GOLF CLUB HEAD WITH FLEXURE

• US 20150133233A1
• Filed: 09/12/2014
• Published: 05/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Bezilla, Stephanie, Deshmukh, Uday V., Golden, Charles E., Myrhum, Mark C., De la Cruz, Noah, Morin, John, Galvan, Darryl C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,561,408 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/329
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/01 Special aerodynamic features, e.g. airfoil shapes, wings or air passages
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/042 the face insert consisting of a material different from that of the head
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0458 with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/002 Resonance frequency related characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations

Abstract

A golf club head including a crown, a sole, a hosel, a face and a flexure. The flexure provides compliance during an impact between the golf club head and a golf ball.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a crown defining an upper surface of the golf club head;

a sole defining a lower surface of the golf club head;

a side wall extending between the crown and sole;

a hosel extending from the crown and including a shaft bore;

a face defining a ball-striking surface and intersecting the lower surface at a leading edge; and

a flexure that is a tubular member interposed between a face portion and a rear body portion of the golf club head so that it forms an intermediate ring that is spaced aftward of the ball-striking surface,

wherein the sole is constructed of a first material having a first Young'"'"'s modulus and the flexure is constructed of a second material having a second Young'"'"'s modulus that is lower than the first Young'"'"'s modulus, and

wherein at least a portion of the flexure is constructed of a β

-Ti alloy.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the flexure has a generally rectangular cross-sectional shape.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the flexure is recessed from at least one of the upper surface and the lower surface of the golf club head.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein an outer surface of the flexure is flush with the outer surfaces of the adjacent ports of the golf club head.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the flexure comprises a plurality of components.

6. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein the flexure comprises a front member, a central member and an aft member, and wherein the central member is constructed from a material and at least one of the front member and the aft member is constructed from a different material.

7. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the front member and the aft member are metallic.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the flexure is constructed from a carbon composite ring.

9. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the flexure has a width in a range between about 12.0 mm and about 20.0 mm.

10. The golf club head of claim 9 wherein the flexure has a thickness in a range between about 0.5 mm and about 3.0 mm.

11. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the flexure is tuned so that the width across the flexure in a face-to-aft direction varies sinusoidally, immediately after impact, at a frequency of about 2900 Hz to about 4000 Hz.

12. A golf club head, comprising:

a crown defining an upper surface of the golf club head;

a sole defining a lower surface of the golf club head;

a side wall extending between the crown and sole;

a hosel extending from the crown and including a shaft bore;

a face defining a ball-striking surface and intersecting the lower surface at a leading edge; and

a flexure component that is spaced afterward of the ball-striking surface, extending in a generally heel-to-toe direction and parallel to the leading edge of the golf club head,

wherein the flexure component is coupled to a forward flange and an aft flange of the golf club head,

wherein the sole is constructed of a first material having a first Young'"'"'s modulus and the flexure is constructed of a second material having a second Young'"'"'s modulus that is lower than the first Young'"'"'s modulus,

wherein at least a portion of the flexure component is constructed of a β

-Ti alloy, and

wherein the flexure component extends across the body in a generally heel-to-toe direction and within between about 5.0 mm and about 20.0 mm from the leading edge of the golf club head.

13. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the forward flange extends from the sole toward the interior of the golf club head.

14. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the aft flange extends from the sole toward the interior of the golf club head.

15. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the flexure component extends from the forward flange and the aft flange toward the interior of the golf club head.

16. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the flexure component extends from the forward flange and the aft flange away from the interior of the golf club head.

17. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the forward flange and the aft flange are angled toward each other.

18. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the flexure component is corrugated.

19. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the flexure component includes recesses that receive portions of the forward flange and the aft flange.

20. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the flexure component defines a slot that receives portions of the forward flange and the aft flange.