TWI829782B - Golf club heads - Google Patents

Abstract

A cast cup can include a forward portion of a golf club head, including a hosel, a face portion, and forward portions of a crown, sole, heel and toe. A rear ring can be formed separately from the cast cup and coupled to heel and toe portions of the cast cup to form a metallic club head body, such that the club head body defines a hollow interior region, a crown opening, and a sole opening. The cast cup and rear ring can be cast of titanium alloys. Composite crown and sole inserts can then be coupled to the crown opening and sole opening. The face portion of the cast cup can have a desirably complex geometry. The rear surface of the face portion of the cast cup can be modified before the rear ring is attached.

Description

golf club head

The present invention relates to golf club heads having cast components and related methods for making such golf club heads.

As the popularity and competitiveness of golf continue to grow, a large amount of energy and resources are currently consumed to improve golf clubs. Many of the recent improvements involve the use of new and increasingly sophisticated materials in combination with advanced club head engineering. For example, modern "wood" golf clubs (e.g., "drivers," "fairway woods," "rescue clubs," and "utility or hybrid clubs") have precision shafts and non-wood The club head bears very little resemblance to the "wood-shaped" drivers, low-loft long irons, and higher-numbered fairway woods used a few years ago. These modern wood-shaped clubs are generally referred to as "metal-laminated wood clubs" or simply "wood clubs".

The current ability to cast metal laminated wood club heads from strong, lightweight metals and other materials has allowed the club heads to be made hollow. The use of materials with high strength and high fracture toughness has also allowed club head walls to be made thinner, which reduces overall weight compared to earlier club heads and allows for increased club head size without the wobbling associated with increased weight. Speed loss. Larger club heads tend to have larger faceplate areas and can also be made with high club head inertia, thereby making the club head more "forgiving" than smaller club heads. Determining things like optimal impact position (also known as "sweet spot") is determined by multiple variables, including the shape, contour, size and thickness of the faceplate and the location of the club head's center of gravity (CG). point") size characteristics.

Exemplary metal laminated wood golf clubs typically include a shaft having a lower end to which the club head is attached. Most modern versions of these club heads are made at least partially from a lightweight but strong metal such as titanium alloy. In some cases, the club head includes a body that is later attached to the faceplate (which may be used interchangeably herein with the terms "face" or "face insert" or "batting plate" or "batting plate"), and In other cases, the body and panels are cast together as a one-piece structure so that the panels do not have to be attached to the body later. The faceplate defines the surface or hitting face before actually contacting the golf ball.

Considering the total mass of the metal laminated wood club head as the club head's mass budget, at least some of the mass budget must be dedicated to providing adequate strength and structural support for the club head. This is called "structural" quality. Any mass left in the budget is called "discretionary" or "performance" mass, and can be distributed within a metal-glulam club head to solve performance problems, for example. Therefore, the ability to reduce the structural mass of a metal laminated wood club head without compromising strength and structural support offers the possibility of adding arbitrary mass and therefore improving club performance.

One opportunity to reduce the overall mass of the club head is to reduce its mass by reducing the thickness of the faceplate; however given that the face absorbs the initial impact of the ball and therefore has fairly stringent requirements on its physical and mechanical properties, there is an opportunity to do this Slightly restricted. Given the light weight and high strength of titanium and titanium alloys, club manufacturers have used titanium and titanium alloys in faceplate manufacturing as well as entire club head manufacturing. Typically, casting processes have been used in the manufacture of club heads given their relatively complex 3D structures. Many of these panels are made by an over-mold casting process in which a suitable metal melt is cast into a preheated ceramic over-mold formed by a lost-wax process. Overmolding has also been used to prepare the faceplate as a one-piece structural casting with the remainder of the club head body or as a separately formed faceplate that is then attached to the front of the club head body, typically by welding. Despite widespread use, such reactions Overmolding of complex shaped components of materials can be characterized by relatively high costs and low yields. Low casting yields can be attributed to a number of factors, including surface or surface-connected void-type defects and/or inadequate filling of specific mold cavity areas, particularly thin cavity areas, and associated internal voids, shrinkage and similar defects.

To further complicate the drawbacks of overmolded face plates, club head manufacturers also often introduce curvature into the club face to help compensate for directional issues caused by hits other than the center of gravity. Therefore, instead of a flat panel, a manufacturer may wish to form a face that has both a heel-to-toe convex curvature (called a "bump") and a crown-to-base convex curvature (called a "undulation"). Alternatively, manufacturers can introduce variable facial thickness distribution across the panel. Changing the thickness of the faceplate increases the size of the club head's COR zone (often referred to as the sweet spot of the golf club head), which allows a larger area of the faceplate to consistently deliver high golf balls when a golf ball is struck with the golf club head. Ball speed and launch forgiveness. Additionally, varying the thickness of the panel may be advantageous in reducing weight in the face area for redistribution to another area of the club head.

To compensate for the shortcomings of overmolding these more complex panel structures, manufacturers have turned to alternative methods of forming the panels, including laser cutting panels from thin sheets of titanium that are self-rolled, followed by subsequent forging to impart any desired ridges and reliefs , followed by a machining step on a lathe to introduce any desired facial thickness distribution. Disadvantages of these steps include the fact that three separate forming steps are required and the machining process on the lathe to form the variable thickness distribution is not only wasteful but also limits the distribution to a circular area due to the circular motion of the lathe .

Therefore, it would be highly desirable to have a club head panel with sufficient physical properties to allow for a reduction in thickness resulting in more usable free weight in the club head. It would also be ideal if the panel could exhibit any desired ridges and undulations of curvature, in addition to having any circular, elliptical, asymmetrical or otherwise variable thickness distribution. If available for manufacturing such panels A simplified process that results in a panel with the desired thickness and physical strength properties that will also result in a panel with any desired ridges and undulations and variable thickness distribution while requiring a minimum of processing steps and minimizing any waste generated in the process , then it will also be ideal. It would also be ideal if the club head body and face could be cast simultaneously from the same material as a single unitary body, rather than being two parts that must be attached together later. It would also be ideal if the cast panel did not require chemical etching to remove or reduce the thickness of the alpha crust to provide the panel with appropriate durability properties.

Some golf club head bodies disclosed herein may be cast from 9-1-1 titanium, with the panels cast as a single piece of the body along the crown, sole, skirt and hosel. Due to the 9-1-1 titanium material, the panels and other parts of the body receive less oxygen from the mold and can have reduced alpha hard shell thickness, resulting in greater ductility and durability. This eliminates the need to use hydrofluoric acid or other hazardous chemical etchants to reduce the thickness of the alpha shell after casting. The casting method may include preheating the casting mold below normal temperature and/or coating the inner surface of the mold to further reduce the amount of oxygen transferred from the mold to the 9-1-1 titanium during casting.

In some embodiments, a wooden golf club head body includes a crown, a sole, a skirt, a face plate, and a hosel; the body defines a hollow interior region; the body is substantially entirely composed of 9-1 -1 Titanium casting; and the body is cast as a single unitary casting, wherein the panel is integrally formed with the crown, bottom, skirt and hosel. The body may contain trace amounts of fluorine atoms as a doping impurity present in the titanium alloy, but the amount of fluorine present in the body may be extremely low due to the absence of etching of the face with hydrofluoric acid after casting. In some embodiments, the panel may have substantially no fluorine atoms, such as less than 1000 ppm, less than 500 ppm, less than 200 ppm, and or less than 100 ppm. In some embodiments, the body may have a thickness of 0.150 mm or less, 0.100mm or smaller and/or 0.070mm or smaller alpha hard case.

Some exemplary methods include preparing a mold for casting and then using the mold to cast a golf club head body substantially entirely from 9-1-1 titanium, wherein the cast body includes a crown, a sole, and a skirt. , a panel and a hosel, wherein the cast body defines a hollow interior area; and wherein the body is cast as a single unitary casting, wherein the panel is integrally formed with the crown, bottom, and skirt during casting and hosel. Some such methods do not include etching the panel after casting. In some methods, preparing the mold includes preheating the mold such that when casting is performed, the mold is at 800°C or less, 700°C or less, 600°C or less, and/or 500°C or less. temperature.

Also disclosed herein are golf club head embodiments that include a metal cast cup forming a forward portion of the club head, including a hosel, a face portion, a forward portion of the crown, and a sole portion. A forward part. A metal rear ring may be formed separately from the cast cup and coupled to the heel and toe portions of the cast cup to form a club head body such that the metal club head body defines a hollow interior region, a crown opening and a bottom opening. A composite crown insert can then be coupled to the crown opening. A bottom insert made of composite, metal, or other material may be coupled to the bottom opening. In some embodiments, there are no bottom openings or bottom inserts. The cast cup and rear ring may be cast from a titanium alloy and may be welded together to form the club head body. In some embodiments, the ring and cup are constructed from different metallic materials, such as two different titanium alloys, or a titanium alloy and steel. The cast cup may include a face portion with an intricate geometry to provide desirable performance properties. The facial portion may have a twisted front surface and/or the facial posterior surface may have a geometry that provides an asymmetric variable thickness distribution across the face. Prior to attachment of the rear ring, the rear surface of the face portion of the cast cup may be machined and/or otherwise modified such that there is tooling access to the entire rear surface of the face. Increase space.

Also disclosed is a method of forming a wax cup from a wax cup frame and a separately formed wax surface using a wax welding process. This wax cup can then be used to create a mold for casting the metal cup that forms the front portion of a golf club head. This two-piece wax welding process provides manufacturing, prototyping and testing advantages.

Cast panels with novel geometries, such as containing titanium alloys, are also disclosed.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description, which is made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2: Golf club head

3: Shaft

4: Golf club head

5a: Center face

5b: Follow up

5c: Toe

5d:Crown

5e: bottom

5f: center of gravity

6: Club face

8: bulge

9: ups and downs

10: Hollow body

11: Score line

12:Crown

14: Bottom

16:Skirt

18:Panel

20: hosel

22:Striking surface

23: Ideal impact position/origin

24: hosel hole

26: Heel part

28: Toe part

30:Front part

32: Rear part

40:Inner surface

42:Center part

44: Gradually thickening part

46:Tapering part

48: Transition part

50: center of gravity

60: Ideal impact position/origin

65:Origin z-axis

70:Origin x-axis

75:Origin y-axis

85:CG z-axis

90:CG x-axis

95:CG y-axis

150:Initial pattern

152: Main gate

154: Auxiliary gate

156:Flow channel

160: cluster

162:Graphite Receiver

164: Graphite Cross Spokes

166:Flow channel

168:Mold cavity

170:Crucible

172:Pouring Cup

180: cluster

182:Receiver

184: Shell runner

186:Mold cavity

188:Mold cavity

200: Wooden golf club head

202: Club head body

204:Head-rod connection assembly

206: Crown insert

207:Protrusion

208: Bottom insert

209: Gap

210: Counterweight assembly

212: Counterweight assembly

214: Counterweight track

216: Counterweight track

222: Rear part

224:Rear seat cushion

225: hanging lip

226:Front seat cushion

228: hanging lip

230: Toe part

232:Lug

234:Lug

236: Ribs

238: thicker area

240: Toe side opening

242: Heel side opening

244: Rear track opening

246:Open your mouth

250:Lug

252: Forward crown part

260:Lug

262:Rib

263: Rib

265: Rib

267: Rib

270:Facial

280: concave part

282: concave part

284:Peripheral guide rail

286: concave part

288:Peripheral guide rail

290:Peripheral guide rail

292:Peripheral guide rail

294: concave part

296: concave part

298: concave part

301: Step

302: Step

303: Step

304: Step

305: Step

306: Step

307: Step

308:Step

361: Steps

362: Steps

363: Steps

364: steps

365: steps

366: Steps

367: Steps

400: Golf club head

402:Cup

404: Ring

406: Crown insert

408: Bottom insert

410:Head-rod connection assembly

412: hosel

418: Bottom slot

420:Contact

422: Engaging end

424: Engaging end

426:Crown Lug

428: Bottom lug

430:Protrusion

431: Counterweight hole

432:Quality Pad

433: Counterweight hole

434: Overall face

436: Forward crown part

438: forward bottom part

440: Forward toe part

442: Forward heel part

450:Sleeve

452: Ferrule

454: hosel insert

456:Fasteners

458: Scrubber

500:wax cup

502: Wax Cup Frame

504:wax surface

506:Contact

508:Fork tip

510:wax cup

512: Wax Cup Frame

514:wax surface

516:Contact

518:Wax fork tip

520:Protrusion

600: Casting Cup

602: Center

603: Internal Mixing Zone

604: Maximum thickness ring

606: Variable Mixing Zone

608:Second Ring

609:Exterior Mixing Zone

610: Heel and toe area

612: Radial peripheral area

700: Facial part

702:Facial center

703: Internal Mixing Zone

704: Maximum thickness ring

705: Variable Mixing Zone

706:External area

708:Exterior Mixing Zone

710: Peripheral ring

800: Facial part

802:Facial center

803: Internal Mixing Zone

804:Inner ring

805:Second Mixing Zone

806:Second Ring

807: The third mixed zone

808:Third Ring

810:The fourth mixed zone

811:The fourth ring

812: Toe area

813:Exterior Mixing Zone

814:External perimeter

820:Thickened area

822:Offset area

823: Ring

824:Mixed area

825: Ring

826:Mixed area

900:cast panel

902:Front

904:Rear

A: Top area

B: Golf ball/top toe area

C: toe area

D: Bottom toe area

E: Bottom area

F: Bottom area

G:Follow area

H: Top and heel area

X:X axis

Y:Y axis

Z:Z axis

Θ: angle

Figure 1 is a side view of a golf club head.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the golf club head of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the golf club head of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is a front view of the golf club head of FIG. 1 showing the golf club head origin coordinate system.

Figure 5 is a side view of the golf club head of Figure 1 showing the center of gravity coordinate system.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the golf club head of FIG. 1 .

Figure 7 is a rear view of an exemplary panel with variable thickness.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view of the panel of FIG. 7 taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7. FIG.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional side view of the panel of FIG. 7 taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 7. FIG.

Figure 10 is a front view of the golf club head of the present invention showing the hump and relief measurement system.

Figure 11 shows a golf club head hitting a golf ball with the golf club head facing and on the side. Illustrated description.

Figure 12 is a top view of an exemplary initial mode of a wood club head showing the main gate, auxiliary gate and flow channels.

Figure 13 is a schematic depiction of a casting cluster containing multiple mold cavities.

Figure 14 is a schematic depiction of another casting cluster containing multiple mold cavities.

Figure 15 is a workflow diagram illustrating a method for casting a golf club head.

Figure 16 is a table of casting data obtained for titanium alloys from six different casting machines.

Figure 17 is a continuation of the table in Figure 16.

Figure 18 is a graph of process losses versus quality of casting material (molten metal) for titanium alloys, the latter being indicative of casting furnace sizes for various casting machines.

Figure 19 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method for configuring a casting cluster.

Figure 20 is a bottom perspective view of yet another exemplary golf club head disclosed herein.

Figure 21 is an exploded bottom perspective view of the golf club head of Figure 20.

Figure 21A is an exploded side perspective view of the golf club head of Figure 20.

FIG. 22 is a top view of the main body of the golf club head of FIG. 20 .

Figure 23 is a cross-sectional view of the body taken along line 23-23 in Figure 22.

Figure 24 is a bottom view of the golf club head of Figure 20.

Figure 25 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 25-25 in Figure 24.

Figure 26 is a side view of the heel of the golf club head of Figure 20.

Figure 26A is a side view of the toe of the golf club head of Figure 20.

Figure 27 is a top cross-sectional view of the lower portion of the main body of Figure 22.

Figure 28 is a cross-sectional side view of the toe portion of the body of Figure 22.

Figure 29 is a bottom view of the front portion of the bottom of the body of Figure 22.

