Golf club head and composite plate therefor
A golf club head includes a golf club head body made of metal and having a striking plate, at least one recession defined in the golf club head body, and at least one composite plate engaged in the recession to form a portion of a shell of a golf club head product. The composite plate includes at least one metal layer and at least one non-metal layer that are laminated by pressing. The adjusting ranges of the center of gravity and of the striking sound of the golf club head are increased.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf club head and a composite plate therefor. In particular, the present invention relates to a golf club head with a composite plate increasing the adjusting ranges of the center of gravity and of striking sound of the golf club head.
2. Description of Related Art
A typical conventional wooden golf club head is illustrated in
Despite of the above advantages, the golf club head has some disadvantages. Firstly, in a case that the cover plate 20′ is made of graphite that has a sound-absorbing effect, when striking a golf ball, the pleasing clear and crisp striking sound resulting from resonance of the golf club head body 10 made of metal is sacrificed; namely, it sounds dark and unpleasant when striking a golf ball. Secondly, graphite has a relatively weak structure and thus adversely affects the structural reliability of the golf club head product if a considerable number of cover plates 20′ made of graphite is used or the overall area of the cover plate(s) 20′ is relatively large.
In a case that the cover plate 20′ is made of light metal, the structural strength is improved and the striking sound generated as a result of striking a golf ball is clear and crisp, yet lowering of the center of gravity and adjusting range of the center of gravity are limited. Further, the color and patterns of the cover plate 20′ are monotonous no matter the cover plate 20′ is made of graphite or light metal, failing to provide added value for the golf club head.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTIONAn object of the present invention is to provide a composite material for a golf club head to increase adjustment ranges of the center of gravity and of striking sound of the golf club head.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a composite material for a golf club head to provide various colors and patterns for the golf club head, providing added value for the golf club head.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a composite material for a golf club head to improve the striking performance of the golf club head.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a golf club head with a composite plate that achieves the above objects.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a golf club head is provided and includes a golf club head body made of metal and having a striking plate, at least one recession defined in the golf club head body, and at least one composite plate engaged in said at least one recession to form a portion of a shell of a golf club head product. The composite plate includes at least one metal layer and at least one non-metal layer that are laminated by pressing.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a composite plate is provided for a golf club head and includes at least one metal layer and at least one non-metal layer. Said one metal layer and said at least one non-metal layer are laminated by pressing to form the composite plate.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of this invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Preferred embodiments of the present invention are now to be described hereinafter in detail, in which the same reference numerals are used in the preferred embodiments for the same parts as those in the prior art to avoid redundant description.
Referring to
The composite plate 20 is tightly engaged in the recession 12, forming a portion of a shell for the golf club head. The composite plate 20 includes at least one metal layer 21 and at least one non-metal layer (three metal layers 22, 23, and 24 in this embodiment) that are laminated by pressing.
Referring to
Referring to
The second non-metal layer 23 is preferably made of epoxy. Alternatively, the second non-metal layer 23 can be an adhesive layer of solvent-release type, pressure-sensitive type, heat-sensitive type, or chemically-reactive type. The third non-metal layer 24 is preferably a single layer of impregnated graphite fabric. After preparation and stacking of the first non-metal layer 22, the metal layer 21, the second non-metal layer 23, and the third non-metal layer 24, another press mold 40 consisting of a first mold part 40a having a concave plane 41 and a second mold part 40b having a convex plane 42 is used to press the metal layer 21 and the non-metal layers 22, 23, and 24. The metal layer 21 and the non-metal layers 22, 23, and 24 are laminated and bonded together to form a composite plate 20 having a density between 1.7 g/cm3 and 4.8 g/cm3.
Referring to
The material, thickness, number of layers, and the sequence of the metal layer 21 and the non-metal layers 22, 23, and 24 can be varied, depending on the product need. The position of the center of gravity, the frequency of the striking sound, or the coefficient of restitution of the golf club head can be adjusted. Further, the weaving method of the graphite of the first non-metal layer 22 that is the outermost layer of the composite plate 20 can be changed to provide various patterns on the outer face of the composite plate 20, providing aesthetically different pleasing appearances for the golf club product.
The physical/mechanical properties of graphite 221, Kevlar fiber 222, and titanium filament 223 are listed in Table 1.
As can be seen in Table 1, graphite 221 is black, Kevlar fiber 222 is golden, and titanium filament 223 is silver. Use of graphite 221, Kevlar fibers 222, or titanium filaments 223, or mix-weaving of at least two of them to form the first composite layer 22a, the second composite layer 22b, the third composite layer 22c, or the fourth composite layer 22d provides a change in the color and the patterns on the outer face of the composite plate 20. Thus, the appearance of the golf club head product can be aesthetically pleasing, providing added value for the golf club head product.
