JP2017113210A - Golf club head and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a metal face member excellent in durability.SOLUTION: There is provided a method for producing a golf club head comprising an almost cup-shaped metal face member 7 containing a face part 2 for striking a ball and a return part 9 which is folded on a peripheral edge of the face part 2 and extends rearward of the head, the method comprising: a preparation step for preparing a metal plate-state member 20 containing a return part planned part 21 which is processed into the return part 9, and a face part planned part 22 which is processed into the face part 2; and a press step for plastically deforming the plate-state member 20 into the almost cup-shaped face member 7. The preparation step contains a step for forming a slit 25 extending from the vicinity of a peripheral edge 23 of the face part planned part 22 toward an outer peripheral edge 24 of the plate-state member 20, on the return part planned part 21. The press step is configured so that, a first edge part 31 and a second edge part 32 of the return part planned part 21 which are partitioned by the slit 25, are deformed so as to overlap each other in a thickness direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a golf club head including a face member having excellent durability and a method for manufacturing the same.

  Patent Document 1 below describes a method for manufacturing a golf club head. This manufacturing method describes a step of manufacturing a sole member with a side integrally including a sole portion of a golf club head and a side portion that is bent at a peripheral portion of the sole portion to form a head side. More specifically, the following Patent Document 1 discloses a plastic working by forming a notched portion for strain relief, which is cut out with a small width from a side portion toward a sole portion, on a plate-like side-attached sole member. The side part is bent into a finished shape to form a sole member with a finished shape.

  In the method of Patent Document 1, the distortion of the side part that occurs when the side part is bent at the peripheral part of the sole part is alleviated and absorbed by the deformation that gradually reduces the width of the notch part, and the bending workability of the side part is reduced. The effect of improving is expected. As a result, for example, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of press wrinkles and deformation defects, and to perform good-looking molding.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-774

  In the said patent document 1, the process of obstruct | occluding the clearance gap of the said notch part of a sole member with a side by welding after a plastic working. However, since this welded part is originally a part from which the material has been separated, there has been a problem that it is difficult to obtain a sufficient strength, and that this tends to be a starting point of damage.

  The present invention has been devised in view of the above problems, and a main problem thereof is to provide a golf club head having a face member having excellent durability and a method for manufacturing the same.

  A first invention of the present application is a golf club using a substantially cup-shaped metal face member integrally including a face portion for hitting a ball and a return portion that is bent at the periphery of the face portion and extends rearward of the head. A method for manufacturing a head, comprising: preparing a metal plate-like member including a planned return portion processed into the return portion and a planned face portion processed into the face portion; A pressing step of plastically deforming the plate-like member into the substantially cup-shaped face member, and the preparing step includes the step of moving the plate-like member from the vicinity of the periphery of the planned face portion to the return portion. A step of forming at least one slit extending toward an outer peripheral edge, wherein the pressing step includes a first edge portion and a second edge of the return portion planned portion divided by the slit. And di-section, and wherein the deforming so as to overlap each other in its thickness direction.

  In one aspect of the first invention, the preparation step includes a step of forming at least one of the first edge portion and the second edge portion with a thickness smaller than that of the other portion of the return portion scheduled portion. Can be included.

  In one aspect of the first invention, the preparation step includes a step of forming both the first edge portion and the second edge portion with a thickness smaller than other portions of the return portion scheduled portion. be able to.

  In one aspect of the first invention, the slit may extend to the outer peripheral edge of the plate-like member.

  In one aspect of the first invention, the slit may terminate in front of the outer peripheral edge of the plate-like member.

  In one aspect of the first invention, the width of the slit may gradually increase toward the outer peripheral edge.

  A second invention of the present application is a golf club head in which a metal face member and a head body are joined, wherein the face member is bent at a face portion for hitting a ball and a peripheral edge of the face portion. And a return portion extending integrally behind the head, the return portion having a first edge portion and a second edge portion overlapped with each other in the thickness direction thereof at least partially. It includes an overlapping portion.

  In one aspect of the second aspect of the invention, at least one of the first edge portion and the second edge portion may have a thin portion having a smaller thickness than the other portion of the return portion.

  In one aspect of the second aspect of the invention, both the first edge portion and the second edge portion may have a thin portion having a smaller thickness than other portions of the return portion.

  According to the first invention of the present application (invention of the manufacturing method), a substantially cup-shaped metal face including a face portion for hitting a ball and a return portion that is bent at the periphery of the face portion and extends rearward of the head. A golf club head using the member is manufactured. This manufacturing method includes at least a preparation step and a pressing step.

  In the preparatory step, a metal plate-like member is prepared which integrally includes a planned return portion processed into the return portion and a planned face portion processed into the face portion. In this case, at least one slit extending from the vicinity of the periphery of the face portion planned portion toward the outer periphery of the plate-like member is formed in the return portion planned portion.

  In the pressing step, the plate member is plastically deformed into the substantially cup-shaped face member. At this time, the first edge portion and the second edge portion of the return portion planned portion divided by the slit are deformed so as to overlap each other in the thickness direction. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a face member in which the portion where the material is interrupted is substantially eliminated from the slit at the return portion. Such a face member can suppress damage in the vicinity of the slit and thus exhibit excellent durability.

