GB2317346A

GB2317346A - Metal golf club head

Info

Publication number: GB2317346A
Application number: GB9619836A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Yi-Hsien Lo
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-09-23
Filing date: 1996-09-23
Publication date: 1998-03-25
Also published as: GB9619836D0

Abstract

A metal golf club head is formed by welding together a first one-piece component (20) and a substantially bowl-shaped second one-piece component (10). The first one-piece component (20) has a front striking plate portion (21), a top crown portion (22) which extends rearwardly from the front striking plate portion (21), and a hose-like neck portion (23). The second one-piece component (10) has a bottom sole portion (11) and a rear surrounding wall portion (12) which extends upwardly from the bottom sole portion (11). The bottom sole portion (11) and the rear surrounding wall portion (12) define a front opening to be covered by the front striking plate portion (21) and a front edge (15) to confine the front opening. The rear surrounding wall portion (12) has a top open end (16) to be covered by the top crown portion (22). The front striking plate portion (21) is welded to the front edge (15) of the bottom sole portion (11) and the rear surrounding wall portion (12). The top crown portion (22) is welded to the top open end (16) of the rear surrounding wall portion (12). The rear of the crown portion can be chamfered off and the crown can be securely held against ribs (13). The weld (100) is strong as a result.

Description

Title: METAL GOLF CLUB HEAD This invention relates to a metal golf club head, more particularly to one which is made of only two complementary welded components.

Conventional metal golf club heads are generally made of stainless steel or aluminum alloy. Recently, golf club heads made of titanium alloy have been developed and are popular because of their light-weight characteristic as compared to stainless steel heads and their higher strength as compared to aluminum alloy heads. Titanium alloys permit golf club heads to have an increased dimension or striking face area while offering weight reduction. With titanium alloys, golf club heads can be designed easily to suit the user's requirements because the position of the center of gravity and the weight distribution can be adjusted easily.

Generally, metals are processed by precision casting or forge welding to fabricate golf club heads. Since the alloyed titanium melt has high activity and poor flowability, it tends to undergo bubbling and oxidation which would degrade the product quality during the casting process. The forge welding process can avoid the above problems. It produces a good grain orientation and high strength, and reduces the cost of manufacturing. In a typical forge welding method, a golf club head is formed of four component parts, namely a front hitting surface, a crown, a bottom sole and a surrounding wall, which are preformed individually by forging. The above components are welded together followed by grinding and finishing. Since the head is made by welding many component parts, the time for welding the parts is long so that the temperature of the parts is elevated considerably. The high temperature created in the welded parts tends to cause deformation and produce heat stress, thereby weakening the strength of the product. Therefore, reducing the number of components to be welded and increasing the dimensional stability thereof are desirable.

Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide a metal golf club head which includes only two complementary welded components so that the problems inherent with the use of many component parts can be alleviated.

According to this invention, a metal golf club head comprises a first one-piece component and a substantially bowl-shaped second one-piece component.

The first one-piece component has a front striking plate portion, a top crown portion which extends rearwardly from the front striking plate portion, and a hose-like neck portion. The second one-piece component has a bottom sole portion and a rear surrounding wall portion which extends upwardly from the bottom sole portion. The bottom sole portion and the rear surrounding wall portion define a front opening to be covered by the front striking plate portion, and a front edge to confine the front opening.

The rear surrounding wall portion has a top open end to be covered by the top crown portion. The front striking plate portion is welded to the front edge of the bottom sole portion and the rear surrounding wall portion. The top crown portion is welded to the top open end of the rear surrounding wall portion.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an exploded view of a golf club head of a preferred embodiment according to this invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the golf club head according to Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectional view of the golf club head according to Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a sectional view of a first one-piece component of the golf club head according to this invention.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a metal golf club head of a preferred embodiment according to this invention is shown to comprise a first one-piece component 20 and a substantially bowl-shaped second one-piece component 10 which are made of a titanium alloy. Of course, stainless steel or an aluminum alloy may be used instead of the titanium alloy.

