;

3,4-chlorothiophenol;

3,5-chlorothiophenol;

2,3,4-chlorothiophenol;

3,4,5-chlorothiophenol;

2,3,4,5-tetrachlorothiophenol;

2,3,5,6-tetrachlorothiophenol;

pentabromothiophenol;

2-bromothiophenol;

3-bromothiophenol;

4-bromothiophenol;

2,3-bromothiophenol;

2,4-bromothiophenol;

3,4-bromothiophenol;

3,5-bromothiophenol;

2,3,4-bromothiophenol;

3,4,5-bromothiophenol;

2,3,4,5-tetrabromothiophenol;

2,3,5,6-tetrabromothiophenol;

pentaiodothiophenol;

2-iodothiophenol;

3-iodothiophenol;

4-iodothiophenol;

2,3-iodothiophenol;

2,4-iodothiophenol;

3,4-iodothiophenol;

3,5-iodothiophenol;

2,3,4-iodothiophenol;

3,4,5-iodothiophenol;

2,3,4,5-tetraiodothiophenol;

2,3,5,6-tetraiodothiophenol and;

ditolyl disulfide;

diphenyl disulfide;

or metal salts thereof.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cis-to-trans catalyst is present in an amount of 0.05 parts per hundred parts diene rubber to 5 parts per hundred parts diene rubber.

11. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the cis-to-trans catalyst is present in an amount of 2.3 parts per hundred parts diene rubber to 5 parts per hundred parts diene rubber.

12. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cis-to-trans catalyst comprises pentachlorothiophenol or the metal salt thereof.

13. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core has an outer diameter of 1.62 inches or less.

14. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the core has an outer diameter of 1.54 inches to 1.59 inches.

15. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core comprises a center and an outer core layer.

16. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core has a compression of 58 to 78 and a coefficient of restitution of 0.815 or greater.