  According to the second invention (product invention) of the present application, a golf club head in which a metal face member and a head body are joined is provided. The face member is substantially cup-shaped and integrally includes a face portion for hitting a ball and a return portion that is bent at the periphery of the face portion and extends rearward of the head, and the return portion is formed at least at a part thereof. The first edge portion and the second edge portion include overlapping portions that are overlapped with each other in the thickness direction. In such a golf club head, damage is suppressed at the overlapping portion of the first edge portion and the second edge portion, and as a result, excellent durability can be exhibited.

It is a perspective view which shows an example of the golf club head manufactured by the manufacturing method of this invention. It is the perspective view seen from the front side of the face member. It is the perspective view seen from the back side of a face member. It is a top view of the plate-shaped member for making a face member. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. (A) And (B) is a schematic sectional drawing for demonstrating a press process. (A)-(C) are the perspective views seen from the back side of a plate-shaped member, and illustrate a deformation process. (A)-(C) are the perspective views seen from the front side of a plate-shaped member, and illustrate a deformation process. It is the perspective view which expanded the overlap part of the face member. It is sectional drawing of the overlap part of a 1st edge part and a 2nd edge part. It is sectional drawing which gave welding to FIG. It is a top view which shows the other example of a plate-shaped member.

  Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Throughout all the embodiments, the same or common members are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a golf club head (hereinafter, simply referred to as “head”) 1 obtained by the manufacturing method of the present embodiment. The head 1 includes, for example, a face portion 2, a crown portion 3, a sole portion 4, and a side portion 5 so as to define an internal hollow portion i. The head 1 of this embodiment is formed using, for example, a metal material. As this metal material, for example, stainless steel, maraging steel, titanium alloy, magnesium alloy, aluminum alloy, or the like can be employed. A part of the head 1 may be configured using a fiber reinforced resin.

  The face portion 2 has a face 2a which is a surface for hitting a ball. The crown part 3 is connected to the face part 2 and forms the upper surface of the head. The sole portion 4 is connected to the face portion 2 and forms the bottom surface of the head. The side part 5 connects between the crown part 3 and the sole part 4. The toe side and the heel side of the side part 5 are connected to the face part 2 respectively. A hosel portion 6 is provided on the heel side of the crown portion 3. The hosel portion 6 has a cylindrical shape having a shaft insertion hole 6a so that a shaft (not shown) can be fixed.

  The head 1 of this embodiment is a wood type. The wood-type head includes at least a driver (# 1), a brushy (# 2), a spoon (# 3), a buffy (# 4), and a creek (# 5). In addition, the wood-type head includes a head having a substantially similar shape even if the count or name is different from those listed above. In another embodiment of the present invention, the head 1 may be configured as a utility type or an iron type, for example.

  The head 1 of the present embodiment includes a metal face member 7 and a metal head main body 8, and these are fixedly configured.

  2 and 3 are perspective views of the face member 7 as seen from the front side and the back side, respectively. The face member 7 of the present embodiment integrally includes the face portion 2 and a return portion 9 that is bent at the peripheral edge 2e of the face portion 2 and extends rearward of the head, thereby forming a substantially cup shape. ing. That is, the face portion 2 and the return portion 9 are not connected by welding or the like, but are provided by plastically deforming the same metal plate.

  The return portion 9 includes, for example, a crown return portion 3a, a sole return portion 4a, and a toe side that respectively form the toe side of the crown portion 3, the sole portion 4, and the side portion 5, and the front side portions of the heel side of the side portion 5. A return portion 5t and a heel side return portion 5h are included. In this embodiment, the return portion 9 of the face member 7 is configured not to include the hosel portion 6, and the portion is configured as an arc-shaped cutout portion 10.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the head main body 8 is a part constituting the head rear side with respect to the face member 7. That is, the head main body 8 forms the rear side portions of the crown portion 3, the sole portion 4, and the side portion 5. Thereby, the head main body 8 is formed in a substantially cup shape having an opening on the front side of the head. Such a head main body 8 is formed as, for example, integral molding by casting or a welded structure of a plurality of types of parts. In the present embodiment, the hosel portion 6 is included in the head main body 8, but is not particularly limited to this mode.

  After the substantially cup-shaped face member 7 and the head body 8 are manufactured separately, their openings are faced to each other, and their butted portions J are fixed by welding, for example. Thereby, the assembly of the head 1 can be manufactured. The head 1 can be manufactured by subjecting this assembly to processing such as polishing, washing, and painting.

  The first invention of the present application (a method for manufacturing a golf club head) has a feature in the process of making the face member 7. This step includes a preparation step of preparing a metal plate-like member and a pressing step of plastically deforming the plate-like member into a substantially cup-shaped face member 7.