30 is an enlarged detail cross-sectional view of the edge-to-edge counterweight track taken generally along line 30 - 30 of FIG. 29 .

31 is another enlarged detail cross-sectional view of the edge-to-edge counterweight track taken generally along line 31 - 31 of FIG. 29 .

Figure 32 is a bottom view of a portion of the bottom of the body of Figure 22 including a front to rear counterweight track.

33 is an enlarged detail cross-sectional view of the front to rear counterweight track taken generally along line 33-33 of FIG. 32. FIG.

34 is another enlarged detail cross-sectional view of the front to rear counterweight track taken generally along line 34-34 of FIG. 32. FIG.

Figure 35A is a top view of the golf club head of Figure 20 with the crown removed, showing the sole portion positioned in the body.

Figure 35B is a top view of the sole portion of the golf club head of Figure 20.

Figure 35C is a top view of the golf club head of Figure 20 with the crown portion in place.

35D is a top view of the golf club head of FIG. 20 with both the crown and sole portions removed.

Figure 36A is a front side view of the sole portion of the golf club head of Figure 20.

Figure 36B is a bottom view of the sole portion of the golf club head of Figure 20.

Figure 36C is a side view of the crown portion of the golf club head of Figure 20.

Figure 36D is a top view of the crown portion of the golf club head of Figure 20.

Figure 37 is a perspective view of another exemplary golf club head.

Figure 38 is a different perspective view of the club head of Figure 37, with the head-shank connection assembly.

Figure 39 shows how the body of the club head of Figure 37 is formed from two pieces attached together.

Figure 40 shows the body of Figure 39 in an assembled state.

Figure 41 shows how the crown insert and base insert are assembled with the main body of Figure 40.

Figure 42 shows the front view of the cup-shaped portion of the main body.

Figure 43 shows the back of the cup-shaped portion of the main body.

Figure 44 is a front view of the body.

Figure 45 is a side view of the heel of the main body.

Figure 46 is a top plan view of the main body.

Figure 47 is a bottom view of the main body.

Figure 48 is a cross-sectional view of the head-rod connection assembly.

Figure 49 illustrates a two-piece wax body in which the wax face is formed separately from the remainder of the wax body.

Figure 50 shows the wax face wax welded to the rest of the wax body.

Figure 51 shows the varying thickness distribution on the rear side of the face.

Figure 52 shows another varying thickness distribution on the rear side of one face.

Figure 53 is a perspective view of the side of Figure 52.

Figure 54 shows another variation of the thickness distribution shifted to the heel side.

Figure 55 shows the front side of an exemplary cast panel.

Figure 56 shows the rear side of the cast panel of Figure 55.

Cross-references to related applications

This application is a partial continuation of U.S. Patent Application No. 16/059,801 filed on August 9, 2018. It claims that U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 16/059,801 filed on August 10, 2017 No. 62/543,778, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The following describes embodiments of golf club heads for metal laminated golf clubs, including drivers, fairway woods, rescue clubs, utility clubs, hybrid clubs, and the like.

Inventive features disclosed herein include all novel and non-obvious features disclosed herein, alone and in combination with any other features. As used herein, the phrase "and/or" means "and", "or", and both "and" and "or". As used herein, the singular forms "a/an" and "the" mean one or more than one, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein, the term "includes" means "comprises."

Reference is also made below to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this document. The drawings illustrate specific embodiments, but other embodiments may be formed and structural changes may be made without departing from the intended scope of the invention. Directions and references (eg, up, down, top, bottom, left, right, forward, heel, toe, etc.) may be used to facilitate discussion of the figures but are not intended to be limiting. For example, specific terms may be used, such as "upward," "downward," "upper," "lower," "horizontal," "vertical," "left," "right," and the like. These terms are used where appropriate to provide certain clarity of description in dealing with relative relationships, particularly with respect to the illustrated embodiments. However, such terms are not intended to imply absolute relationships, positions and/or orientations. For example, an "upper" surface can become a "lower" surface relative to an object simply by flipping the object over. Nonetheless, it is still the same object. Accordingly, the following detailed description shall not be regarded in a limiting sense, and the scope of title sought shall be defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context in which it is used, conditional language such as "can, could, might or may" together with other ) is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include certain features, elements, and/or steps, while other embodiments do not include such features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, this conditional language is generally not intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for a particular embodiment or embodiments, or that one or more particular embodiments must be included for use with or without use. Logic that determines whether such features, components, and/or steps are included in or to be executed in any particular embodiment based on user input or prompts.

It should be emphasized that the embodiments described herein are merely possible examples of implementation and are merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the invention. Any process description or block in the flow diagram should be understood to represent a module, segment, or portion of code that includes one or more executable instructions for implementing specified logical functions or steps in the process, and may include Alternative implementations that do not include or perform functions, which, depending on the functionality involved, may be performed out of the order shown or discussed, including performed substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, as is the case in the art to which this invention pertains Wait for the technicians to understand. Many changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments described above without materially departing from the spirit and principles of the invention. Furthermore, the scope of the invention is intended to encompass any and all combinations and sub-combinations of all elements, features and aspects discussed above. All such modifications and variations are herein intended to be included within the scope of the invention, and all possible claims for individual aspects or combinations of elements or steps are intended to be supported by the invention.

For reference, within this disclosure, reference to a "driver-type golf club head" means any metal laminated golf club head intended for use primarily with a tee. Generally speaking, driver-type golf club heads have loft angles of 15 degrees or less, and often, 12 degrees or less. Reference to "fairway wood golf club head" means any wood golf club head that is intended to be used to hit the ball off the ground and may also be used to hit the ball off the tee. Generally speaking, fairway wood golf club heads have loft angles of 15 degrees or more, and often, 16 degrees or more. big Generally speaking, a fairway wood golf club head has a length from the front edge to the back edge of 73 mm to 97 mm. Various definitions distinguish fairway wood golf club heads from hybrid golf club heads, which tend to be similar to fairway wood golf club heads but have a smaller length from the leading edge to the trailing edge. Generally speaking, the length of a hybrid golf club head from the front edge to the back edge is 38mm to 73mm. Hybrid golf club heads can also be distinguished from fairway wood golf club heads by weight, lie, volume and/or shaft length. The driver golf club head of the present invention may be 15 degrees or less in various embodiments, or 10.5 degrees or less in various embodiments. In various embodiments, the fairway wood golf club head of the present invention may be 13 degrees to 26 degrees.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-6 , a wood-type (eg, driver or fairway wood) golf club head, such as golf club head 2 , may include a hollow body 10 . The body 10 may include a crown 12, a base 14, a skirt 16, and a panel 18 (also referred to as a face or face portion) that defines a ball striking surface 22 while defining an interior cavity. Panel 18 may be formed separately from the body and attached to an opening at the front of the body, or may be integrally formed as a unitary part of body 10 . The body 10 may include a hosel 20 defined for receiving a hosel hole 24 of a golf club shaft (see Figure 6). Body 10 further includes a heel portion 26 , a toe portion 28 , a front portion 30 and a rear portion 32 .

Figures 4 to 6 illustrate ideal impact positions/origins 23, 60, origin x-axis 70, origin y-axis 75, and origin z-axis 65, center of gravity of the club head 50, CG x-axis 90, CG y-axis 95 and CG z-axis 85. This isoaxis is either horizontal or vertical with the club head in the normal address position as shown. The origin axis passes through origin 60, and the CG axis passes through CG 50.

The body may further include openings in the crown and/or base that are overlaid or covered by an insert formed of a lighter weight material, such as a composite material. For example, the crown of the body may include a composite crown insert that covers a majority of the crown area and has a manufacturing Lower density of the metal of the body, thereby saving crown weight. Similarly, the base may include one or more openings in the body covered by the base insert. The bottom insert can be made of composite, metallic or other materials. In embodiments where the body includes openings in the crown or sole, such openings may provide access to the interior cavity of the club head during manufacture, especially if the faceplate is formed as an integral part of the body during casting (and in Where no facial opening exists in the body to provide access during manufacturing). The club heads disclosed herein with respect to Figures 20-36 provide examples of openings in the crown and sole that are overlaid or covered by inserts formed of lighter weight materials, such as composite materials. More information about openings in the body and related inserts can be found in U.S. Patent Publication 2018/0185719, published on July 5, 2018, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/515,401, filed on June 5, 2017. , both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

In some embodiments, the club head may include adjustable weights, such as one or more weights movable along a weight track formed in the sole and/or perimeter of the club head. Other exemplary weights may be adjusted by rotating the weight within the threaded weight hole. Various fins, struts, mass pads, and other structures may be included within the body to provide reinforcement, adjust mass distribution and MOI properties, adjust acoustic properties, and/or for other reasons.

Assuming that any pores are sealed by a substantially flat surface, a wood-type club head, such as club head 2, has a volume, usually measured in cubic centimeters (cm ³ ), equal to the volume of the club head displaced. (See the United States Golf Association's "Procedure for Measuring the Club Head Size of Wood Clubs" revised version 1.0 on November 21, 2003). For a driver, the golf club head may have a volume of between approximately 250 cm ³ and approximately 600 cm ³ , such as between approximately 300 cm ³ and approximately 500 cm ³ , and may have a total weight of between approximately 145 g and approximately 260 g. quality. For fairway woods, a golf club head may have a volume of between approximately 120 cm ³ and approximately 300 cm ³ and may have a total mass of between approximately 115 g and approximately 260 g. For utility or hybrid clubs, the golf club head may have a volume of between approximately 80 cm ³ and approximately 140 cm ³ and may have a total mass of between approximately 105 g and approximately 280 g.

The sole 14 is defined as the lower portion of the club head 2 extending upward from the lowest point of the club head when the club head is ideally positioned, that is, at the correct address position relative to the golf ball on the horizontal plane. In some implementations, sole 14 extends approximately 50% to 60% of the distance from the lowest point of the club head to crown 12 , which in some cases may be approximately 15 mm for a driver and approximately 15 mm for a fairway wood. Between roughly 10mm and 12mm.

3.5-2.5% Al；

3.0-2.0% V；

0.02% N；

0.013% H；

0.12 Fe。 Materials that may be used to construct body 10 including panel 18 may include composite materials (eg, carbon fiber reinforced polymers), titanium or titanium alloys, steel or steel alloys, magnesium alloys, copper alloys, nickel alloys, and/or suitable for golf balls. Any other metal or metal alloy of which the club head is constructed. Other materials, such as paints, polymeric materials, ceramic materials, etc., may also be included in the body. In some embodiments, the body including the panels may be made from a metallic material, such as titanium or titanium alloys (including but not limited to 9-1-1 titanium, 6-4 titanium, 3-2.5, 6-4, SP700, 15- 3-3-3, 10-2-3, or other α/near-alpha, alpha-beta and beta/near-beta titanium alloys), or aluminum and aluminum alloys (including but not limited to 3000 series alloys, 5000 series alloys, 6000 Series alloys, such as 6061-T6, and 7000 series alloys, such as 7075), Grade 9 Ti (Ti-3Al-2.5V) with the following chemical composition:

3.5-2.5% Al;

3.0-2.0%V;

0.02%N;

0.013%H;

0.12 Fe.

The state of mold casting

Injection molding is used to form the sacrificial "initial" pattern of the desired casting (e.g., made from casting "wax"). Suitable injection molds may be made of aluminum or other suitable metals or metal alloys or their Made from other materials, such as using a computer-controlled machining process by a foundry master. Computer numerical control (CNC) machining can be used to form the intricate details (intricacies) of the cavities in molds. The cavity dimensions are established to compensate for the linear and volumetric shrinkage of the casting wax encountered during casting of the initial pattern, and also to compensate for any similar shrinkage expected to be encountered during actual metal casting which later uses the package formed from the initial pattern. Mold cast "shell" to execute.

Typically, a set of initial patterns are assembled together and attached to a central wax sprue to form a casting "cluster." Each initial pattern in the cluster forms a separate mold cavity in the casting shell that is later formed around the cluster. The center wax sprue defines the location and configuration of runners and gates used to route molten metal introduced into the sprue to the mold cavity in the casting shell. The flow channels may include one or more filters (e.g., made of ceramic made).

The cast shell is constructed by immersing the cast clusters in a liquid ceramic slurry and then in a bed of refractory particles. This immersion sequence is repeated as necessary to build up a sufficient wall thickness of ceramic material around the casting cluster, thereby forming an overmolded shell. An exemplary immersion sequence includes six immersions of the cast clusters in a liquid ceramic slurry and five immersions in a bed of refractory particles, resulting in an overmolded shell containing alternating layers of ceramic slurry and refractory material. The first two layers of refractory material desirably contain zirconia particles (300 mesh), and the third to fifth layers of refractory material may contain alumina coarse particles (200 mesh to 35 mesh). Each layer is dried at controlled temperature (25±5°C) and relative humidity (50±5%) before subsequent layers are applied.

The investment casting shell is placed in a sealed steam autoclave whose pressure is rapidly increased to 7kg/ ^cm2 to 10kg/ ^cm2 . Under these conditions, injected steam is used to melt the wax out of the shell. The shell is then baked in an oven at a temperature raised to 1000°C to 1300°C to remove residual wax and increase the strength of the shell. The shell is now ready for investment casting.

After the club head is designed and the initial pattern is made, manufacturing efforts shift to the metal casting machine. To make an overmolded shell, a metal casting machine first configures a cluster containing multiple initial patterns for individual club heads. Configuring the cluster also involves configuring the metal conveying system (the gates and runners used to later convey the molten metal). After completing these tasks, the casting machine tool creates the cast shell.

An important aspect of configuring the cluster is determining where to place the gates. The mold cavity for an individual club head typically has a main gate through which molten metal flows into the mold cavity. Additional auxiliary ("assistant") gates can be connected to the main gate via flow channels. During overmolding using this shell, molten metal flows into each of the mold cavities through respective main gates, through flow channels, and through auxiliary gates. This flow pattern requires that the mold used to form the initial pattern of the club head also defines the main gate and any auxiliary gates. After the initial pattern of wax for the club head is molded, the initial pattern is removed from the mold and the location of the flow channels is defined by "gluing" (using the same wax) the wax blocks between the gates. Referring to Figure 12, an initial pattern 150 for a metal laminated wood club head is depicted. A main gate 152 and three auxiliary gates 154 are shown. Flow channel 156 interconnects auxiliary gate 154 and main gate 152 with each other.

Multiple initial patterns for individual club heads are then assembled into the cluster, which involves attaching individual main gates to "ligaments." The ligament includes the sprue and flow channels of the cluster. A "receiver", usually made of graphite or the like, is placed in the center of the cluster and will later be used to receive the molten metal and guide the metal to the flow channel. The receiver ideally has a "funnel" configuration to assist in the flow of molten metal. Additional supports (eg, made of graphite) can be added to strengthen the cluster structure.

Typically, the overall wax cluster is large enough (especially if the furnace chamber that will be used to form the shell is larger) to allow the wax block to be first "glued" to the individual branches of the cluster and then assembled together into the cluster at the individual branches ceramic coating previously glued to these branches respectively. Subsequently, after assembling the branches together, the clusters are transferred to the shell casting chamber.

Two exemplary clusters are shown in Figures 13 and 14 respectively. In FIG. 13 , cluster 160 is depicted including graphite receiver 162 , graphite cross spokes 164 , runners 166 and mold cavity 168 . Each mold cavity 168 is for a respective club head. Molten metal in crucible 170 is poured into cluster 160 using pouring cup 172 , which directs the molten metal into receiver 162 , into branch 166 , and subsequently into mold cavity 168 . In FIG. 14 , the depicted cluster 180 includes a receiver 182 coupled to a shell flow channel 184 . In this configuration, the mold cavities belong to two types, the "direct feed" cavity 186 and the "side feed" cavity 188. Molten metal in crucible 170 is poured into cluster 180 using pour cup 172 which directs the molten metal into receiver 182, into shell runners 184, and subsequently into mold cavities 186, 188.

