Sports articles formed using nanostructured materials

• US 7,771,289 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2005
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Integran Technologies Incorporated (Analog Devices, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Integran Technologies Incorporated (Analog Devices, Inc.)
• Inventors: McCrea, Jonathan, Tomantschger, Klaus, Panagiotopoulos, Konstantinos, Limoges, Dave, Erb, Uwe, Palumbo, Gino, Brooks, Iain, Davidson, William F. III
• Primary Examiner(s): BLAU, STEPHEN LUTHER
• Application Number:
  US11/305,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20060160636A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,698 Days
• Field of Search: 473/324
• US Class Current: 473/324
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 87/00 Fishing rods
• CPC Class Codes: A45B 9/00 Details
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/023 Long, oriented fibres, e.g. wound filaments, woven fabrics, mats
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 49/10 made of non-metallic materials, other than wood
• 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 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/10 Non-metallic shafts
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/12 Metallic shafts
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 59/00 Bats, rackets, or the like, not covered by groups A63B49/00 - A63B57/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 59/50 Substantially rod-shaped bats for hitting a ball in the air, e.g. for baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 59/70 with bent or angled lower parts for hitting a ball on the ground, on an ice-covered surface, or in the air, e.g. for hockey or hurling
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 1/00 Electroforming
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 15/00 Electrolytic or electrophoretic production of coatings containing embedded materials, e.g. particles, whiskers, wires
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 7/00 Electroplating characterised by the article coated
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/582 Recycling of unreacted starting or intermediate materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12028 Composite; i.e., plural, adjacent, spatially distinct metal components [e.g., layers, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12493 : Composite; i.e., plural, adjacent, spatially distinct metal components [e.g., layers, joint, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12708 : Sn-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12778 : Alternative base metals from diverse categories
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/13 : Hollow or container type article [e.g., tube, vase, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24405 : Polymer or resin [e.g., natural or synthetic rubber, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24413 : Metal or metal compound
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/26 : Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component, the element or component having a specified physical dimension
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/265 : 1 mil or less
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31678 : Of metal

Abstract

A sports article includes a portion that includes a nanostructured material. The nanostructured material includes a metal, and the nanostructured material has an average grain size that is in the range of 2 nm to 5,000 nm, a yield strength that is in the range of 200 MPa to 2,750 MPa, and a hardness that is in the range of 100 Vickers to 2,000 Vickers. The sports article can be any of a variety of sports equipment and associated components, such as a golf club, a baseball bat, a softball bat, a lacrosse stick, or a hockey stick.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a substrate including at least one of a fibrous material, a foam, a ceramic, a metal, a metal alloy, a polymer, and a composite; and

a structural coating coupled to the substrate and including an electrodeposited fine-grained binary Ni—

Fe alloy, the electrodeposited fine-grained metallic material having an average grain size that is in the range of 2 nm to 5000 nm, a yield strength that is in the range of 200 MPa to 2,750 MPa, and a hardness that is in the range of 100 Vickers to 2,000 Vickers, the structural coating having a thickness in the range of 30 μ

m to 5,000 μ

m, such that the electrodeposited fine-grained metallic material represents at least 10 percent of a total weight of the golf club head.

2. The golf club head claim 1, wherein the electrodeposited fine-grained material represents at least 10 percent of the total weight of the golf club head and up to 95 percent of the total weight of the golf club head.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the electrodeposited fine-grained metallic material represents at least 20 percent of the total weight of the golf club head and up to 95 percent of the total weight of the golf club head.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the substrate includes a metalized layer, and the electrodeposited fine-grained metallic material is adjacent to the metalized layer.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the yield strength of the electrodeposited fine-grained metallic material is in the range of 1,500 MPa to 2,750 MPa.

6. The golf club headof claim 1, wherein the hardness of the electrodeposited fine-grained metallic material is in the range of 500 Vickers to 1,000 Vickers.

7. The sports article of claim 1, wherein the electrodeposited fine-grained metallic material has an ultimate tensile strength that is in the range of 1,000 MPa to 2,000 MPa.

8. A golf club head, comprising:

a portion including

a first layer configured as a permanent substrate; and

a second layer coupled to the first layer and having a thickness that is in the range of 30 μ

m to 5000 μ

m, the second layer representing at least 10 percent of a total weight of the portion and including a fine-grained binary Ni—

Fe alloy, the fine-grained binary Ni—

Fe alloy material having an average grain size that is in the range of 2 nm to 5000 nm.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the Ni—

Fe includes about 80 percent by weight of Ni and about 20 percent by weight of Fe.

10. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the first layer defines an internal compartment of the portion, and the second layer is a fine-grained inner coating adjacent to the first layer.

11. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the average grain size of the fine-grained material is in the range of 2 nm to 750 nm.

12. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the fine-grained metallic material has a modulus of resilience that is at least 0.25 MPa.

13. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the fine-grained metallic material has an elastic limit that is at least 0.75 percent.

14. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the fine-grained metallic material has a tensile strain-to-failure that is at least 3 percent.

15. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the permanent substrate includes at least one of a fibrous material, a foam, a ceramic, a metal, a metal alloy, a polymer, and a composite, and the second layer is an electrodeposited coating coupled to the permanent substrate and including the fine-grained material.

16. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the fine-grained metallic material has a yield strength that is in the range of 200 MPa to 2,750 MPa.

17. The golf club head of claim 16, wherein the fine-grained metallic material has a hardness that is in the range of 100 Vickers to 2,000 Vickers.