GOLF BALL

• US 20110237348A1
• Filed: 03/14/2011
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd. (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Inventors: OKABE, Satoko
• Granted Patent: US 9,005,050 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/373
• 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 37/0039 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/004 Physical properties
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0043 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0045 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0049 Flexural modulus; Bending stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00621 Centre hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00622 Surface hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0064 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0087 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/06 Elastic cores

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball that decrease the spin rate on the driver shots while suppressing the decrease in the spin rate on the approach shots in a golf ball having a urethane cover. The present invention provides a golf ball having a core consisting of a center and at least one intermediate layer covering the center, and a cover covering the core, wherein the cover contains polyurethane, and has a slab hardness of 85 or less in JIS A hardness, the core has a surface hardness of 60 or more in Shore D hardness, the intermediate layer has a thickness ranging from 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm, and a resin component constituting the intermediate layer has a hardness from 62 to 68 in Shore D hardness, a flexural modulus from 300 MPa to 500 MPa, and a maximum storage modulus E′ between −30° C. to 0° C. ranging from 1,000 MPa to 2,000 MPa.

Claims

1. A golf ball having

a core consisting of a center and at least one intermediate layer covering the center, and

a cover covering the core,

wherein the cover contains polyurethane, and has a slab hardness of 85 or less in JIS A hardness,

the core has a surface hardness of 60 or more in Shore D hardness, the intermediate layer has a thickness ranging from 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm, and

a resin component constituting the intermediate layer has a hardness from 62 to 68 in Shore D hardness, a flexural modulus from 300 MPa to 500 MPa, and a maximum storage modulus E′

between −

30°

C. to 0°

C. ranging from 1,000 MPa to 2,000 MPa.

2. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer is formed from a high fluidity intermediate layer composition that contains as a resin component

(A) a polyamide resin composition having a flexural modulus in a range from 500 MPa to 4,000 MPa and a melt flow rate (240°

C., 2.16 kg) of 5.0 g/10 min or more, and containing (a-1) a polyamide resin and (a-2) a resin having at least one functional group selected from the group consisting of a hydroxyl group, a carboxyl group, an anhydride group, a sulfonic acid group, and an epoxy group (including a glycidyl group); and

(B) at least one member selected from the group consisting of an ethylene-(meth)acrylic acid binary copolymer, a metal-neutralized product of the ethylene-(meth)acrylic acid binary copolymer, an ethylene-(meth)acrylic acid-(meth)acrylic acid ester ternary copolymer, and a metal-neutralized product of the ethylene-(meth)acrylic acid-(meth)acrylic acid ester ternary copolymer.

3. The golf ball according to claim 2, wherein the resin component has a melt flow rate (240°

C., 2.16 kg) ranging from 1.0 g/10 min to 30.0 g/10 min.

4. The golf ball according to claim 2, wherein a blending ratio (NB, total:

100 mass %) of (A) component to (B) component in the high fluidity intermediate layer composition is from 5 mass %/95 mass % to 50 mass %/50 mass %.

5. The golf ball according to claim 2, wherein (a-1) the polyamide resin is at least one selected from the group consisting of polyamide 6, polyamide 11, polyamide 12, polyamide 66, polyamide 610, polyamide 6T, polyamide 6I, polyamide 9T, polyamide M5T, polyamide 612 and a polyetherblock amide copolymer.

6. The golf ball according to claim 2, wherein (a-2) the resin having at least one functional group selected from the group consisting of a hydroxyl group, a carboxyl group, an anhydride group, a sulfonic acid group, and an epoxy group (including a glycidyl group) is a thermoplastic elastomer having at least one functional group selected from the group consisting of a hydroxyl group, a carboxyl group, an anhydride group, a sulfonic acid group, and an epoxy group (including a glycidyl group).

7. The golf ball according to claim 6, wherein the thermoplastic elastomer contains at least one member selected from the group consisting of a thermoplastic polyolefin elastomer, a thermoplastic polyester elastomer, a thermoplastic polyamide elastomer, a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, and a thermoplastic styrene elastomer.

8. The golf ball according to claim 6, wherein the thermoplastic elastomer is a thermoplastic styrene elastomer.

9. The golf ball according to claim 2, wherein (B) component is the metal-neutralized product of the ethylene-(meth)acrylic acid binary copolymer, and/or the metal-neutralized product of the ethylene-(meth)acrylic acid-(meth)acrylic acid ester ternary copolymer, and is neutralized with at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Li, Na, Ca, Zn, Mg and Cu.

10. The golf ball according to claim 9, wherein a degree of neutralization of acidic groups contained in the metal-neutralized product of the ethylene-(meth)acrylic acid binary copolymer and/or the ethylene-(meth)acrylic acid-(meth)acrylic acid ester ternary copolymer is from 20 mole % to 90 mole %.

11. The golf ball according to claim 2, wherein (B) component has a flexural modulus ranging from 150 MPa to 1,000 MPa.

12. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the center has a compression deformation amount from 1.5 mm to 5.0 mm, when applying an initial load of 98 N to a final load of 1275 N to the center.

13. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the center has a surface hardness ranging from 40 to 75 in Shore D hardness.

14. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the core has a diameter ranging from 30 mm to 42.2 mm.

15. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the core has a compression deformation amount from 1.5 mm to 5.0 mm, when applying an initial load of 98 N to a final load of 1275 N to the core.

16. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the core has a center hardness Ho ranging from 20 to 60 in Shore D hardness.

17. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the core has a hardness difference ranging from 10 to 55 between a surface hardness and a center hardness thereof in Shore D hardness.

18. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the cover has a thickness ranging from 0.1 mm to 3 mm.

19. The golf ball according to claim 1 wherein the golf ball has a compression deformation amount from 2.0 mm to 3.0 mm, when applying an initial load of 98 N to a final load of 1275 N to the golf ball.