The consolidated wax clusters are then coated with multiple layers of slurry and ceramic powder, with drying performed between coatings. After all layers are formed, the resulting investment-cast shell is subjected to high-pressure treatment to melt the wax inside (the ceramic and graphite parts are not melted). After removing the wax from the shell, the shell is sintered (fired), which substantially increases its mechanical strength. If the shell is to be used in a relatively small metal casting furnace (eg capable of holding a cluster of only one branch), the shell can now be used for investment casting. If the shell is to be used in a relatively large metal casting furnace, the shell can be assembled with other shell branches to form a large multi-branch cluster.

Modern investment casting of metal alloys is usually performed while centrifugally rotating the cast shell to exploit and employ the forces generated by the ω ² r acceleration of the shell subjected to this motion, where ω is the angular velocity of the shell and r is the angular motion the radius. This rotation is performed under negative pressure using a turntable located inside the casting chamber. The force generated by the shell's ω ² r acceleration drives the flow of molten metal into the mold cavity without leaving any voids. The overmolded shell, including its constituent clusters and flow channels, is generally assembled outside the casting chamber and heated to a preset temperature before being placed as a unitary unit on a turntable in the chamber. After the shell is installed on the turntable, the casting chamber is sealed and evacuated to a preset negative pressure ("vacuum") level. As the chamber is evacuated, molten alloy for casting is prepared and the turntable begins to rotate. When the molten metal is ready to be poured into the shell, the casting chamber is under the proper vacuum, the casting shell is at the proper temperature, and the turntable is spinning at the desired angular velocity. Thus, molten metal is poured into the receiver of the casting shell and flows throughout the shell to fill the mold cavity in the shell.

As molten metal flows into the shell cavity and contacts the cavity surface, the high temperature environment (from both the molten metal and the preheated shell) promotes the diffusion of elements in the shell material, such as oxygen. Although titanium casting is always done under negative pressure (vacuum) and oxygen is not available in the surrounding environment, oxygen can still be present in the shell (since the shell is composed of multiple layers of "oxides"). The introduction of oxygen to molten titanium causes the formation of an oxygen-rich layer (alpha crust) on the surface of the titanium object to be cast. Typically, the thickness of an alpha hard shell is about 1 to 4% of the thickness of the object.

Because alpha hard shells are "rich" in oxygen, they are brittle (oxygen is one of the most effective elements in increasing the strength of titanium alloys, but as strength increases, ductility is greatly reduced) and can easily crack under load . To reduce the tendency to form alpha crust, the diffusivity of oxygen needs to be lowered, and to lower the diffusivity, the temperature needs to be lowered. However, it is impossible to lower the temperature of molten titanium. Therefore, lowering the temperature of the preheated shell is a way to reduce the oxygen diffusivity and therefore reduce the formation of alpha crust.

Typically, the casting shell will be heated (called preheating) to assist the flow of molten titanium before being transferred to the casting furnace. The higher the preheating temperature of the shell, the easier it is for the titanium to flow. This is necessary for thin-wall titanium casting, and the preheating temperature can be as high as 1100°C to 1200°C. On the other hand, such high temperatures tend to produce thick alpha crust layers (towards the upper end of the 1 to 4% wall thickness range). Therefore, if alpha crust formation is a problem, the preheating temperature of the cast shell can be lowered. Usually, right In non-flow critical titanium castings, the preheating temperature of the cast shell is below 1000°C, or preferably below 900°C, where alpha hard shell formation is not desired.

cluster casting method

As seen with reference to Figure 15, a method of manufacturing a golf club head involves preparing tufts as shown with reference to step 361 as disclosed elsewhere in this disclosure. In various embodiments, the step of preparing clusters may include a preheating step as disclosed elsewhere herein. One aspect of the invention is that cluster preheating may be less than required by conventional investment casting techniques. For example, using traditional investment casting technology, the preheating temperature can be about 1000°C to 1400°C; using the centrifugal casting of the present invention, the preheating temperature can be less than 1,000°C in some embodiments; and less than 800°C in some embodiments. ; or in some embodiments about 500°C or less. In some embodiments, no preheating is required and casting can occur with the shell at room temperature. As the clusters are prepared, they may be angularly accelerated according to step 362. The metal may be heated to the molten state simultaneously with cluster preparation and/or cluster acceleration, or may be an intermediate step. However, the metal may be heated to a molten state according to step 363. Molten metal is introduced into the cluster according to step 364. As indicated by the dashed line leading from step 362 to step 364, the cluster may be angularly accelerated before, after, or simultaneously with the introduction of molten metal into the cluster. The molten metal is cooled according to step 365. The cluster casting is removed from the cluster shell in step 366 and post-processed according to step 367 and beyond.

In some embodiments, step 363 includes heating the metal to a molten state. In various embodiments, the heating temperature may be higher or lower depending on the application. In some embodiments, step 362 includes angularly accelerating the cluster to an angular velocity, for example, about 360 rpm. In various embodiments, the angular speed may range from 250 rpm to 450 rpm. In various embodiments, angular speeds as low as 150 rpm and as high as 600 rpm may be suitable.

Due to the lower casting temperatures, the step of cooling the molten metal in the mold cluster involves reduced waiting time compared to traditional over-mold casting processes. The result is improved productivity and better cycle times. In various traditional investment casting methods that rely on gravity, the casting of only 6 to 8 largest parts is possible. Using centrifugal casting, 18 to 25 parts or more can be cast in one cycle, thereby increasing the production capacity of a single casting cycle. In addition, the yield/gram poured is also increased. With traditional investment casting methods, a specific mass of metal is used to cast a specific number of golf club heads. Utilizing the spin casting technology of the present invention, the same quality of metal can be used to produce more golf club heads. Improvements in technology and honing in this invention can further reduce this metal mass/head. Reduced cycle times may also exist depending on the specific method. Additionally, the methods described in this article result in reduced tooling and capital expenditures required for the same production requirements. Therefore, the methods described herein reduce costs and improve production quality.

Additionally, casting according to the methods described herein results in material savings and greater throughput since the material can flow more easily to a greater number of pieces due to the increased acceleration and thus the forces exerted on the casting. Ultimately, alloys often made using other methods can be more easily cast into similar geometries.

Gate and cluster configuration

Configuring gates and clusters involves considering several factors. Such factors include (but are not necessarily limited to): (a) dimensional limitations of the casting chamber of the metal casting furnace, (b) handling requirements, especially during the slurry impregnation step to form the investment casting shell, (c) obtaining molten metal in Optimal flow patterns in the over-molded shell, (d) providing clusters of the over-molded shell with at least the minimum strength required to enable the clusters to withstand rotational motion during metal casting, (e) achieving flow of molten metal into the mold cavity minimize resistance (by providing flow channels with sufficiently large cross-sections) and achieve minimum metal waste (for example, by providing flow channels with (f) balancing of flow channels of small cross-section), and (f) achieving mechanical balancing of the cluster around the central axis of the cast shell. Item (e) can be important because after casting, any metal remaining in the runner does not form a product but can actually be "contaminated" (a portion of which is usually recycled). These configuration factors are coupled to metal casting parameters such as shell preheating temperature and time, vacuum in the metal casting chamber, and the angular velocity of the turntable to produce the actual casting result. As club head walls are made ever thinner, careful selection and balance of these parameters are necessary to produce proper overmolding results.

The details of overmold casting, such as those performed at metal casting machines, tend to be proprietary. However, past experiments on various titanium casting machines have revealed some consistency and some general trends. For example, a specific club head (having a ^volume of 460 cm, a crown thickness of 0.6 mm) is manufactured at each of six titanium casting machines with individual metal casting furnaces ranging from 10 kg to 80 kg capacity. , and a bottom thickness of 0.8mm), resulting in the data tabulated in Figures 16 and 17. The parameters listed in Figure 16 and Figure 17 include the following:

"Max R" is the maximum radius of the cluster

"Minimum R" is the minimum radius of the cluster

"Wet perimeter" is the total perimeter of the flow channel

"R (flow radius)" is the cross-sectional area of the flow channel/wetted perimeter

"Sharp corner" is a 90-degree or larger corner in the runner system

"Process loss rate" is the rate of process loss of the casting material

"Maximum speed" is the speed at the maximum radius

"Minimum speed" is the speed at the minimum radius

"Maximum acceleration" is the acceleration at the maximum radius

"Minimum acceleration" is the acceleration at the smallest radius

"Maximum force" is the force at the maximum radius (it should be noted that this is the force exerted on the molten metal at the gate. Approximation of the magnitude of the attribute force. Attributable to each specific cluster design, the true forces are almost always lower than the calculated values, with more complex clusters exhibiting greater force reductions. )

"Minimum force" is the force at the smallest radius (it should be noted that this is an approximation of the magnitude of the force exerted on the molten metal at the gate. Due to each particular cluster design, the true force is almost always lower than the calculated value, where More complex clusters exhibit larger force reductions.)

"Maximum pressure" is the pressure of the molten metal in the flow channel at the maximum radius (=maximum force/flow channel cross-sectional area)

"Minimum pressure" is the pressure of the molten metal in the flow channel at the smallest radius (= minimum force/flow channel cross-sectional area)

"Maximum kinetic energy" is the kinetic energy of the molten metal at the maximum radius

"Density" is the density of molten metal (titanium alloy) at the melting point of 1650℃

"Viscosity" is the viscosity of molten titanium at 1650°C

"Maximum Re number" is the Reynolds number of the tube flow at the maximum radius (Reynolds number)

The "minimum Re number" is defined identically to the maximum Re number, but at the minimum radius.

minimum force requirement

Figures 16 and 17 provide tables of information indicating that at least a minimum force (and therefore at least a minimum pressure) should be applied to the molten metal entering the casting shell of each cluster to obtain good casting yields. The force exerted on the molten metal is generated in part by the mass of the actual molten metal entering the mold cavity in the cluster and by the centrifugal force generated by the rotating turntable of the casting furnace. A reduced minimum force is desirable because lower forces generally allow for a reduction in the amount of molten metal required for casting of each club head. However, other factors tend to indicate an increase in this force, including: thinner wall sections in the items being cast, more complex clusters (and therefore more complex molten metal flow patterns), reduced shell preload Thermal temperatures (causing greater thermal energy loss from the molten metal as it flows into the overmolded shell), and substandard shell quality, such as rough mold cavity walls and the like. The data in Figures 16 and 17 indicate that the minimum force required to cast a titanium alloy club head with at least a portion of the wall being 0.6 mm thick is approximately 160 Nt. The casting machine obtains this minimum force.

A lower threshold for the amount of molten metal required to be poured into the shell can be derived from the minimum force requirement. Excluding unavoidable pouring losses, for a club head with a mass of approximately 200g each (including the gate and a certain runner), the optimal amount of metal (as achieved by a casting machine) is 386g (0.386kg). This is equivalent to a material usage ratio of 200/386=52%. The acceleration (maximum) applied to the overmolded shell by casters two through six is higher than the acceleration applied by caster one, but each of casters two through six requires more molten metal to produce the equivalent of The individual casting yield is the yield achieved by the casting machine.

Some process losses (sputtering, cooling metal adhering to the side walls of the crucible and cup supplying the liquid titanium alloy, recovery cleaning losses, and the like) are unavoidable. Process losses impose an upper limit on the efficiency that can be achieved with smaller casting furnaces, that is, as furnace size decreases, the percentage of process losses increases rapidly, as illustrated in Figure 18.

On the other hand, smaller casting furnaces advantageously have simpler operating and maintenance requirements. Other advantages of smaller furnaces are: (a) they tend to handle smaller and simpler clusters of mold cavities, (b) smaller clusters tend to have separate individual runners feeding each mold cavity, which provide A better interface-to-gate ratio at which molten metal enters the mold cavity, (c) the furnace can be preheated more easily and quickly prior to casting, (d) the furnace provides potentially more achievable shell preheating temperatures, and (e) ) Smaller clusters tend to have shorter flow paths, which have lower Reynolds numbers and therefore create reduced potential for destructive turbulence. Although larger casting furnaces do not tend to have such advantages, smaller casting furnaces have more unavoidable process losses of molten metal per mold cavity than larger furnaces.

In light of the above, it appears that cost-effective casting systems (furnaces, clusters, yields, net material costs) include moderately sized systems as long as appropriate cluster design and gate design considerations are incorporated into the molds used in such furnaces Just cast the shell configuration. This can be seen by comparing casting machines one, four and five. The overall material consumption of these three casting machines (without considering process losses) is very close (664g/cavity to 667g/cavity). The material consumption of casting machine one (taking into account process losses) is 386g, while the material consumption of casting machines four and five is 510g. Therefore, while Casting Machines Four and Five can still be improved upon, Casting Machine One seems to have reached its limits in this regard.

Flow field considerations

At least a minimum critical force applied to the molten metal entering the cast shell can be achieved by changing the mass or increasing the rate at which the molten metal enters the shell, usually by decreasing one and increasing the other. There are practical limits to how much the mass of the "pouring material" (molten metal) can be reduced. As the mass of the casting material decreases, correspondingly greater acceleration is required to generate sufficient force to effectively move the molten metal into the overmolded shell. However, increasing acceleration increases the chance of creating turbulence in the molten metal entering the shell. Turbulence is undesirable because it disrupts the flow pattern of molten metal. Destructive flow patterns may require even greater force to "push" the metal through the main gate and into the mold cavity.

The Reynolds number can be easily modified by changing the shape and/or size of the flow channels. For example, changing R (flow radius) will directly affect the Reynolds number. Smaller R (flow radius) will result in less minimum force (the two have almost an inverse relationship). Therefore, favorable considerations are to first reduce the Reynolds number to maintain a stable flow field of molten metal, and then to meet the minimum force requirement by adjusting the amount of pouring material.

other factors

An additional factor is to preheat the cast shell before introducing the molten metal into the cast shell. Caster One achieved a yield of 94% with the smallest Reynolds number and the smallest amount of casting material (and therefore the lowest force), due in part to Caster One having the highest shell preheating temperature. Another factor is the complexity of the cluster. Evaluating complex clusters is extremely difficult, and the high Reynolds number typically exhibited by such clusters is not the only variable to be controlled to reduce destructive turbulence of molten metal in such clusters. For example, the number of "sharp" corners (90-degree corners or greater) in the cluster's runners and mold cavities is also a factor. Referring to Figures 16 and 17, the overmolded shell used by caster one has one sharp corner (and another less sharp corner), while the shell used by caster six has three sharp corners. Possibly, Casting Machine 6 needs to rotate its shell at a higher angular velocity to simply overcome the flow resistance caused by such sharp turns. However, this will not mitigate the damaging flow patterns caused by sharp corners. Therefore, an overmolded shell containing simpler clusters (with fewer sharp corners to allow a more "natural" flow path of the molten metal) is desirable.

Another factor is matching runners and gates. Compared to substantially poorer data from other casting machines, Casting Machine One has an interface gate ratio that is closest to 100% (indicating optimal gates). The "worst" caster is Caster Three, whose overmolded shell has a Reynolds number almost as low as that of Caster One, but Caster Three achieves a yield of only 78% due to a poor interface-to-gate ratio ( Roughly 23%). By increasing the low interface gate ratio shown by the shell of Casting Machine 3, it can be determined whether the reason for the low productivity of Casting Machine 3 is the difficulty of filling the gate with insufficient pouring material or the occurrence rate of "two-phase flow liquid and voids". In any case, the overall cross-sectional areas of the runners and gates can be kept as nearly equal (and constant) to each other as possible to obtain a constant flow rate of liquid metal throughout the shell at any time during pouring. For thin-walled titanium alloy castings, this principle applies especially to the interface between the runner and the main gate, where the interface-to-gate ratio should be no less than one unit (1.0).

