Golf ball materials based on blends of polyamide and acid anhydride-modified polyolefins

• US 9,550,095 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2015
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Sullivan, Michael J., Binette, Mark L., Comeau, Brian, Bulpett, David A, Blink, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): BUTTNER, DAVID J
• Application Number:
  US14/838,774
• Publication Number:
  US 20150375057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0024 Materials other than ionomers or polyurethane
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0039 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0043 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0044 Hardness gradient
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0045 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0046 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0049 Flexural modulus; Bending stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0051 Materials other than polybutadienes; Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0061 Coefficient of restitution
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00621 Centre hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00622 Surface hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0063 Hardness gradient
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0065 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0069 Flexural modulus; Bending stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0075 Three piece balls, i.e. cover, intermediate layer and core
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0076 Multi-piece balls, i.e. having two or more intermediate layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0078 Coefficient of restitution
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0092 Hardness distribution amongst different ball layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0095 : Scuff resistance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 45/00 : Apparatus or methods for manufacturing balls working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/098 : Metal salts of carboxylic acids
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/20 : Carboxylic acid amides
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 31/04 : Homopolymers or copolymers of vinyl acetate
• 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: C08L 77/02 : Polyamides derived from omega-amino carboxylic acids or from lactams thereof C08L77/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 77/06 : Polyamides derived from polyamines and polycarboxylic acids C08L77/10 takes precedence

Abstract

Multi-piece golf balls having at least one layer made from a polyamide non-ionomeric composition are provided. The polyamide composition consists essentially of about 40 to about 99% by weight polyamide; about 1 to about 60% by weight of an acid anhydride-modified polyolefin; and about 1 to about 60% of a fatty acid additive selected from the group consisting of fatty acid salts, fatty acid amides, and mixtures thereof. The ball includes a core, preferably a dual core construction; and a cover of at least one layer. In another preferred construction, a multi-layered core containing an inner, intermediate, and outer core layer is made. For example, the intermediate core layer may be made of a rubber composition; and each of the inner core and outer core layers may be made of the polyamide composition. The resulting ball has high resiliency along with a soft feel.

Claims

1. A golf ball, comprising:

a) a core, the core comprising an inner, intermediate, and outer core layer, the inner core having an outer surface and geometric center and the outer core layer having an outer surface and inner surface;

wherein at least one core layer comprises a rubber composition and at least one core layer consists essentially of a polyamide non-ionomeric composition, the polyamide composition consisting essentially of;

i) about 40 to about 98% by weight polyamide;

ii) about 1 to about 60% by weight of an acid anhydride-modified polyolefin, wherein the acid anhydride-modified polyolefin is an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer; and

iii) about 1 to about 60% by weight of a fatty acid additive selected from the group consisting of fatty acid salts, fatty acid amides, and mixtures thereof, wherein the center of the inner core and surface of the outer core layer each has a hardness, and the surface hardness of the outer core layer is greater than the center hardness of the inner core; and

b) a cover having at least one layer disposed about the core.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the intermediate core layer comprises the rubber composition;

and each of the inner core and outer core layers consists essentially of the polyamide non-ionomeric composition.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the intermediate core layer consists essentially of the polyamide non-ionomeric composition and each of the inner and outer core layers comprises the rubber composition.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyamide is selected from the group consisting of polyamide 6;

polyamide 6,6;

polyamide 6,10;

polyamide 6,12;

polyamide 11;

polyamide 12;

polyamide 6,9; and

polyamide 4,6, and copolymers and blends thereof.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the rubber composition comprises a rubber selected from the group consisting of polybutadiene, ethylene-propylene rubber, ethylene-propylene-diene rubber, polyisoprene, styrene-butadiene rubber, polyalkenamers, butyl rubber, halobutyl rubber, or polystyrene elastomers.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the acid anhydride used to modify the ethylene-based copolymer is selected from the group consisting of maleic, fumaric, nadic, itaconic, and clorendic acid anhydrides, and substituted derivatives thereof.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the fatty acid additive is a fatty acid salt and the fatty acid is selected from the group consisting of stearic acid, behenic acid, erucic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, and dimerized derivatives, and mixtures thereof.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the fatty acid additive is a fatty acid amide selected from the group consisting of primary monoamides, substituted monoamides, and bisamides.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the rubber composition has a flex modulus of 1,000 to 60,000 psi and the polyamide composition has a flex modulus of 20,000 psi to 150,000 psi, the flex modulus of the rubber composition being less than the flex modulus of the polyamide composition.