Golf Club Head

Abstract

A golf club head includes: a head body having a front face and a recess formed in the front face; a striking member fitted in the recess, and having a striking plate flush with the front face and having a thickness ranging from 0.6 mm to 1.4 mm, a carbon-fibre composite layer having a thickness ranging from 3.0 mm to 5.0 mm, and a first adhesive layer for adhering the striking plate to the composite layer; and a second adhesive layer to adhere the composite layer of the striking member to the head body. A weight ratio of the composite layer to the striking member ranges from 50% to 85%.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/321,438, filed on Dec. 29, 2005, and abandoned as of the filing date of this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a golf club head, more particularly to a golf club head with an improved rebound capability.

2. Description of the Related Art

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional golf club head includes a head body 1 and a composite portion 2. The head body 1 is formed integrally by molding, and includes a striking portion 101 and a receiving space 102. The composite portion 2 is filled in the receiving space 102.

Since the striking portion 101 is integrated with the remainder of the head body 1, and since the composite portion 2 is filled in the receiving space 102, rather than being formed as a part of the striking portion 101, the resilient property of the composite portion 2 cannot be effectively imparted to the striking portion 101 when the striking portion 101 strikes a golf ball. Therefore, the rebound capability of the conventional golf club head is inferior.

Referring to FIG. 2, another conventional golf club head includes ahead body 3, a striking plate 5 connected to the head body 3 by welding so as to define a receiving space 302, and a composite portion 4 filled into the receiving space 302. The head body 3 is made of metal, and has a front face 301. The striking plate 5 is made of metal, and has a striking face 501 flush with the front face 301 of the main body 3.

Since the striking plate 5 is made of metal, and since the composite portion 4 is filled in the receiving space 302, rather than being formed as a part of the striking plate 5, this prior art also encounters the same drawback as that of the prior art shown in FIG. 1.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,743,117 discloses a golf club head with face inserts. A strike face insert, a dampening insert, and a composite back insert are received in a cavity sequentially. The strike face insert is preferably made of stainless steel, and has a thickness preferably ranging from about 0.07 inch to about 0.11 inch (i.e., from about 1.78 mm to about 2.79 mm). The dampening insert is used for absorbing vibration energy and for reducing noise when a golf ball strikes on the golf club head. The dampening insert is formed preferably of lead, and has a thickness ranging from about 0.005 inch to about 0.025 inch (i.e., from about 0.13 mm to about 0.64 mm), which is remarkably smaller than that of the strike face insert. The composite back insert is preferably made of carbon graphite material, and has a thickness preferably ranging from about 0.02 inch to about 0.04 inch (i.e., from about 0.51 mm to 1.02 mm). The composite back insert having such small thickness has high flexibility and less stiffness and is thus used for dampening. As the composite back insert is deformable and can absorb striking energy, a ball cannot be stricken with a maximum striking energy.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,875,124 discloses an iron type golf club head. A front face of the golf club head has a thickness ranging from about 0.06 inch to about 0.12 inch (i.e., from about 1.5 mm to about 3.0 mm). A composite insert of the golf club head comprises one or more layers of a light, flexible material like nylon, reinforced plastic or a carbon graphite composite sheet. The composite insert functions to dampen out unwanted vibrations, adjust weight, or provide structural stability. The weight ratio of the composite insert is not specified.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,140 discloses an iron type golf club head. A resin member of the golf club head is preferably made of synthetic resin such as ABS, ionomer, polycarbonate.

In the conventional golf club heads, a striking member made of titanium has a density of about 4.7 g/cm³, a striking member made of iron has a density of about 7.7 g/cm³, a striking member made of steel has a density of about 9.0 g/cm³, a striking member made of wood has a density of about 1.5 g/cm³, and a striking member made of a plastic material, such as nylon, ABS, or the like, has a density of about 1.8 g/cm³. When the striking member is made of pure metallic material, such as titanium, iron, or steel, the overall weight of the golf club head is too heavy. On the other hand, when the striking member is made of plastic or wood, the strength of the golf club head is insufficient, and thus the thickness thereof should be increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a golf club head which possesses improved rebound capability.

Accordingly, the golf club head of this invention includes: a head body having a front face and a recess formed in the front face; a striking member fitted in the recess and having a striking plate flush with the front face and having a thickness ranging from 0.6 mm to 1.4 mm, a carbon-fibre composite layer backing the striking plate and having a thickness ranging from 3.0 mm to 5.0 mm, and a first adhesive layer for adhering the striking plate to the composite layer; and a second adhesive layer to adhere the composite layer of the striking member to the head body. The weight ratio of the composite layer to the striking member ranges from 50% to 85%.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a conventional golf club head;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of another conventional golf club head;

FIG. 3 is an exploded sectional view of the preferred embodiment of a golf club head according to this invention;

FIG. 4 is an assembled sectional view of the preferred embodiment; and

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a process for making the preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the preferred embodiment of a golf club head according to this invention is shown to include a head body 10, a striking member 20, and a second adhesive layer 30. The head body 10 is made of metal by lost wax casting or by forging, and has a front face 11 and a recess 12 formed in the front face 11. The recess 12 is defined by a bottom face 121 and a side face 122 extending between the bottom face 121 and the front face 11.