Another factor is the cross-sectional shape of the flow channel. Comparing casters four and five with casters two and five, triangular cross-section flow channels appear to produce lower Reynolds numbers compared to circular or rectangular flow channels. Although the use of triangular cross-section runners can cause problems with the interface gate ratio (as the metal flows from the runner to the straight or circular cross-section gate), the significant reduction in Reynolds number obtained by using triangular cross-section runners is worth implementing as Indicated by the difference in casting materials used by casting machines two and five (39kg and 32kg).

A flow chart for configuring clusters of overmolded shells is shown in Figure 19. In a first step 301, overall considerations for the expected cluster are obtained, such as size, disposition, and balance. Next, the complexity of the cluster is reduced by minimizing sharp corners and any unnecessary (and certainly any frequent) changes in flow channel cross-section (step 302). The interface gate ratio is maintained as close to unity as possible (step 303). Additionally, the Reynolds number is minimized to as high as practicable (step 304). The angular speed of the turntable (RPM) is fine-tuned and the shell preheat temperature is increased to produce the highest possible product yield (step 305). Iterations (306) of steps 304, 305 are often required to achieve satisfactory yields. In step 308, after a satisfactory yield (307) is achieved, the mass of the pouring material (molten metal) is gradually reduced to reduce the force required to cause the molten metal to flow throughout the cluster without reducing product yield. rate while maintaining other casting parameters.

More information on overmold casting methods and apparatus for casting thin-walled club heads using titanium alloys and other materials can be found in U.S. Patent No. 7,513,296, issued on April 7, 2009, and U.S. Patent No. 7,513,296, issued on June 23, 2016. In Public Case No. 2016/0175666, both of them are incorporated into this article by full text citation. Although these incorporated references disclose methods and systems for casting a club head body that does not include a faceplate (the faceplate is later attached to the body), the same or similar methods and systems may be used with the same or similar benefits and advantages. , to cast the club head body disclosed herein, wherein the face in the integrally cast portion of the body is not formed separately and Later attached to the body.

More information on coatings on molds for casting titanium alloys and methods for producing molds for casting titanium alloys with calcium oxide facial coatings can be found in U.S. Patent No. 5,766,329, issued June 16, 1998 No., which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Club head with cast titanium body/face

Compared to titanium golf club faces formed for sheet machining or forging processes, cast faces can offer the advantages of lower cost and complete design freedom. However, it is known that golf club faces cast from titanium alloys (such as 6-4 Ti) require chemical etching to remove the alpha hard shell on one or both sides to make the face durable. This type of etching requires the application of hydrofluoric acid (HF), an expensive chemical etchant that is difficult to dispose of, extremely harmful to humans and other materials, and an environmental pollutant.

Titanium alloy ( Faces cast collectively referred to herein as "9-1-1 Ti" may have a less pronounced alpha crust, which makes them HF acid etched compared to faces made from conventional 6-4 Ti and other titanium alloys. as unnecessary or at least less necessary.

In addition, 9-1-1 Ti can have minimum mechanical properties of 820MPa yield strength, 958MPa tensile strength and 10.2% elongation. These minimum properties can be significantly better than typical cast titanium alloys such as 6-4 Ti, which can have minimum mechanical properties of 812MPa yield strength, 936MPa tensile strength, and ~6% elongation.

In contrast to a club head in which the face is formed separately and later attached (e.g., welded or bolted) to a front opening in the club head body, a cast including the face as the body (e.g., welded or bolted) For example, a golf club head that is an integral part of a golf club head (cast simultaneously with a single cast object) can provide excellent structural properties. However, the advantages of having an integrally cast Ti face are reduced by the need to remove the alpha crust on the surface of the cast Ti face.

Where the club head disclosed herein includes an integrally cast 9-1-1 Ti face and body unit, the drawback of having to remove the alpha hard shell is eliminated or at least substantially reduced. For casting a 9-1-1 Ti face, using conventional mold preheating temperatures of 1000°C or higher, the thickness of the alpha hard shell can be about 0.15mm or less, or about 0.20mm or less, or about 0.30mm or more. Small, such as between 0.10mm and 0.30mm in some embodiments, while for a cast 6-4 Ti face, the thickness of the alpha hard shell may be greater than 0.15mm, or greater than 0.20mm, or greater than 0.30mm, such as in some examples Medium is about 0.25mm to about 0.30mm.

In some cases, the reduced thickness of the alpha hard shell of the 9-1-1 Ti panel (e.g., 0.15mm or less) may not be thin enough to provide sufficient durability required for the panel and avoid harsh chemical etchants such as HF acid) to etch away some of the alpha hard shell. In such cases, the preheating temperature of the mold may be reduced (such as to less than 800°C, less than 700°C, less than 600°C, and/or less than or equal to 500°C) before pouring the molten titanium alloy into the mold. This can further reduce the amount of oxygen transferred from the mold to the cast titanium alloy, resulting in a thinner alpha hard shell (eg, less than 0.15 mm, less than 0.10 mm, and/or less than 0.07 mm). This provides greater ductility and durability to the cast body/face unit, which is especially important for panels.

The thinner alpha shell in the cast 9-1-1 Ti face helps provide enhanced durability, making the face durable enough to not require chemical etching to remove portions of the alpha shell from the face. Therefore, when the body and face are cast in one piece with 9-1-1 Ti, hydrofluoric acid etching can be eliminated from the manufacturing process, especially when molds with lower preheat temperatures are used. This can simplify the manufacturing process, reduce costs, reduce safety risks and operational hazards, and eliminate the possibility of HF acid contaminating the environment. this Additionally, since the HF acid is not incorporated into the metal, the body/face, or even the entire club head, may contain few or essentially no fluorine atoms, which may be defined as less than 1000 ppm, less than 500 ppm, less than 200 ppm, and or less than 100 ppm, The fluorine atoms are present due to impurities in the metal material used to cast the body.

Variable facial thickness and ridge and relief properties of the face

In some embodiments, variable thickness facial distribution may be implemented on the panel, such as in U.S. Patent Application No. 12/006,060 and U.S. Patent Nos. 6,997,820, 6,800,038, 6,824,475, 7,731,603, and 8,801,541 No. 1, the entire contents of each of which patents are incorporated herein by reference. Changing the thickness of the panel increases the size of the club head's COR zone (often referred to as the sweet spot of the golf club head), which allows a larger area of the panel to consistently deliver high golf balls when a golf ball is struck with the golf club head. Ball speed and launch forgiveness. Additionally, varying the thickness of the panel may be advantageous in reducing weight in the face area for redistribution to another area of the club head. For example, as shown in Figure 9, the face plate 18 has a thickness t defined between the ball striking surface 22 (also referred to as the outer surface) and the inner surface 40 facing the interior cavity of the golf club head. Panel 18 may include a center portion 42 positioned adjacent an ideal impact location 23 on ball striking surface 22 . The central portion 42 may have a thickness similar to that at the periphery of the panel or slightly greater or less. Panel 18 may also include a tapered portion 44 extending radially outward from central portion 42, which may be oval in shape. The inner surface 40 may be symmetric about one or more axes and/or may be asymmetric about one or more axes. The thickness t of the tapered portion 44 increases in a radially outward direction from the central portion 42 . Panel 18 includes a tapered portion 46 extending from tapered portion 44 via a transition portion 48 . The thickness t of the tapered portion 46 substantially decreases radially outward from the transition portion 48 . In some examples, transition portion 48 is the apex between tapered portion 44 and tapered portion 46 . In other implementations, the transition ministry Branches 48 extend radially outward from tapered portion 44 and have a substantially constant thickness t (see Figures 7-9).

In some embodiments, the cross-sectional distribution of panel 18 along any axis perpendicular to the panel extension at ideal impact location 23 is substantially similar to that in FIGS. 7-9 . In other embodiments, the cross-sectional distribution may vary, for example, be asymmetric. For example, in some implementations, the cross-sectional distribution of panel 18 along the z-axis of the head origin may include a center, transitions; thickening and tapering portions as described above (see Figures 7-9). However, the cross-sectional profile of panel 18 along the head origin x-axis may include a second tapered portion extending radially from tapered portion 46 and coupled to the tapered portion via a transition portion. In alternative embodiments, the cross-sectional distribution of panel 18 along the head origin z-axis may include a second tapered portion extending radially from and coupled to the tapered portion, as described above with respect to along the head origin x Axis changes are described.

In some embodiments of golf club heads having raised panels, the maximum panel thickness is greater than about 4.8 mm and the minimum panel thickness is less than about 2.3 mm. In certain embodiments, the maximum panel thickness is between about 5 mm and about 5.4 mm, and the minimum panel thickness is between about 1.8 mm and about 2.2 mm. In a more specific embodiment, the maximum panel thickness is about 5.2 mm and the minimum panel thickness is about 2 mm. Face thickness should have at least a 25% change in thickness across the face (thickest part compared to thinnest part) in order to save weight and achieve higher ball speeds on off-center hits.

In some embodiments of golf club heads having raised panels and thin sole construction or thin skirt construction, the maximum panel thickness is greater than about 3.0 mm and the minimum panel thickness is less than about 3.0 mm. In certain embodiments, the maximum panel thickness is between about 3.0 mm and about 4.0 mm, between about 4.0 mm and about 5.0 mm, between about 5.0 mm and about 6.0 mm, or greater than about 6.0 mm, and a minimum Panel thickness ranges from approximately 2.5mm to approximately 3.0mm, approximately 2.0mm to approximately Between 2.5mm, between about 1.5mm and about 2.0mm, or less than about 1.5mm.

Figures 10 and 11 show a golf club head 4 having a shaft 3. The club head 4 includes a center face portion 5a, a heel portion 5b, a toe portion 5c, a crown portion 5d, and a sole portion 5e. The club head 4 further includes a club face 6 which includes a curve from the heel 5b to the toe 5c, commonly referred to as the hump 8. The club face 6 also includes a curve from the crown 5d to the sole 5e, commonly referred to as the undulation 9. In at least one embodiment, the combination of curves may provide a club face 6 having a substantially annular shape or a shape similar to an annular cross-section. The club face 6 further includes: an X-axis, ; and the Y-axis Y, which extends horizontally through the center face and into the page in Figure 10 . The X-axis X, the Y-axis Y, and the Z-axis Z are orthogonal to each other.

As shown in Figure 11, the club head 4 additionally has a center of gravity (CG) 5f inside the club head. The club head 4 has a CG X-axis, a CG Y-axis, and a CG Z-axis that are orthogonal to each other and pass through the CG 5f to define a CG coordinate system. The CG X-axis and CG Y-axis are in a horizontal plane parallel to the flat ground surface. The CG Z-axis lies in a vertical plane orthogonal to the flat ground surface. In one embodiment the CG Y axis may coincide with the Y axis Y, but in most embodiments these axes do not coincide.

Figure 11 is an enlarged illustration of the club head 4 hitting the golf ball B on the heel portion 5b of the club head. This causes golf ball B to spin clockwise, which causes the golf ball to curve to the right during flight. As discussed above, striking golf ball B on the heel 5b of club head 4 will cause the golf ball to move away from club head 4 at an angle Θ relative to the CG Y axis of club head 4. It will be understood that angle Θ only depicts the general angle at which the ball will leave the club head and is not intended to depict or imply the actual angle relative to the centerline, or the point at which such angle will be measured. Angle Θ further illustrates that a ball struck on the heel of the club will initially travel in a flight path to the left of the center line.

The method used to obtain the values in the present invention is the optical comparator method. Return parameter Referring to Figure 10, the club face 6 includes a series of score lines 11 that generally traverse the width of the club face along the X-axis X of the club head 4. In the optical comparator method, the club head 4 is mounted face down and generally horizontal on a V-block mounted on the optical comparator. The club head 4 is oriented so that the score line 11 is generally parallel to the X-axis of the optical comparator. More precise orientation steps can also be used. The measurement is then taken at the geometric center point 5a on the club face. Then at a distance of 20 mm from the geometric center point 5a of the club face 6 on either side of the geometric center point 5a and along the X-axis X of the club head and at a distance of 30 mm from the geometric center point of the club face. Additional measurements are taken on either side of the center point and along the X-axis of the club head. An arc is fitted to these five measurement points, for example by using the radius function on the machine. This arc corresponds to the circumference of a circle with a given radius. This measurement of radius is the meaning of the radius of the hump.

To measure heave, the club head 4 is rotated 90 degrees so that the Z-axis of the club head is generally parallel to the X-axis of the machine. The measurement value is obtained at the geometric center point 5a of the club face. Then along the Z-axis Z of the club face 6 at a distance of 15 mm from the geometric center point 5a and on either side of the geometric center point 5a and at a distance of 20 mm from the geometric center point and on either side of the center point Additional measurements are taken along the Z-axis of the club face. An arc is fitted to these five measurement points. This arc corresponds to the circumference of a circle with a given radius. This measurement of radius is the meaning of radius of relief.

Curvature is defined as 1/R, where R is the radius of the circle corresponding to the measured arc of the hump or relief. As an example, a hump with a curvature of 0.020 cm ^-1 corresponds to a hump measured by a hump measurement arc that is a portion of a circle with a radius of 50 cm. The relief with a curvature of 0.050 cm ⁻¹ corresponds to the relief measured by a relief measurement arc, which is a portion of a circle with a radius of 20 cm.

In some embodiments, the face plate of the disclosed club head may have the following properties: i) a relief curvature between about 0.033 cm ⁻¹ and about 0.066 cm ⁻¹ and a ridge curvature greater than 0 cm ⁻¹ and less than about 0.027 cm ^{−1 1} ; and ii) the reciprocal of the ridge curvature is at least 7.62cm greater than the reciprocal of the relief curvature; and/or iii) the ratio Ro of the ridge curvature divided by the relief curvature is greater than about 0.28 and less than about 0.75.

The use of vacuum die casting to produce the club heads described herein results in improved quality and reduced scrap. In addition, rejection reactions due to high porosity are almost eliminated since they are the rejection reactions after any secondary treatment. Excellent surface quality results as product density increases and strength increases, and thus larger, thinner and more complex castings are possible. From a processing point of view, lower casting pressure is required, and tool life and mold life are extended. Waste of metal or alloys due to flash boiling is also reduced or eliminated.

By utilizing a vacuum die-casting process, it has been unexpectedly discovered that the titanium body and faceplate of the disclosed club head exhibit much smaller grain sizes than typically observed for similar titanium objects made by investment casting, with approximately 100 μm (micron) particle size compared to the approximately 750 μm particle size of the over-molded titanium panel. More specifically, the titanium body/panels disclosed herein may have a thickness of less than about 400 μm, preferably less than about 300 μm, more preferably less than about 200 μm, and even more preferably less than about 150 μm, and most preferably less than about 120 μm. granularity.

The titanium bodies and panels disclosed herein may also exhibit much lower porosity than typically observed for similar separately formed titanium panels made by investment casting. More specifically, the titanium panels disclosed herein can have a porosity of less than 1%, preferably less than 0.5%, and more preferably less than 0.1%.

The titanium bodies/panels disclosed herein may also exhibit yield strengths as measured by ASTM E8 that are much higher than typically observed for similar titanium panels made by investment casting.

The titanium panels disclosed herein can also be presented in the same manner as is commonly used for castings by over-moulding. This results in a fracture toughness similar to that observed for titanium panels and higher than that of similar panels made from forged rolled annealed products.

The titanium panels disclosed herein may also exhibit ductility as measured by percent elongation reported in tensile testing, the percent elongation being defined as the gauge length divided by the original gauge length from about 10% to about 15% Maximum elongation.

The titanium panels disclosed herein may also exhibit a Young's modulus of 100 GPa +/-10%, preferably +/-5%, and more preferably +/-2% as measured by ASTM E-111.