With reference to Figures 3 and 4, the first one-piece component 20 is formed by forging a lump or strip of titanium alloy. The component 20 has a front striking plate portion 21, a top crown portion 22 which is unitary with and which extends rearwardly from the front striking plate portion 21, and a hose-like neck portion 23 with a receiving hole 24 for the insertion of a golf club shaft (not shown) generally made of wood. Preferably, the front striking plate portion 21 has a thickness of about 1.5 to 3.5 mm. The top crown portion 22 has a joint end 221 and a downwardly slanted face 25 which is formed along the joint end 221.

The second one-piece component 10 has a bottom sole portion 11 and a rear surrounding wall portion 12 which extends upwardly from the bottom sole portion 11. The bottom sole portion 11 and the rear surrounding wall portion 12 define a front opening to be covered by the front striking plate portion 21, and a front edge 15 to confine the front opening. The rear surrounding wall portion 12 has a top open end 16 to be covered by the top crown portion 22. In addition, the second onepiece component 10 further has a plurality of ribs 13 which are integrally formed at intervals on the inner surface of the rear surrounding wall portion 12 along the top open end 16 while maintaining a spacing 14 between the ribs 13 and the top open end 16. The joint end 221 of the top crown portion 22 is located in the spacing 14 and is supported by the ribs 13.

In assembly, the front striking plate portion 21 is welded to the front edge 15 of the bottom sole portion 11 and the rear surrounding wall portion 12. The top crown portion 22 is welded to the top open end 16 of the rear surrounding wall portion 12. As shown in Figure 3, the slanted face 25 forms an indentation to be filled by a welding material at the corner formed by the top crown portion 22 and the rear surrounding wall portion 12 for providing a strong weld between the top crown portion 22 and the rear surrounding wall portion 12.

The advantages of the golf club head of the present invention are as follows: 1. Since only two components 10 and 20 are welded in the golf club head of the invention, the number of components to be welded is reduced substantially.

With the reduced number of welded components, the time required for carrying out the welding process is decreased. As such, temperature elevation due to the welding process can be reduced, and product deformation problems due to heat stress can be alleviated.

2. The presence of the indentation in the top crown portion 22 and the ribs 13 in the rear surrounding wall portion 12 facilitates the welding process and the positioning of the top crown portion 22 relative to the rear surrounding wall portion 12. The golf club head of the invention can be produced at a faster rate than the conventional golf club head made from a plurality of welded components.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A metal golf club head comprising: a first one-piece component having a front striking plate portion, a top crown portion extending rearwardly from said front striking plate portion, and a hose-like neck portion; and a substantially bowl-shaped second one-piece component having a bottom sole portion and a rear surrounding wall portion which extends upwardly from said bottom sole portion, said bottom sole portion and said rear surrounding wall portion defining a front opening to be covered by said front striking plate portion, and a front edge to confine said front opening, said rear surrounding wall portion having a top open end to be covered by said top crown portion; said front striking plate portion being welded to said front edge of said bottom sole portion and said rear surrounding wall portion, said top crown portion being welded to said top open end of said rear surrounding wall portion.

2. A metal golf club head as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said second one-piece component further comprises a plurality of ribs integrally formed on an inner surface of said rear surrounding wall portion adjacent to said top open end to position said top crown portion.

3. A metal golf club head as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said top crown portion has a joint end to be welded to said top open end of said rear surrounding wall portion, and a downwardly slanted face formed along said joint end to form an indentation to be filled by a welding material.

4. A metal golf club head as claimed in Claim 2, wherein a spacing is formed between said top open end and said ribs to mount said top crown portion.

5. A metal golf club head as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said front striking plate portion has a thickness of about 1.5 to 3.5 mm.

6. A metal golf club head as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said first and second one-piece components are made of titanium alloy.

7. A metal golf club head as described hereinbefore with reference to figures 1 through 4 of the accompanying drawings.