The striking member 20 is fitted in the recess 12 of the head body 10, and has a profile corresponding to the recess 12. The striking member 20 includes a striking plate 21 flush with the front face 11 of the head body 10, a carbon-fibre composite layer 22 proximate to the bottom face 121 of the recess 12, and a first adhesive layer 23 disposed between the striking plate 21 and the composite layer 22 for adhering the striking plate 21 to the composite layer 22.

The composite layer 22 serves to back up the striking plate 21 and has a stiffness level sufficient to resist deflection or deformation thereof when subjected to a striking force and to provide good rebounding effect for a golf ball.

The striking plate 21 is made of titanium or stainless steel, and has a striking face 211 flush with the front face 11 of the head body 10, an adhering face 212 proximate to the composite layer 22, and a side face 213 extending between the striking face 211 and the adhering face 212 and corresponding to the side face 122 of the recess 12. The striking plate 21 has a thickness ranging from 0.6 mm to 1.4 mm. Preferably, the striking plate 21 has a thickness of 1.2 mm. If the thickness of the striking plate 21 is smaller than 0.6 mm, the striking plate 21 is unable to protect sufficiently the composite layer 22 from breaking. Moreover, during the fluting of the striking plate 21, the fluted surface of the striking plate 21 can protrude into the composite layer 22, thereby reducing the strength of the composite layer 22. On the other hand, if the thickness of the striking plate 21 is greater than 1.4 mm, it will hinder the rebounding function of the composite layer 22 so that the rebounding function thereof becomes ineffective.

When the striking plate 21 is made of titanium, the striking member 20 has a density ranging from 1 g/cm³ to 2.7 g/cm³. When the striking plate 21 is made of stainless steel, the striking member 20 has a density ranging from 1.8 g/cm³ to 3.4 g/cm³. The striking face 211 of the striking plate 21 is formed with a plurality of grooves 214.

In this embodiment, the composite layer 22 is made by hot pressing a blend including a carbon fiber and an epoxy resin. The composite layer 22 has a thickness ranging from 3.0 mm to 5.0 mm, preferably of 3.8 mm, and has a first face 221 proximate to the bottom face 121 of the recess 12, and a second face 222 opposite to the first face 221. If the thickness of the composite layer 22 is smaller than 3.0 mm, the stiffness of the composite layer 22 will be insufficient to provide a desired rebounding effect. If the thickness of the composite layer 22 is greater than 5.0 mm, the overall weight of the golf club head is increased.

Furthermore, a weight ratio of the composite layer 22 to the striking member 20 ranges from 50% to 85%. When the weight ratio is lower than 50%, the rebounding effect is poor. When the weight ratio is higher than 85%, the protection provided by the striking plate 21 is insufficient. The first adhesive layer 23 includes a meshed material 231 and an adhesive, such as epoxy resin, applied on the meshed material 231.

The second adhesive layer 30 is made of an epoxy resin, and is applied on the bottom face 121 of the recess 12 to adhere the composite layer 22 of the striking member 20 onto the bottom face 121 of the head body 10.

Since the striking member 20 is composed of the striking plate 21 and the composite layer 22 adhered to each other by the first adhesive layer 23, an improved rebound capability can be obtained by the golf club head of this invention upon impact with a golf ball. In other words, since the carbon-fibre composite layer 22 has a high stiffness, the golf ball is rebounded by the striking member 20 via elastic collision so as to reduce the absorption of the striking energy by the striking member 20. As a result, the golf ball can be stricken with a maximum rebounding energy to attain an increased striking distance. Furthermore, an improved balanced combination of overall weight and the mechanical strength of the golf club head can be attained.

Referring to FIG. 5, the golf club head of this invention can be made by a process including the steps of:

a) preparing the head body 10 by lost wax casting or by forging;

b) preparing the striking member 20 by adhering the striking plate 21 to the composite layer 22 using the first adhesive layer 23;

c) polishing the striking plate 21 and the composite layer 22 of the striking member 20 so as to planarize the striking plate 21 and the composite layer 22 and to make the striking member 20 flush with the front face 11 of the head body 10;

d) applying the second adhesive layer 30 on the bottom face 121 of the recess 120 of the head body 10, and adhering the composite layer 22 of the striking member 20 to the head body 10; and

e) forming the striking plate 21 of the striking member 20 with the grooves 214.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a head body including a front face and a recess that is formed in said front face;

a striking member fitted in said recess, and including a striking plate flush with said front face and having a thickness ranging from 0.6 mm to 1.4 mm, a carbon-fibre composite layer backing said striking member and having a thickness ranging from 3.0 mm to 5.0 mm, and a first adhesive layer for adhering said striking plate to said composite layer, a weight ratio of said composite layer to said striking member ranging from 50% to 85%; and

a second adhesive layer to adhere said composite layer of said striking member to said head body.

2. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first adhesive layer includes a meshed material and an adhesive applied on said meshed material.

3. The golf club head as claimed in claim 2, wherein said adhesive includes an epoxy resin.

4. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second adhesive layer includes an epoxy resin.

5. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1, wherein said composite layer is made by hot pressing a blend including a carbon fiber and an epoxy resin.

6. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1, wherein said striking plate is made of titanium, said striking member having a density ranging from 1 g/cm3 to 2.7 g/cm3.

7. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1, wherein said striking plate is made of stainless steel, said striking member having a density ranging from 1.8 g/cm3 to 3.4 g/cm3.