The titanium panels disclosed herein may also exhibit an ultimate tensile strength as measured by ASTM E8 of 970 MPa +/-10%, preferably +/-5%, and more preferably +/-2%.

The combination of properties described above allows for the fabrication of a metal laminated titanium club head with a titanium face plate that is 10% thinner than a similar face plate made by conventional over-mold casting, while maintaining superior strength properties in the absence of better strength properties. Condition well maintained.

In addition to the strength properties of the golf club heads of the present invention, in certain embodiments, the golf club heads may be shaped and sized so as to provide a No. 2013/0123040 A1, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety, produces aerodynamic shapes. The aerodynamics of golf club heads are also discussed in detail in U.S. Patent Nos. 8,777,773, 8,088,021, 8,540,586, 8,858,359, 8,597,137, 8,771,101, 8,083,609, 8,550,936, 8,602,909, and No. 8,734,269, the teachings of these U.S. patents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

In addition to the strength properties of the back of the body and the aerodynamic properties of the club head, another set of properties of the club head that must be controlled are the acoustic properties, or the sound the golf club head makes when it hits the golf ball. At the club head/golf ball impact point, the club hitting surface deforms, causing Vibration modes of the club head associated with the crown, sole or face of the club are excited. The geometry of most golf clubs is complex, consisting of surfaces with various curvatures, thicknesses, and materials, and accurately calculating club head patterns can be difficult. Club head patterns can be calculated using computer-aided simulation tools. For the club head of the present invention, the acoustic signal generated by the ball/club impact can be evaluated as described in co-pending U.S. Application No. 13/842,011, filed March 15, 2013, the entirety of which The contents are incorporated herein by reference.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, the golf club head may be attached to the shaft via a detachable head-shaft connection assembly as described in greater detail in U.S. Patent No. 8,303,431, issued November 6, 2012, The entire contents of this US patent are incorporated herein by reference. Further in certain embodiments, golf club heads may also incorporate features that provide the golf club head and/or golf club with the ability to not only alternatively connect the shaft to the head, but also Adjust the loft and/or lie angle of the club by using a detachable head-shank connection assembly. This type of adjustable lie angle/tilt connection assembly is described in more detail in U.S. Patent No. 8,025,587 issued on September 27, 2011, U.S. Patent No. 8,235,831 issued on August 7, 2012, and December 25, 2012 Issued U.S. Patent No. 8,337,319, as well as co-pending U.S. Publication Nos. 2011/0312437A1 filed on June 22, 2011, U.S. Publication Nos. 2012/0258818 A1 filed on June 20, 2012, and U.S. Publication Nos. 12, 2011 U.S. Publication No. 2012/0122601A1 filed on March 29, 2011, U.S. Publication No. 2012/0071264 A1 filed on March 22, 2011, and co-pending U.S. Application No. 13/686,677 filed on November 27, 2012 No. 1, the entire contents of these patents, publications and applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

In some embodiments, a golf club head may be positioned on the sole portion to "decouple" the relationship between face angle and hosel/shaft angle, thereby allowing for individual adjustment of the golf ball. It features an adjustable mechanism for the straight inclination and face angle of the rod. For example, some embodiments of golf club heads may include an adjustable sole portion that can be adjusted relative to the club head body to raise and lower the rear end of the club head relative to the ground. Additional details regarding the adjustable bottom portion are provided in U.S. Patent No. 8,337,319 issued on December 25, 2012, U.S. Patent Publication No. US2011/0152000 A1 filed on December 23, 2009, and U.S. Patent Application No. US2011/0152000 A1 filed on June 22, 2011 US2011/0312437, US2012/0122601A1 filed on December 29, 2011, and co-pending US application No. 13/686,677 filed on November 27, 2012, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated by reference. incorporated herein.

In some embodiments, the movable weight may be adjusted by the manufacturer and/or the user to adjust the position of the club's center of gravity to achieve desired performance characteristics for use in the golf club head. This feature is described in more detail in the following U.S. Patent Nos. 6,773,360, 7,166,040, 7,452,285, 7,628,707, 7,186,190, 7,591,738, 7,963,861, 7,621,823, 7,448,963, 7,56 No. 8,985 , No. 7,578,753, No. 7,717,804, No. 7,717,805, No. 7,530,904, No. 7,540,811, No. 7,407,447, No. 7,632,194, No. 7,846,041, No. 7,419,441, No. 7,713,142, No. 7 , No. 744,484, No. 7,223,180 and No. No. 7,410,425, the entire contents of each of these U.S. patents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

According to some embodiments of the golf club heads described herein, the golf club heads may also include slidably resettable weights positioned in the sole and/or skirt portions of the club head. Among other advantages, a slidably resettable weight facilitates the end user of the golf club with the ability to adjust the position of the CG of the club head within a range of positions relative to the position of the resettable weight. More details on the sliding, resettable counterweight feature Details are provided in U.S. Patent Nos. 7,775,905 and 8,444,505, U.S. Patent Application No. 13/898,313 filed on May 20, 2013, and U.S. Patent Application No. 14/047,880 filed on October 7, 2013. , each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, as well as U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014/0080622 corresponding to U.S. Patent Application No. 13/956,046 filed on July 31, 2013. The contents of paragraphs [430] to [470] and Figures 93 to 101, as well as the co-pending U.S. patent application No. 62/020,972 filed on July 3, 2014 and the U.S. patent filed on October 17, 2014 Application No. 62/065/552, the contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

According to some embodiments of the golf club heads described herein, the golf club heads may also include coefficients of rebound characteristics that define gaps in the body of the club, such as on the sole portion and adjacent the face. Such coefficients of springback characteristics are more fully described in U.S. Patent Application Nos. 12/791,025, filed on June 1, 2010, and U.S. Patent Application Nos. 13/338,197, filed on December 27, 2011, and 2013 U.S. Patent Application No. 13/839,727 (U.S. Publication No. 2014/0274457A1) filed on March 15 and U.S. Patent Application No. 14/457,883 filed on August 12, 2014 and December 17, 2014 No. 14/573,701, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Additional example club head

20-36D illustrate another exemplary wood golf club head 200 that may include any combination of features disclosed herein. For example, club head body 202 and face 270 may be cast from a titanium alloy as a unitary structure, as discussed herein. The head 200 includes a raised bottom structure (see the benefits discussed in US 2018/0185719), and also includes a slidingly adjustable The two counterweight tracks 214 and 216 of the counterweight assemblies 210 and 212. The head 200 further includes both a crown insert 206 and a base insert 208 (see exploded views in FIGS. 21 and 22 ), which may be constructed from a variety of lightweight materials having multiple layers of fiber reinforcement arranged in a desired directional pattern. Material construction (see additional details in US 2018/0185719).

Head 200 includes a body 202, an adjustable head-stem connection assembly 204, a crown insert 206 attached to an upper portion of the body, a bottom insert 208 inside the body mounted on top of a lower portion of the body, and The front counterweight assembly 210 is slidably mounted in the front counterweight track 214 , and the rear counterweight assembly 212 is slidably mounted in the rear counterweight track 216 . The head 200 includes a front seat cushion 226 or ground contact surface between the front rail 214 and the face 270 and a rear seat cushion 224 or ground contact surface at the rear of the body to the heel side of the rear rail 216 with the remainder of the base Raised above the ground when in normal aiming position.

Head 200 has a raised base defined by the combination of body 202 and base insert 208 . As shown in FIGS. 22 and 27 , for example, the lower portion of the body 202 includes a toe opening 240 , a heel opening 242 , and a rear rail opening 244 , all of which are covered by the bottom insert 208 . A rear weight track 216 is located below the bottom insert 208 .

The head 200 also includes toe-side cantilevered lugs 232 extending around the perimeter from the rear weight rail 216 or around the toe area adjacent the facial rear seat cushion 224 , wherein the lugs 232 are connected to the toe portion of the body extending toward the toe from the front seat cushion 226 Part 230 engages. One or more optional ribs 236 may join the toe portion 230 to the front end of the raised bottom adjacent toe opening 240 in the body. Three such triangular fins are illustrated in Figures 20 and 26A.

The head 200 also includes a heel side cantilevered lug 234 that extends rearwardly from near the hosel area to the rear seat cushion 224 or to the rear end of the rear weight rail 216 . In some embodiments, two cantilevered lugs 232 and 234 may meet and/or form a continuous lug extending around the back of the head. back seat Pad 224 optionally includes a recessed rear portion 222 (as shown in Figure 26).

The lower portion of the body 202 forming part of the base may include various features, thickness variations, ribs, etc. to provide increased stiffness where necessary and provide weight savings when stiffness is less than desired. The body may include thicker areas 238, for example, near the intersection of the two counterweight rails 214, 216. The body may also include thin lugs 260 or bases surrounding the openings 240, 242, with the lugs 260 configured to receive and mate with the bottom insert 208. The lower body surface may also include various internal fins to enhance stiffness and acoustics, such as fins 262, 263, 265 and 267 shown in Figures 27 and 28.

The upper portion of the body may also include various features, thickness variations, fins, etc., to provide increased stiffness where necessary and provide weight savings when stiffness is less than desired. For example, the body includes thinner lugs 250 surrounding the upper opening to receive the crown insert 206. As shown in Figure 21A, the lugs 250 and 260 for the crown and base inserts may be close to each other or even share a common edge around the outer perimeter of the body.

Figures 35A-35D show top views of head 200 in various states with the crown and base inserts in place and/or removed. Figures 36A-36D show the crown and base inserts in greater detail. As shown in Figures 36A and 36B, the bottom insert 208 may have an irregular shape with a concave upper surface and a convex lower surface. The bottom insert 208 may also include a notch 209 at the heel end to accommodate accessories around the rear seat cushion 224 area where increased stiffness is required due to ground contact forces. In various embodiments, the base insert can cover at least about 50% of the surface area of the base, at least about 60% of the surface area of the base, at least about 70% of the surface area of the base, or at least about 80% of the surface area of the base. In another embodiment, the bottom insert covers about 50% to 80% of the surface area of the bottom. The sole insert contributes to a club head structure that is strong and rigid enough to withstand the large dynamic loads imposed upon it, while remaining relatively lightweight to release the stress on the club head. Any quality that can be strategically allocated elsewhere within.

The bottom insert 208 has a geometry and size selected to cover at least the openings 240, 242, 244 in the bottom of the body, and may be secured to the frame by adhesive or other secure fastening techniques. In some embodiments, the lugs 260 may be provided with notches to receive mating protrusions or nubs on the bottom side of the bottom insert to further secure and align the bottom insert to the frame.

Similar to the base, the crown also has an opening 246 that reduces the mass of the body 202 and, more significantly, reduces the mass of the crown (head region), where increasing mass has the greatest impact on raising (undesirably) the CG of the head. . Along the perimeter of opening 246, the frame includes recessed lugs 250 to seat and support crown insert 206. Crown insert 206 (see Figures 36C and 36D) has a geometry and size that is compatible with crown opening 246 and is secured to the body by adhesive or other secure fastening techniques so as to cover opening 246. The lugs 260 may be provided with notches along their length to receive mating protrusions or nubs on the underside of the crown insert, thereby further securing and aligning the crown insert to the body. The crown insert may also include a forward projection 207 that extends into the forward crown portion 252 of the body.

In various embodiments, the lugs (eg, lugs 250 and 260) of the body that receive the crown and base inserts can be made from the same metallic material as the body (eg, titanium alloy), and, therefore, can be molded to the golf ball. Adds significant mass to the clubhead. In some embodiments, to control the mass contribution of the lugs to the golf club head, the width of the lugs can be adjusted to achieve the desired mass contribution. In some embodiments, if the lugs add too much mass to the golf club head, they can detract from the weight reduction benefits of the sole and crown inserts, which can be made of lighter materials such as carbon fiber or graphite composites. and/or polymeric materials). In some embodiments, the width of the lugs may range from about 3 mm to about 8 mm, preferably from about 4 mm to about 7 mm, and more preferably from about 4.5mm to about 5.5mm. In some embodiments, the width of the lugs may be at least four times wider than the thickness of the respective insert. In some embodiments, the thickness of the lug may range from about 0.4 mm to about 1 mm, preferably from about 0.5 mm to about 0.8 mm, and more preferably from about 0.6 mm to about 0.7 mm. In some embodiments, the thickness of the lug may range from about 0.5 mm to about 1.75 mm, preferably from about 0.7 mm to about 1.2 mm, and more preferably from about 0.8 mm to about 1.1 mm. Although the lugs may extend or run along the entire interface boundary between the respective insert and the body, in alternative embodiments the lugs may extend only partially along the interface boundary.

The perimeter of the crown opening 246 may be close to and closely track the perimeter of the crown on the toe, back, and heel sides of the head 200 . In contrast, the facial side of the crown opening 246 may be farther apart from the facial 270 region of the head. In this manner, the head may have additional frame mass and reinforcement of only the rear end of the face 270 in the crown region 252 . This area and other areas adjacent the face along the toe, heel and sole support the face and are subject to relatively high impact loads and stresses caused by hitting balls on the face. As described elsewhere herein, the frame can be made from a wide range of materials, including high-strength titanium, titanium alloys, and/or other metals. The opening 246 may have a notch at the front side that cooperatively corresponds to the crown insert protrusion 207 to facilitate alignment and seating of the crown insert on the body.

The front and rear weight rails 214 and 216 are installed in the bottom of the club head and are defined as rails for installing the two-piece sliding weight assemblies 210 and 212 respectively. The two-piece sliding weight assemblies 210 and 212 can Fastened to the counterweight track by fastening means such as screws. The counterweight assembly may take forms other than as shown in Figure 21A, may be mounted in other ways, and may be a single-piece or multi-piece design. The weight track allows the weight assembly to be loosened for slidable adjustment along the track and subsequently tightened in place to adjust the effective CG and MOI characteristics of the club head. For example, by moving forward or aft through the rear counterweight assembly 212 or toward the front counterweight assembly 210 By shifting the CG of the club head heel or toe, the performance characteristics of the club head can be modified to affect the flight of the golf ball, particularly the spin characteristics of the golf ball. In other embodiments, the front weight track 214 may actually be a front channel without movable weight.

The bottom of the body 202 is preferably integrally formed with a front weight track 214 that extends generally parallel to and adjacent the face of the club head and generally perpendicular to a rear weight track 216 that The heavy rail 216 extends rearwardly from near the middle of the front rail toward the back of the head.

In the illustrated embodiment, the counterweight rails each include only one counterweight assembly. In other embodiments, two or more weight assemblies may be installed in either or both of the weight tracks to provide alternative mass distribution capabilities of the club head.

By adjusting the CG toward the heel or the toe via the front weight track 214, the performance characteristics of the club head can be modified to affect ball flight, particularly the ball's tendency to hook or hook, and/or to counteract slants or hooks. trend. By adjusting the CG forward or rearward via the rear weight track 216, the performance characteristics of the club head can be modified to affect ball flight, particularly the ball moving upward or resisting the downward tendency due to backspin during flight. The use of two counterweight assemblies in a counterweight track allows for alternative adjustments and interactions between the two counterweights. For example, relative to the front rail 214, two independently adjustable weight assemblies may be located entirely on the toe side and entirely on the heel side, with one weight entirely on the toe side and one entirely on the heel side. The other is spaced a maximum distance apart, positioned together in the middle of the counterweight track, or in other counterweight position patterns. With a single weight assembly in the track, as noted, weight adjustment options are further limited, but the effective CG of the head can still be adjusted along a continuum, such as toward heel or toe or with the weight centered on the front weight in the middle of the track.