While the principles of this invention have been disclosed in connection with specific embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that these descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, and that any modification and variation without departing the spirit of the invention is intended to be covered by the scope of this invention defined only by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A golf club head comprising:
- a golf club head body made of metal and including a striking plate;
- at least one recession defined in the golf club head body; and
- at least one composite plate engaged in said at least one recession to form a portion of a shell of a golf club head product, said at least one composite plate including at least one metal layer and at least one non-metal layer that are laminated by pressing.
2. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one non-metal layer is an outermost layer of said at least one composite plate.
3. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one metal layer is an outermost layer of said at least one composite plate.
4. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one metal layer has a density smaller than 4.8 g/cm3 and is made of one of a light metal and an alloy.
5. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one composite plate includes in sequence a first non-metal layer, a metal layer, a second non-metal layer, and a third non-metal layer.
6. The golf club head as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first non-metal layer is one of a uni-direction fabric, a plainwoven fabric, and a twilled fabric made of graphite, wherein the second non-metal layer is an adhesive layer of one of solvent-release type, pressure-sensitive type, heat-sensitive type, chemically-reactive type, and epoxy, and wherein the third non-metal layer is a single layer of impregnated graphite fabric.
7. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one composite plate includes in sequence a metal layer, a first non-metal layer, and a second non-metal layer.
8. The golf club head as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first non-metal layer is an adhesive layer of one of solvent-release type, pressure-sensitive type, heat-sensitive type, chemically-reactive type, and epoxy, and wherein the second non-metal layer is a single layer of impregnated graphite fabric.
9. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one composite plate includes in sequence a composite layer, a metal layer, a first non-metal layer, and a second non-metal layer.
10. The golf club head as claimed in claim 9, wherein the composite layer is a net formed by means of mix-weaving metal filaments and non-metal fibers, the metal filaments and the non-metal fibers being selected from the group consisting of graphite, Kevlar fibers, and titanium filaments, the first non-metal layer being an adhesive layer of one of solvent-release type, pressure-sensitive type, heat-sensitive type, chemically-reactive type, and epoxy, and the second non-metal layer being a single layer of impregnated graphite fabric.
11. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one recession is defined in one of a crown portion, a sole portion, and a side portion of the golf club head body.
12. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1, further including a buffering space defined between an inner periphery of said at least one recession and an outer periphery of said at least one composite plate, and a filler being filled in the buffering space.
13. A composite plate for a golf club head, the composite plate comprising:
- at least one metal layer; and
- at least one non-metal layer, said at least one metal layer and said at least one non-metal layer being laminated by pressing to form the composite plate, the composite plate being adapted to be engaged in a recession of a golf club head to form a portion of a shell of the golf club head.
14. The composite plate as claimed in claim 13, wherein said at least one non-metal layer is an outermost layer of the composite plate.
15. The composite plate as claimed in claim 13, wherein said at least one metal layer is an outermost layer of the composite plate.
16. The composite plate as claimed in claim 13, wherein said at least one metal layer has a density smaller than 4.8 g/cm3 and is made of one of a light metal and an alloy.
17. The composite plate as claimed in claim 13, wherein the composite plate includes in sequence a first non-metal layer, a metal layer, a second non-metal layer, and a third non-metal layer.
18. The composite plate as claimed in claim 17, wherein the first non-metal layer is one of a uni-direction fabric, a plainwoven fabric, and a twilled fabric made of graphite, wherein the second non-metal layer is an adhesive layer of one of solvent-release type, pressure-sensitive type, heat-sensitive type, chemically-reactive type, and epoxy, and wherein the third non-metal layer is a single layer of impregnated graphite fabric.
19. The composite plate as claimed in claim 13, wherein the composite plate includes in sequence a metal layer, a first non-metal layer, and a second non-metal layer.
20. The composite plate as claimed in claim 19, wherein the first non-metal layer is an adhesive layer of one of solvent-release type, pressure-sensitive type, heat-sensitive type, chemically-reactive type, and epoxy, and the wherein second non-metal layer is a single layer of impregnated graphite fabric.
21. The composite plate as claimed in claim 13, wherein the composite plate includes in sequence a composite layer, a metal layer, a first non-metal layer, and a second non-metal layer.
22. The composite plate as claimed in claim 21, wherein the composite layer is a net formed by means of mix-weaving metal filaments and non-metal fibers, the metal filaments and the non-metal fibers being selected from the group consisting of graphite, Kevlar fibers, and titanium filaments, the first non-metal layer being an adhesive layer of one of solvent-release type, pressure-sensitive type, heat-sensitive type, chemically-reactive type, and epoxy, and the second non-metal layer being a single layer of impregnated graphite fabric.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 26, 2003
Publication Date: May 5, 2005
Inventor: Yun-Fang Chen (Taoyuan Hsien)
Application Number: 10/721,278