As shown in Figures 29-34, each of the counterweight rails 214, 216 preferably has a recess, which may be generally rectangular in shape, to provide a recessed rail for seating and guiding the equipment. Heavy, this is because the counterweight slides adjustably along the track. Each track includes one or more peripheral rails or lugs to define an elongated channel, the width of which is preferably less than the width of a counterweight placed in the channel. For example, as shown in FIGS. 29 and 30 , the front track 214 includes opposing perimeter rails 288 and 284 , and as shown in FIGS. 33 and 34 , the rear track 216 includes opposing perimeter rails 290 and 292 . In this way, the counterweights can slide in the counterweight track, while the guide rail prevents the counterweights from leaving the track. At the same time, the channel between the lugs allows the screw of the counterweight assembly to pass through the center of the outer weight element, pass through the channel, and subsequently threadably engage the inner weight element. The lugs are used to provide a track or guide on which the engaged counterweight assembly slides freely while effectively preventing the counterweight assembly from inadvertently sliding out of the track, even when loosened. In the front track 214, the internal weight components of the assembly 210 are located above the rails 284 and 288 in the recesses 280 and 286, while the external weight components are partially seated on the overhanging lips of the forward rail 284 and the front seat cushion 226. 228 in the recess 282 (Fig. 30, Fig. 31). In the rear track 216, the internal weight components of the assembly 212 are located above the rails 290 and 292 in the inner recesses 296 and 298, while the external weight components may be partially positioned on the heel rail 290 and the overhanging lip of the rear seat cushion 224. in the recess 294 between the edges 225 .

The counterweight assembly can be adjusted by loosening the screws and moving the counterweight along the track to the desired position. The screws can then be tightened to secure the counterweight assembly in place. The counterweight assembly can also be swapped out and replaced with another counterweight assembly of different mass, providing additional mass adjustment options. If a second or third weight is added to the weight track, multiple additional weight location and distribution options are available for additional refinement of the effective CG position of the head in the heel-toe direction and the fore and aft direction, and combinations thereof Tune. This also provides a great range of adjustments to the MOI properties of the club head.

Either or both weight assemblies 210, 212 may include a three-piece assembly that includes an inner weight component, an outer weight component, and a fastener coupling the two weight components together. Utilizes sufficient clamping force to keep the assembly stationary relative to the body throughout the golf round stop, the assembly can be clamped to the front, rear, or side lugs of the counterweight track by tightening the fasteners so that the inner parts contact the inside of the lugs and the outer counterweight parts contact the outside of the lugs. As opposed to inserting an internal counterweight into an enlarged opening at one end of the counterweight track (where the counterweight assembly is not configured to hold in place), the counterweight components and assembly may be shaped and/or configured The internal weight components are inserted into the internal channels by inserting the lugs through the lugs at the available portion of the weight rail. This may allow the elimination of this wider non-functional opening at the end of the track and allow the track to be shorter or have a longer functional lug width to which the counterweight assembly can be secured. To allow the inner weight component to be inserted into the track (for example) through the lug in the middle of the track, the inner weight component may be inserted at an angle other than perpendicular to the lug, such as at an angle. The weight component can be inserted at an angle and gradually rotated into the internal channel to allow insertion through the clamping lugs. In some embodiments, the internal weight components may have a circular, oval, oblong, arcuate, curved, or otherwise specifically shaped structure to better allow penetration of the weight components over usable portions of the track. Insert through the lugs into the channel.

In the golf club head of the present invention, the weight savings achieved by the use of titanium alloy materials and the incorporation of lightweight crown inserts and/or sole inserts are further combined with the weight savings provided by the raised sole configuration. With any mass, the ability to adjust the relative position and mass of slidably adjustable weights and/or threadedly adjustable weights allows for a wide range of variations in several properties of the club head, all of which impact the final Club head performance includes the position of the CG of the club head, the MOI value of the club head, the acoustic properties of the club head, the aesthetic appearance and subjective feel properties of the club head, and/or other properties.

In some embodiments, the front and rear weight rails have a specific track width. For example, track width may be measured as the horizontal distance between a first track wall and a second track wall between the tracks that receive the internal counterweight components of the counterweight assembly. Opposite sides of the interior portions are generally parallel to each other. Referring to FIGS. 29-31 , the width of the front rail 214 may be the horizontal distance between opposing walls of the inner recesses 280 and 286 . Referring to Figures 32-34, the width of the rear track 216 may be the horizontal distance between opposing walls of the inner recesses 296 and 298. For both the front and rear tracks, the track width may be between about 5 mm and about 20 mm, such as between about 10 mm and about 18 mm, or such as between about 12 mm and about 16 mm. According to some embodiments, the depth of the track (ie, the vertical distance between the uppermost inner wall in the track and the imaginary plane containing the bottom region adjacent the outermost lateral edge of the track) may be between about 6 mm and about 20 mm , such as between about 8mm and about 18mm, or such as between about 10mm and about 16mm. For front rail 214, the depth of the rail may be the vertical distance from the inner surface of overhanging lip 228 to the upper surface of recess 280 (Fig. 30). For rear track 216, the depth of the track may be the vertical distance from the inner surface of overhanging lip 225 to the upper surface of recess 296 (Fig. 34).

In addition, both the front rail and the rear rail have specific rail lengths. Track length may be measured as the horizontal distance between opposing longitudinal end walls of the track. For both the front and rear tracks, the track length may be between about 30 mm and about 120 mm, such as between about 50 mm and about 100 mm, or such as between about 60 mm and about 90 mm. Additionally or alternatively, the length of the front track may be expressed as a percentage of the length of the striking face. For example, the front track may be between about 30% and about 100% of the length of the hitting face, such as between about 50% and about 90%, or such as about 60% and about 80% of the length of the hitting face. between.

The track depth, width, and length properties described above may similarly apply to the front channel 36 of the club head 10 .

As can be seen in Figures 30 and 34, the lips 228, 225 of the front and rear seat cushions extend beyond or overhang the respective counterweight rails, thereby limiting the rail openings and helping to retain the counterweight within the rails.

Referring to Figure 34, when the head is in the aiming position relative to the ground plane, the bottom area on the rear seat cushion 224 on the heel side of the rear rail 216 is a significant vertical distance lower than the bottom area on the toe side (the bottom of the rail 292). This can be thought of as the head having a "dropped base" or "raised base" construction, where one part of the base (e.g., on the heel side) is positioned lower relative to another part of the base (e.g., on the toe side) . In other words, one portion of the bottom (eg, most of the bottom except for the rear seat cushion 224) is elevated relative to another portion of the bottom (eg, the rear seat cushion). The same situation applies at the front rail 214, where the front seat cushion 226 and its lip 228 are significantly lower than the rear side of the front rail in the normal aiming position (as shown in Figure 30).

In one embodiment, the vertical distance between the horizontal plane of the ground contact surface of the seat cushion and the adjacent surface of the raised bottom portion may be in the range of about 2 mm to 12 mm, preferably about 3 mm to 9 mm, more preferably about 4 mm to 7mm, and optimally about 4.5mm to 6.5mm. In one example, the vertical distance is approximately 5.5mm.

37-48 illustrate another exemplary golf club head 400 having a face portion with a forward portion of the club head body integrally cast as a single unit, thereby forming a face portion, hosel and crown, sole , a cup-shaped unit in the anterior portion of the toe and heel (referred to herein as cup 402). However, a rear portion of the body (referred to herein as ring 404) is formed separately and is later attached to cup 402 to form the club head body. The combination of cup 402 and ring 404 is referred to herein as the body of club head 400. Crown insert 406 and sole insert 408 may then be attached to the body to form club head 400. In some embodiments, there are no bottom openings or bottom inserts and the rear ring completely encloses the bottom. In some embodiments, the bottom insert is constructed from metallic materials, composite materials, and/or other materials.

37 and 38 show an assembled club head 400 including a cup 402, a ring 404, a crown insert 406, and a sole insert 408. Head-stem connection assembly 410 may be coupled to the hosel 412. Cup 402 and ring 404 may comprise metallic materials, such as titanium alloy or steel, while inserts 406 and 408 may comprise low density materials, such as carbon fiber reinforced composite materials. Any of the other materials disclosed herein may also be used in club head 400. The cup and ring can be made of the same material (eg, the same titanium alloy), or the ring can be made of a different material than the cup (eg, a steel ring and a titanium alloy cup, or two different titanium alloys).

39 and 40 illustrate how ring 404 is coupled to cup 402 at toe and heel joints 420, thereby forming an annular body with an upper crown opening and a lower base opening. Ring 404 may include forwardly extending toe and heel engaging ends 424 that cooperate with rearwardly extending toe and heel engaging ends 422 of cup 402 to form joint 420. In the illustrated example, the ring has a male protrusion that mates with a female notch in the cup. However, these contacts can be opposite to the male protrusions on the cup and the concave notches in the ring. In other embodiments, any other suitable engagement geometry may be used for joint 420 to couple the ring to the cup. Joints 420 may be formed by any suitable means, such as welding, brazing, adhesives, mechanical fasteners, etc. Preferably, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 39 and FIG. 40 , the contact 420 may be an overlapping contact or an interlocking contact.

In some embodiments, the contact point 420 may be located a sufficient distance from the ball striking surface to avoid potential failure due to severe impacts experienced by the golf club when hitting the golf ball. For example, in some embodiments, the joint 420 may be spaced at least 20 mm, at least 30 mm, at least 40 mm, at least 50 mm, at least 60 mm, and/or 20 to 70 mm from the rear end of the center face of the club head, such as along the y-axis. (front and rear direction) measured.

Figure 41 shows how inserts 406 and 408 may be engaged with the body to cover the crown and sole openings and enclose the interior cavity of the club head. The crown insert 406 can be coupled to a crown lug 426 of the body extending around the crown opening, and the base insert 408 can be coupled to a base lug 428 of the body extending around the base opening. Lugs 426 and 428 may be formed from a combination of cup 402 and a ring 404, where the cup includes a forward portion of the lug and the ring includes a rearward portion of the lug. Lug 426 And 428 may be offset inwardly from the peripheral outer surface such that space exists for receiving the insert, wherein the insert outer surface is level or flush with the peripheral outer surface of the cup/ring body. The ring 404 may also include tabs 430 that extend downwardly and forwardly from the rear portion of the ring and form part of the bottom lug 428 to help support the bottom insert 408 and provide increased stiffness.

In some embodiments, ring 404 may include a mass pad with increased thickness, such as in tab 430 or elsewhere, thereby providing rear weight for the golf club and moving the center of mass rearwardly and increasing MOI around the z and x axes. . This rear weighting may also be achieved by adding a weight component coupled to the rear ring, such as a removable, exchangeable and/or adjustable weight component coupled to the rear portion of the ring. For example, tabs 430 or other portions of ring 404 may include openings, such as threaded openings, rails, or other weighted components that receive features. Figure 47 shows an example of two weight holes 431 and 433 that may receive such an adjustable weight component. Two or more weight components can also be coupled to the rear ring simultaneously. The mass pad or weight component may comprise a relatively high density material, such as tungsten or steel.

In some embodiments, cup 402 may include a mass pad, such as mass pad 432 shown in the figures, at the bottom region to lower the center of mass and/or move the center of mass forward. In some embodiments, cup 402 may include one or more added weight components coupled to the bottom portion of the cup, such as in or near mass pad 432 and/or aft of slot 418 , such as coupled to the cup. One or more removable, exchangeable and/or adjustable weight components. For example, mass pad 432 or other portions of cup 402 may include one or more openings, such as threaded openings, rails, or other weighted components that receive features. Two or more weight components can also be coupled to the cup simultaneously. The weight component may comprise a relatively high density material of the cast cup material, such as tungsten or steel. In some embodiments, the cup and ring may have matching weight holes that may allow the weight components to be exchanged between the rear ring position and the lower cup position, thereby providing adjustability options to change the mass properties of the club head. In some such cases For example, the club head may be provided with a set of interchangeable weights, such as 1 to 3 g weights and 8 to 15 g weights, which may be coupled to weight holes in the rear ring or to the bottom portion of the cup Weight holes in the center, which could allow for higher MOI (heavier weight in the rear) or downspin (heavier weight in the lower forward position), or other combinations and quality properties.

44-47 show the body formed by engagement cup 402 and ring 404 in greater detail from several viewpoints, without inserts 406 and 408. Figure 44 is a front view showing the entire face 434. Figure 45 is a side view of the heel. 46 is a top view showing forward crown portion 436, forward toe portion 440, and forward heel portion 442 as part of cup 402, as well as toe and heel contacts 420 and receiving crown insert 406. The crown lug 426. 47 is a bottom view showing the forward sole portion 438 including a sole slot 418 that extends into the interior cavity of the club head and a lug 428 that receives the sole insert 408. Also shown in Figure 47 is an exemplary rear weight hole 431 in the ring protrusion 430 and an exemplary bottom weight hole in the cup 402 at the rear end of the slot 418 in the area of the weight hole 433. In other embodiments, such weight holes may be located in other parts of the cup or ring, such as in the extreme rear of the ring, and there may be more than two such weight holes. The weight hole may be threaded and may receive an adjustable weight component, allowing for adjustability of the center of mass and MOI properties of the club head.

Cup 402 is explained in more detail in Figures 42 and 43. The rear surface of face 434 is shown in Figure 43. As described elsewhere herein, the rear portion of face 434 can be formed with a variety of complex shapes and thickness distributions, and can be easily accessed from the rear for machining, etching, material removal prior to attachment of ring 404 to cup 402, and/or other post-casting treatments. Figure 43 also shows a mass pad 432 on the bottom portion 438 of the cup. Mass pad 432 may include a thickened portion with a sole that adds mass, which significantly affects the overall mass properties of the club head. The mass pad 432 may have a central notch that has toe and heel ratios relative to the center for enhanced mass and MOI properties. side greater mass. More information and related properties regarding mass pad 432, alternative mass pad geometries, and embodiments can be found in U.S. Publication No. 2018/0126228, published on May 10, 2018, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

48 illustrates a head-shank connection assembly 410 that allows the hosel 412 of the head 400 to be coupled to the shaft in a plurality of selectable orientations, thereby allowing adjustment of the loft and lie angle of the assembled golf club in a normal address position, and/or face angle. Assembly 410 may include various components, such as sleeve 450, ferrule 452, hosel insert 454, fasteners 456, and scrubber 458 shown in Figure 48. More information about the adjustable head-rod connection assembly can be found in U.S. Patent 9,033,821, issued on May 19, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

49 and 50 illustrate portions of a method for manufacturing a golf club head, and specifically, portions of a method for manufacturing a mold for casting the front cup 402 of the club head 400. Figure 49 shows a wax cup 500, which is a combination of a wax cup frame 502 and a wax surface 504. The wax cup frame 502 and the wax surface 504 are formed separately, and the wax surface is then placed in the slightly larger facial opening in the wax cup frame 502 . The two wax blocks can then be wax welded around the annular joint 506 and face fused to the frame by adding hot liquid wax to the annular joint 506 and allowing it to cool. The added hot wax fills the joints 506 and joins the wax cup frame 502 and wax surface 504 into a single integrated wax cup 500 . After the wax cools, excess wax can be removed from the front and back of weld 506. In some embodiments, the wax surface 504 may include prongs 508 that extend radially outward and contact the front surface of the wax cup frame 502 to help set the depth of the wax surface 504 relative to the wax cup frame such that the resulting wax cup 500 The front surface is flat and smooth at junction 506 . The wax prongs 508 may be removed after the wax welding process.

Figure 50 shows another example of a wax cup 510 formed by wax welding the wax cup frame 512 and the wax surface 514 together by adding wax around the joint 516, optionally using the wax prongs 518 on the wax surface to have Helps set the depth of the wax surface in the opening of the wax cup frame. In this instance, Wax cup 510 includes additional protrusions 520 that create additional gates in the resulting mold to help assist even flow of molten metal toward the face portion of the mold. Wax cups 500 and 510 may also include gate-generating portions in other locations, such as at the heel near the hosel, as illustrated, in the dorsal side of the face, and/or at other locations.

Forming a wax cup from two separate wax blocks (for example, as in Figures 49 and 50) can facilitate the creation of more intricate geometries of the wax cup, and can facilitate the creation of several wax cups in a simplified and faster and cost-effective manner. Examples of different geometries. Starting with two separate wax blocks causes the tooling and forming process for the wax frame to be separated from the tooling and forming process for the wax surface. Regarding the wax cup 500, the same wax cup frame 502 (and the same tool) can be combined with any of a number of differently shaped wax surfaces 504 to produce a corresponding number of different wax cups, meaning that only the method used for the wax surface needs to be changed. Tools to produce different wax cups. For example, a manufacturer may produce two identical wax frames 502 and may subsequently combine one wax frame with a first wax surface, and may combine a second wax frame with a second wax frame having a different thickness distribution than the first wax surface. noodle. These two different wax cups and the resulting molds and finished metal cups can then be measured, compared, tested, etc. See Figures 51-54 for various exemplary facial thickness distributions and related discussion herein. Therefore, using a two-piece wax cup forming process provides the advantages of rapid prototyping and other manufacturing and development efficiencies.

Starting with two separate wax blocks also allows for the efficiency of forming a larger number of wax blocks, which results from the smaller size of each wax block and the possibility of larger batches per batch on the same tree shape.

Once the wax cup (eg, 500 or 510) is produced, the wax cup can be used to form a mold for casting a metal cup (eg, cup 402). The mold may comprise ceramic material and/or any other suitable material for casting metal cups. Once the mold is formed around the wax cup, the wax can melt and drain from the mold. Various subsequent steps may then be applied to prepare the mold for casting, including adding gates and/or surface treatments to the mold. In addition, several cup molds can be combined into one for casting several metal cups at the same time. mold tree. After preparing the mold, molten metal can then be introduced into the mold to cast the metal cup. The mold can then be opened/removed to gain access to the cast metal cup. The cast metal cup may be formed from any suitable metal or metal alloy, including titanium alloys (any suitable metal material disclosed herein may be used for the cast cup).

After the metal cup is cast, portions of the cast cup can be machined or modified to remove portions of the cast cup if desired. For one example, the front surface of the face portion of the cup may be machined to add horizontal score lines and/or create more precise texture, curvature, and twist. For another example, the back surface of the face portion of the cup can be machined to modify the thickness distribution across the height and width of the face portion to create a desired variable thickness distribution across the face portion. The front and/or back surfaces of the face portion of the cast cup may also be machined or chemically etched (e.g., using hydrofluoric acid) to remove the alpha crust layer formed during the casting process (e.g., for titanium alloys) Partially or completely, in order to make the facial part less brittle and increase the durability of the facial part.

In anticipation of post-cast removal of material from the cup's face portion, the cup's face portion can be cast with extra thick material so that the desired amount of material and desired thickness distribution is retained after post-cast material removal.

As shown in Figures 39 and 40, and as discussed above, cup 402 and ring 404 can be formed separately (eg, cast) and subsequently brought together at joint 420 (eg, welded, brazed, glued). joints, mechanical fasteners, etc.) to form a metal club head body that acts as a rigid frame that receives other components to form the golf club head 400. One advantage of this method of producing the club head body from separate cups 402 and rings 404 is that the absence of a rear ring portion allows better access to the rear surface of the face portion of cup 402 for post-cast machining, chemical etching, and/or or other post-cast modifications to the surface behind the facial section. For example, in the absence of ring 404, there may be an integral part of the face portion of cup 402 for a cutting tool, milling machine, CNC machine, drill, or to access. More space on the rear surface for other tools. After performing such post-cast modifications to cup 402, ring 404 can be attached to the cup and the remainder of the club head can be assembled.

Another advantage of casting the cups and rings separately is that it allows the efficiency of casting a larger number of each of the rings and cups since each casting is smaller than the main body of the assembly and can be cast each on the same tree. Produced in larger batches. Additionally, the same ring can be used with differently shaped cups, so the tooling for the cup only needs to be changed to accommodate changes in the club head body or to create several different variations of the club head with different cup/face geometries. body.

Figure 51 illustrates an exemplary rear surface of the face portion of a cast cup 600 similar to cup 402, as viewed from the rear with a hosel/heel to the left and a toe to the right. Figures 52 and 53 illustrate another exemplary facial portion 700 having a variable thickness distribution, and Figure 54 illustrates yet another exemplary facial portion 800 having a variable thickness distribution. As a result of the casting process and optional post-cast modifications to the face portion, the face portion of the cast cup can have a number of novel thickness distributions. By casting the face into the desired geometry, rather than using traditional processes to form the panels from flat sheets of metal, the face can be produced with a large number of geometries and can have different material properties, such as different grain directions and levels of chemical impurities, which Can provide advantages for golf performance and manufacturing.

In traditional manufacturing processes, panels are formed from flat metal sheets of uniform thickness. This sheet of metal is typically rolled along an axis to reduce the thickness to a specific uniform thickness across the sheet. This rolling process can impart a grain direction in the sheet, which produces different material properties in the direction of the rolling axis than perpendicular to the rolling direction. This change in material properties may be undesirable and may be avoided by actually using the disclosed casting methods to create the facial portion.

Furthermore, since conventional panels start as flat sheets of uniform thickness, the thickness of the entire sheet must be at least as great as the maximum thickness of the desired finished panel, meaning that a large amount of starting sheet material must be removed and wasted, thereby increasing material cost. In contrast, the revealed In the casting method, the facial portion is initially formed closer to the final shape and quality, and much less material has to be removed and wasted. This saves time and cost.

Furthermore, in conventional manufacturing processes, the initially flat metal sheet must be bent in a special manufacturing process to give the panel the desired ridges and undulations of curvature. This bending process is not required when using the disclosed casting method.

The unique thickness distribution illustrated in Figures 51-54 is made possible using the disclosed casting method and was not previously possible using conventional processes in which a sheet of metal of uniform thickness is mounted in a lathe or similar machine and turned to span A variable thickness distribution is created at the rear of the panel. In this rotation process, the thickness distribution imparted must be symmetrical about the central rotation axis, which limits the thickness distribution to concentric ring-shaped compositions each having uniform thickness at any given radius from the center point. In contrast, use of the disclosed casting method imposes no such limitations and can produce more complex facial geometries.

By using the casting methods disclosed herein, larger numbers of the disclosed club heads can be manufactured faster and more efficiently. For example, 50 or more cups 402 could be cast simultaneously on a single casting tree, which would take longer and require more resources to produce novel faces on the panel one at a time using a lathe using conventional grinding methods thickness distribution.

In Figure 51, the rear surface of casting cup 600 includes an asymmetric variable thickness distribution, illustrating only one example of the wide variety of variable thickness distributions that are possible using the disclosed casting methods. The face center 602 may have a central thickness, and the face thickness may gradually increase radially outward from the center across the inner blending zone 603 to a maximum thickness ring 604, which may be circular. The facial thickness may taper radially outward across the variable blend zone 606 from the maximum thickness ring 604 to a second ring 608, which may be non-circular, such as an ellipse. The face thickness may gradually decrease across the outer blend zone 609 moving radially outward from the second ring 608 to a constant thickness heel and toe zone 610 (eg, the minimum thickness of the face portion), and/or move to the radial perimeter zone 612 that defines the extent of the face portion where the face transitions to the remainder of the casting cup 600 .

The second ring 608 itself may have a variable thickness profile such that the thickness of the second ring 608 changes as a function of circumferential position about the center 602 . Similarly, variable mixing zone 606 may have a thickness profile that varies with circumferential position about center 602 and provide a variable and smaller thickness thickness transition from maximum thickness ring 604 to second ring 608 . For example, the variable mixing zone 606 to the second ring 608 may be divided into eight sectors labeled A through H in FIG. 51 , including top zone A, top toe zone B, toe zone C, and bottom toe zone D. Bottom area E, bottom area F, area G, and top area H. The eight zones may have different angular amplitudes as shown, or may each have the same angular amplitude (eg, one-eighth of 360 degrees). Each of the eight zones may itself have a thickness difference ranging from a shared maximum thickness at adjacent rings 604 to a different minimum thickness at second ring 608 . For example, the second ring may be thicker in regions A and E, thinner in regions C and G, and of intermediate thickness in regions B, D, F, and H. In this example, the thickness of zones B, D, F, and H can be both in the radial direction (thinning movement toward the outer radial direction) and in the circumferential direction (thinning movement from zones A and E toward zones C and G) change.

An example of cast cup 600 may have the following thicknesses: 3.1 mm at center 602, 3.3 mm at ring 604, and second ring 608 may vary from 2.8 mm in zone A to 2.2 mm in zone C to 2.4mm in zone E to 2.0mm in zone G, and 1.8mm in heel and toe zone 610.

52 and 53 show the rear surface of another exemplary cast face portion 700 including an asymmetric variable thickness distribution. The face center 702 may have a central thickness, and the face thickness may gradually increase radially outward from the center across the inner blending zone 703 to a maximum thickness ring 704, which may be circular. Facial thickness may span variable blend zone 705 radially outward from maximum thickness ring 704 The movement gradually decreases to the outer zone 706, which consists of a plurality of wedge-shaped sectors A to H of different thicknesses. As best shown in Figure 53, sectors A, C, E, and G can be relatively thick, while sectors B, D, F, and H can be relatively thin. The thickness of the outer mixing zone 708 surrounding the outer region 706 transitions from a variable sector down to a peripheral ring 710 of relatively small but constant thickness. The outer region 706 may also include a mixed region where the thickness between each of sectors A through H gradually transitions from one sector to an adjacent sector.

An example of face portion 700 may have the following thicknesses: 3.9 mm at center 702, 4.05 mm at ring 704, 3.6 mm in zone A, 3.2 mm in zone B, 3.25 mm in zone C, and 3.25 mm in zone D 2.05 mm in zone E, 3.35 mm in zone F, 2.05 mm in zone F, 3.00 mm in zone G, 2.65 mm in zone H, and 1.9 mm at peripheral ring 710.

Figure 54 shows another exemplary cast face portion 800 rear face that includes an asymmetric variable thickness distribution with a target thickness offset toward the heel side (left side). The center of the face 802 has a central thickness, and for the toe/top/bottom, the thickness gradually increases across the inner blend zone 803 to the inner ring 804 which has a greater thickness at the center. The thickness then decreases radially outward across the second mixing zone 805 to a second ring 806 whose thickness is less than the thickness of the inner ring 804 . The thickness then decreases radially outward across the third mixing zone 807 to a third ring 808 that is less thick than the second ring 806 . The thickness then decreases radially outward across the fourth mixing zone 810 to a fourth ring 811 that is less thick than the thickness of the third ring 808 . Toe region 812 mixes across outer mixing region 813 to outer perimeter 814 which has a relatively small thickness.

For the heel side, the thickness is offset by a set amount (eg, 0.15 mm) to be slightly thicker relative to its counterpart area on the toe side. Thickened region 820 (dashed line) provides a transition where all thickness gradually increases toward thicker offset region 822 (dashed line) at the heel side. In offset region 822, ring 823 is thicker than ring 806 on the heel side by a set amount (eg, 0.15 mm), and ring 825 is thicker than ring 808 by the same amount. Quantitative. Mixing zones 824 and 826 gradually decrease in thickness moving radially outward and are each thicker than their counterpart mixing zones 807 and 810 on the toe side. In the thickened region 820, the thickness of the inner ring 804 gradually increases toward the heel.

An example of facial portion 800 may have the following thicknesses: 3.8 mm at center 802 , 4.0 mm at inner ring 804 and thickening to 4.15 mm across thickened region 820 , 3.5 mm at second ring 806 and at ring 823 3.65mm, 2.4mm at third ring 808 and 2.55mm at ring 825, 2.0mm at fourth ring 811, and 1.8mm at peripheral ring 814.

The target offset thickness distribution shown in Figure 54 can help provide a desirable characteristic time (CT) distribution across the face. Thickening the heel side may help avoid having a CT peak at the heel side of the face, for example, it may help avoid having a non-uniform CT distribution across the face. Such offset thickness distributions may be applied similarly to the toe side of the face, or to both the toe and heel sides of the face, to avoid CT peaks at both the heel and toe sides of the face. In other embodiments, the offset thickness distribution may be applied to the upper side of the face and/or toward the underside of the face.

Various other facial thickness distributions may be generated using the disclosed methods, including U.S. Patent Application No. 12/006,060 and U.S. Patent Nos. 6,997,820, 6,800,038, 6,824,475, 7,731,603, 8,801,541, No. 9,943,743 and No. 9,975,018, the entire contents of each of these patents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. For example, U.S. Patent No. 9,975,018 discloses an example of a batting face that includes localized areas of reinforcement, such as an inverted cone or "donut" shaped thickness distribution offset from the center of the face, in whole or in part. Modify the launch conditions of golf balls struck by the club head in a manner that compensates for, overcomes or prevents the occurrence of right/left deflection. Specifically, the localized areas of reinforcement are located on the hitting surface such that hitting the golf ball under typical conditions will not impart left and/or right side spin to the golf ball.

All disclosed facial thickness distributions are made possible by the casting methods disclosed herein. Such a configuration would not be possible using conventional rotational processes that remove material in a concentric pattern from the rear of an initially flat face panel.

In some golf club head embodiments, the panels may be cast separately and then welded into the front opening in the frame of the club head. When a panel is welded to the front opening of the frame, extra material is often created around the weld area, and this extra material must be removed after the welding process to smooth the transition between the panel and the frame. This process can be avoided by casting the entire cup, including the face and front frame, as a single casting unit, as disclosed herein.

However, casting the panels separately may provide advantages over casting the entire cup as one unit. For example, when the cast panel is part of a cup, it is much easier to post-process the cast panel than to post-process the facial surface. Figures 55 and 56 show the front 902 and rear 904 of an exemplary cast panel 900. In particular, all parts of the rear surface of the cast panel are more accessible than the rear surface of the cast cup. There is unlimited room for tooling close to the casting panel for any desired post-casting process since parts of the base, crown, toe, heel, hosel, etc. are not in the way. Additionally, cast panels can be cast closer to the exact final shape of the panel, so that less material must be removed and less work is required to modify the face after casting. For example, the panel may be cast with less than 0.5 mm, less than 0.4 mm, less than 0.3 mm, and/or less than 0.2 mm of excess material on each side of the face to be removed after casting. This equates to less waste material being removed compared to machined panels from flat sheets of rolled metal. The surface can be machined before casting the face to remove some or all of the alpha crust layer, obtain precise humps, undulations and torsional curvatures, and/or add score lines. After the face is cast, the rear portion can be machined to remove some or all of the alpha crust layer, and/or to obtain a precise variable thickness distribution across the face. As described elsewhere herein, the required In contrast to 360-degree concentric symmetry, the casting process allows for a more intricate and asymmetrical thickness distribution.

In contrast to a club head in which the face is formed separately and later attached (e.g., welded or bolted) to a front opening in the club head body, casting includes the face as the body (e.g., cast simultaneously with a single cast item ) provide excellent structural properties. However, the advantages of having an integrally cast Ti face are reduced by the need to remove the alpha crust on the surface of the cast Ti face.

Where the club head disclosed herein includes an integrally cast titanium alloy face and body unit (eg, a cast cup), the drawback of having to remove the alpha hard shell may be eliminated or at least substantially reduced. For cast 9-1-1 Ti faces, using a mold preheating temperature of 1000°C or higher, the thickness of the alpha hard shell can be about 0.10mm or less, 0.15mm or less, or about 0.20mm or less, or about 0.30mm or less, such as in some embodiments between 0.10mm and 0.30mm, while for the 6-4 Ti face, the thickness of the alpha hard shell can be greater than 0.10mm, greater than 0.15mm, or greater than 0.20mm, or greater than 0.30 mm, such as in some examples from about 0.25 mm to about 0.30 mm. In some embodiments, alpha hard shell thickness can be as low as 0.1 mm and as high as 0.15 mm while providing a sufficiently durable product with ideally high CT times across the face. In some embodiments, the alpha crust on the rear portion of the face at the geometric center of the face can have a thickness of less than 0.30 mm and/or less than 0.20 mm, and this can be accomplished without chemically etching the surface after formation.

Other titanium alloys that may be used to form any of the hitting faces and/or club heads described herein may include titanium, aluminum, molybdenum, chromium, vanadium, and/or iron. For example, in a representative embodiment, the alloy may be an alpha-beta titanium alloy including 6.5 to 10 wt% Al, 0.5 to 3.25 wt% Mo, and 1.0 to 3.0 wt% of Cr, 0.25 to 1.75 wt% of V, and/or 0.25 to 1 wt% of Fe, the balance of which includes Ti (An example is sometimes referred to as "1300" titanium alloy).

In another representative embodiment, the alloy may include 6.75 to 9.75 wt% Al, 0.75 to 3.25 or 2.75 wt% Mo, 1.0 to 3.0 wt% Cr, 0.25 to 3.0 wt% 1.75% by weight V, and/or 0.25% to 1% by weight Fe, the remainder comprising Ti.

In another representative embodiment, the alloy may include 7 to 9 wt% Al, 1.75 to 3.25 wt% Mo, 1.25 to 2.75 wt% Cr, 0.5 to 1.5 wt% V, and/or 0.25 to 0.75 wt% Fe, the remainder comprising Ti.

In another representative embodiment, the alloy may include 7.5 to 8.5 wt% Al, 2.0 to 3.0 wt% Mo, 1.5 to 2.5 wt% Cr, 0.75 to 1.25 wt% V, and/or 0.375% to 0.625% by weight Fe, the remainder comprising Ti.

In another representative embodiment, the alloy may include 8 wt% Al, 2.5 wt% Mo, 2 wt% Cr, 1 wt% V, and/or 0.5 wt% Fe, with the remainder comprising Ti . Such titanium alloys may have the formula Ti-8Al-2.5Mo-2Cr-1V-0.5Fe. As used herein, reference to "Ti-8Al-2.5Mo-2Cr-1V-0.5Fe" refers to a titanium alloy including the mentioned elements in any of the proportions given above. Certain embodiments may also include trace amounts of K, Mn, and/or Zr, and/or various impurities.

Ti-8Al-2.5Mo-2Cr-1V-0.5Fe can have minimum mechanical properties of 1150MPa yield strength, 1180MPa ultimate tensile strength and 8% elongation. These minimum properties can be significantly better than other cast titanium alloys, including 6-4 Ti and 9-1-1 Ti, which can have the minimum mechanical properties mentioned above. In some embodiments, Ti-8Al-2.5Mo-2Cr-1V-0.5Fe may have a tensile strength from about 1180 MPa to about 1460 MPa, a yield strength from about 1150 MPa to about 1415 MPa, from about 8% to about 12% The elongation, the elastic modulus of about 110GPa, the density of about 4.45g/ ^cm3 , and the hardness of about 43 on the Rockwell C scale (43HRC). In specific embodiments, the Ti-8Al-2.5Mo-2Cr-1V-0.5Fe alloy may have a tensile strength of about 1320 MPa, a yield strength of about 1284 MPa, and an elongation of about 10%.

In some embodiments, the ball striking face and/or cup having the face portion may be cast from Ti-8Al-2.5Mo-2Cr-1V-0.5Fe. In some embodiments, the ball striking surface and club head body may be integrally formed or cast together from Ti-8Al-2.5Mo-2Cr-1V-0.5Fe, depending on the specific characteristics desired.

The mechanical parameters of Ti-8Al-2.5Mo-2Cr-1V-0.5Fe given above provide unexpectedly superior performance compared to other existing titanium alloys. For example, due to the relatively high tensile strength of Ti-8Al-2.5Mo-2Cr-1V-0.5Fe, when hitting a golf ball, a cast hitting surface containing this alloy can behave better than other alloys. Less deflection per unit thickness. This may be particularly beneficial for metal-laminated clubs configured for hitting the ball at higher speeds due to the higher tensile strength of Ti-8Al-2.5Mo-2Cr-1V-0.5Fe resulting in a striking surface It deflects less and reduces the tendency of the hitting surface to flatten with repeated use. This allows the hitting surface to retain its original hump, undulation and "twist" dimensions through extended use, including by advanced and/or professional golfers who tend to hit the ball at particularly high club speeds.

Any of the embodiments disclosed herein may include a face portion having a ball striking surface that is twisted such that an upper toe portion of the ball striking surface is more open than a lower toe portion of the ball striking surface, and such that The lower heel portion of the striking surface is more closed than the upper heel portion of the striking surface. More information on golf club heads with twisted striking surfaces can be found in U.S. Patent 9,814,944, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. filed June 19, 2018. No. 62/687,143 and U.S. Patent Application No. 16/160,884 filed on October 15, 2018, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Any of the twisting facial techniques disclosed in these incorporated references may be implemented in the club heads disclosed herein in any combination with the techniques disclosed herein.

The technology disclosed herein may be implemented for use with any type of golf club head, not just the examples disclosed, including drivers, fairway woods, rescue clubs, hybrid clubs, utility clubs, irons, wedges Rods and putters.

For purposes of this description, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of embodiments of the invention are described herein. The methods, devices, and systems disclosed should not be considered limiting in any way. Rather, this invention is directed to all novel and non-obvious features and aspects of the various disclosed embodiments, individually and in various combinations and subcombinations of each other. The methods, apparatus, and systems are not limited to any particular aspect or feature or combination thereof, nor do the disclosed embodiments require that any one or more particular advantages exist or problems be solved.

Although the operations of some of the disclosed embodiments are described in a specific sequential order for ease of presentation, it is to be understood that this manner of description encompasses reconfigurations unless the specific language set forth below requires a specific ordering. For example, operations described sequentially may be reconfigured or performed concurrently in some cases. Furthermore, for the sake of simplicity, the drawings may not illustrate the various ways in which the methods disclosed therein can be used in combination with other methods.

As used in this application and claims, the singular forms "a/an" and "the" include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, the term "includes" means "includes." Furthermore, the terms "coupled" and "associated" generally mean electrically, electromagnetically, and/or physically (e.g., mechanically or chemically) coupled or linked and do not exclude coupling in the absence of specific contrary language. Intermediate element between connected or related items The presence.

In some instances, a value, procedure, or device may be referred to as "minimum," "optimal," "minimum," or the like. It should be understood that such descriptions are intended to indicate that choices may be made among many alternatives, and that such choices need not be better, less, or otherwise superior to other choices.

In the description, specific terms may be used, such as "upward," "downward," "upper," "lower," "horizontal," "vertical," "left," "right," and the like. These terms are used where appropriate to provide some clarity of description when dealing with relative relationships. However, these terms are not intended to imply absolute relationships, positions and/or orientations. For example, an "upper" surface can become a "lower" surface relative to an object simply by flipping the object over. Nonetheless, it is still the same object.

In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of the invention may be applied, it should be appreciated that the illustrated embodiments are only preferred examples and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention. It will be apparent that various modifications may be made without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth. Accordingly, the instructions and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is at least as broad as the following patent claims. Therefore, we claim that everything falls within the scope of these patent applications.

400: Golf club head

402:Cup

404: Ring

406: Crown insert

408: Bottom insert

412: hosel

420:Contact

Claims (24)

A wooden golf club head, which includes: a cast cup, which includes a forward portion of the golf club head, a heel portion, and a toe portion, wherein: the forward portion of the golf club head The portions include a hosel, a forward portion of a crown of the golf club head, and a forward portion of a sole of the golf club head; and the cast cup is made of a first material having a first density. a material; a rear ring formed separately from the cast cup and attached to the heel portion and the toe portion of the cast cup to form a body of the golf club head, wherein: the golf ball The body of the head defines a hollow interior region, a crown opening, and a sole opening; and the rear ring is made of a second material having a second material density, the second material density of the second material having a density different from the first material of the first material; a crown insert attached to the crown opening such that the crown insert covers the crown opening, wherein the crown insert defines the golf ball at least a portion of the crown of the golf club head; and a sole insert attached to the sole opening such that the sole insert covers the sole opening, wherein the sole insert defines at least a portion of the sole of the golf club head A portion, wherein one of the following is true: the casting cup further includes a convex protrusion extending rearwardly from the body of the casting cup at each of the heel portion and the toe portion of the casting cup, the rear portion The ring includes a concave notch at a forward portion of each of a heel portion and a toe portion of the rear ring, in the The convex protrusion at the heel portion of the casting cup cooperates with the concave notch at the heel portion of the rear ring to form a first overlapping joint at the rear end of the casting cup, and at the The convex protrusion at the toe portion of the cast cup cooperates with the concave notch at the toe portion of the rear ring to form a distinct second overlapping joint at the rear end of the cast cup; or The cast cup further includes a concave notch at each of the heel portion and the toe portion of the cast cup, and the rear ring includes a concave notch at each of the heel portion and toe portion of the rear ring. a male protrusion extending forwardly from the body of the rear ring, the concave notch at the heel portion of the cast cup and the male protrusion at the heel portion of the rear ring Cooperating to form a first overlapping joint at the front end of the rear ring, and the concave notch at the toe portion of the cast cup and the convex protrusion at the toe portion of the rear ring Cooperating to form a different second overlapping contact point at the front end of the rear ring. The wooden golf club head of claim 1, wherein the first material is a titanium alloy and the second material is an aluminum alloy. The wooden golf club head of claim 2, wherein the crown insert and the sole insert are made of a composite material. The wood-shaped golf club head of claim 1, wherein the cast cup defines a forward portion of the crown opening and the rear ring defines a rearward portion of the crown opening. The wood-shaped golf club head of claim 4, wherein the cast cup defines a forward portion of the sole opening and the rear ring defines a rearward portion of the sole opening. The wood-shaped golf club head of claim 5, wherein: the cast cup includes a crown opening recessed lug and a bottom opening recessed lug; the crown opening recessed lug of the cast cup defines the crown opening. The forward portion and the bottom opening recessed lug of the cast cup define the forward portion of the bottom opening; the rear ring includes a crown open recessed lug and a bottom opening recessed lug; the crown of the rear ring The bottom opening recessed lugs define the rearward portion of the crown opening and the bottom opening recessed lugs of the rear ring define the rearward portion of the bottom opening; the crown insert is attached to the crown of the cast cup a bottom opening debossed lug and the crown opening depressing lug of the rear ring; and the bottom insert is attached to the bottom open depressing lug of the casting cup and the bottom open depressing lug of the rear ring. The wooden golf club head of claim 1, wherein the density of the second material is lower than the density of the first material. The wooden golf club head of claim 1, wherein the first overlapping contact point and the second overlapping contact point are interlocking contact points. The wood golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a forward weight attached to the cast cup at the forward portion of the sole. The wooden golf club head of claim 9 further includes a rearward weight attached to The rear ring at a rearward portion of the base. The wooden golf club head of claim 10 further includes an adjustable head-shank connection assembly coupled to the hosel. The wood-shaped golf club head of claim 11, wherein the cast cup further includes a mass pad on the forward portion of the sole of the golf club head. The wooden golf club head of claim 1, wherein the first material is a metallic material, and the second material is a non-metallic material. The wood-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the rear ring forms a skirt portion of the golf club head, the skirt portion defining an outermost perimeter surrounding a rear portion of the golf club head. The wood golf club head of claim 1, wherein the rear ring is attached to the cast cup such that a seam is defined between the rear ring and the cast cup. The wood-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the forward portion of the golf club head further includes a face opening, and a panel defining a hitting surface of the golf club head is attached to the face opening , so that the panel covers the face opening. The wooden golf club head of claim 16, wherein the panel has a variable thickness cloth, and the variable thickness distribution of the panel is asymmetric. The wood-type golf club head of claim 16, wherein the hitting face of the panel is twisted such that an upper toe portion of the hitting face is more open than a lower toe portion of the hitting face, and such that the A lower heel portion of the ball striking surface is more closed than an upper heel portion of the ball striking surface. The wooden golf club head of claim 16, wherein the panel is made of a composite material, and the density of the second material is lower than the density of the first material. The wooden golf club head of claim 1, wherein: the first material is a first metal material; the second material is a second metal material; the density of the second material is lower than the density of the first material; and The crown insert and the bottom insert are made of a composite material. A wooden golf club head, which includes: a cast cup, which includes a forward portion of the golf club head, a heel portion, and a toe portion, wherein: the forward portion of the golf club head The portions include a hosel, a forward portion of a crown of the golf club head, and a forward portion of a sole of the golf club head; and the cast cup is made of a first material having a first density. A rear ring of material formed separately from the cast cup and attached to the heel portion and toe portion of the cast cup to form a body of the golf club head, wherein: The body of the golf club head defines a hollow interior region, a crown opening, and a sole opening; and the rear ring is made of a second material having a second material density, the second material having a two materials having a density different from the first material density of the first material; a crown insert attached to the crown opening such that the crown insert covers the crown opening, wherein the crown insert defines at least a portion of the crown of the golf club head; and a sole insert attached to the sole opening such that the sole insert covers the sole opening, wherein the sole insert defines the sole insert of the golf club head at least a portion of the base; wherein: the cast cup defines a forward portion of the crown opening, and the posterior ring defines a posterior portion of the crown opening; the cast cup defines a forward portion of the base opening, and The rear ring defines a rearward portion of the bottom opening; the cast cup includes a crown opening recessed lug and a bottom opening recessed lug; the crown opening recessed lug of the cast cup defines the crown opening The forward portion and the bottom opening recessed lug of the casting cup define the forward portion of the bottom opening; the rear ring includes a crown opening recessed lug and a bottom opening recessed lug; the crown opening of the rear ring A recessed lug defines the rearward portion of the crown opening and the bottom opening of the rear ring. The recessed lug defines the rearward portion of the bottom opening; the crown insert is attached to the crown opening of the cast cup. recessed lugs and the crown opening recessed lugs of the rear ring; and. The bottom insert is attached to the bottom opening recessed lugs and the rear ring of the casting cup The bottom opening recessed lug, wherein one of the following is true: the cast cup further includes a projection extending rearwardly from the body of the cast cup at each of the heel portion and the toe portion of the cast cup a shaped protrusion, the rear ring including a concave notch at a forward portion of each of a heel portion and a toe portion of the rear ring, the convex notch at the heel portion of the cast cup The shaped protrusion cooperates with the concave notch at the heel portion of the rear ring to form a first overlapping joint at the rear end of the casting cup, and the convex portion at the toe portion of the casting cup The shaped protrusion cooperates with the concave notch at the toe portion of the rear ring to form a different second overlapping joint at the rear end of the casting cup; or the casting cup further includes the casting cup. The rear ring includes a concave notch at each of the heel portion and the toe portion of the rear ring extending forwardly from the body of the rear ring. A convex protrusion, the concave notch at the heel portion of the casting cup cooperates with the convex protrusion at the heel portion of the rear ring to form a protrusion at the front end of the rear ring A first overlapping joint, and the concave notch at the toe portion of the cast cup cooperate with the male protrusion at the toe portion of the rear ring to form a front end of the rear ring A different second overlapping contact. The wood-shaped golf club head of claim 21, wherein the forward portion of the golf club head further includes a face opening, and a panel defining a hitting face of the golf club head is attached to the face opening , so that the panel covers the face opening. The wooden golf club head of claim 22, wherein the panel is made of a composite material, and the density of the second material is lower than the density of the first material. The wood-shaped golf club head of claim 21, wherein the first overlapping contact point and the second overlapping contact point are interlocking contact points.