  In the preparation step, as shown in FIG. 4, a plate-like member 20 for making the face member 7 is prepared (prepared). The plate-like member 20 has a non-cup shape and is provided in a flat plate shape, for example. In a preferred embodiment, the plate-like member 20 is prepared by cutting out, for example, a rolled material having a constant thickness in the contour shape shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the plate-like member 20 as viewed from the back side (hollow part i side). The upper part of the drawing is the crown part 3 side, the lower part is the sole part 4 side, the right side is the toe side, and the left side is Each corresponds to the heel side.

  The plate-like member 20 integrally includes a planned return portion 21 to be processed into the return portion 9 of the face member 7 and a planned face portion 22 to be processed into the face portion 2 in advance. It is out. The peripheral edge of the planned face portion 22 is indicated by reference numeral 23. The plate-like member 20 of the present embodiment has, for example, a substantially horizontally long rice-grained contour shape (outer peripheral edge 24). The specific contour shape of the plate-like member 20 is, for example, the contour shape of the face portion 2 of the final finished shape, the folded length of the return portion 9, and the like in order to process the face member 7 of the final finished shape with high yield. It is appropriately determined in consideration of the degree of curvature of

  The plate-like member 20 is provided with at least one slit 25 extending from the vicinity of the peripheral edge 23 of the planned face portion 22 toward the outer peripheral edge 24 of the plate-like member 20 in the planned return portion 21. The slit 25 may be processed at the same time as the above-described material cutting, or may be formed by various mechanical processing (NC processing or punching by press) after the plate-like member 20 without the slit is cut out. . Moreover, the slit 25 is provided in order to improve the workability of a subsequent press process. That is, in the pressing step, the plate-like plate-like member 20 is plastically deformed into a three-dimensional substantially cup shape, so that the slit 25 provides a clearance (space) for the plastically deformed return portion 21 and press working. This helps to prevent the occurrence of molding defects such as deformation and cracking of the material.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the return portion planned portion 21 includes a first edge portion 31 and a second edge portion 32 that are separated by a slit 25. Although not an essential element of the present invention, as a preferred embodiment, at least one of the first edge portion 31 and the second edge portion 32 (both in this example) is set to the thickness t of the other portion of the return portion scheduled portion 21. In comparison, the thin portions 31a and 32a have a smaller thickness. In the present embodiment, the thin portions 31a and 32a of the first edge portion 31 and the second edge portion 32 are both tapered so that the thickness gradually decreases toward the end portion. These advantages will be described later.

  The number and position of the slits 25 are not particularly limited, but it is desirable that at least one slit 25 be provided at a position where the degree of deformation of the material is greatest in the subsequent press working. Thereby, press workability improves. For example, in the case of a typical wood-type head 1 as shown in FIG. 1, the crown portion 3, the toe side portion of the side portion 5, and the portion where the three surfaces of the face portion 2 intersect, particularly the return portion 9. The toe side corner portion 30 is one of the regions where the amount of deformation from the flat plate is very large.

  The slit 25 shown in FIG. 4 is effective for improving the press workability in the region of the toe side corner portion 30. For example, the slit 25 is from a position near the toe side position P of the peripheral edge 23 of the face portion planned portion 22 (for example, a region within a radius of 2 mm centered on the position P excluding the face portion planned portion 22). The outer peripheral edge 24 extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the peripheral edge 23. Such a slit 25 can surely provide an escape place for deformation of the material at the toe side corner portion 30 during press working, and can greatly improve the workability.

  Further, in the process of deformation from the planar plate-shaped member 20 to the three-dimensional substantially cup shape, the return portion planned portion 21 generally has a larger change in circumferential length toward the outer peripheral edge 24 side. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the width W of the slit 25 is desirably a fan shape that gradually increases toward the outer peripheral edge 24 of the plate-like member 20. Such a slit 25 can effectively absorb a large change in circumferential length on the outer peripheral edge 24 side of the return portion planned portion 21. However, the slit 25 may be formed with a constant width, for example, and can be implemented by being modified into various modes according to the shape of the face member 7 and the like.

  In the pressing step, the plate member 20 obtained in the preparation step is plastically deformed using, for example, a mold. In the pressing step, for example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the plate-like member 20 is positioned and placed on the lower mold 40 having the cavity C. Next, the upper mold 42 is pushed onto the plate-like member 20 with a strong force. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6 (B), the plate-like member 20 that was flat is sandwiched between the lower mold 40 and the upper mold 42 to form a desired substantially cup shape along the cavity C. Plastically deformed.

  FIGS. 7A to 7C show a deformation process viewed from the back side of the plate-like member 20 in the pressing step, and FIGS. 8A to 8C show the plate-like member 20 in the pressing step. The deformation process seen from the front side is shown. In the preferred embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the upper die 42 is struck by multiple times so that the plate-like member 20 is gradually deformed. At this time, for example, a plurality of types of lower molds 40 having different cavities C are used to perform stepwise deformation.

  Moreover, in order to improve the workability at the time of pressing, it is desirable that the plate-like member 20, the lower mold 40, or the upper mold 42 is heated to a desired temperature in advance according to the custom. By the above processing, the return portion planned portion 21 of the plate-like member 20 is bent at the peripheral edge 23 of the face portion planned portion 22. Further, the first edge portion 31 and the second edge portion 32 are plastically deformed so as to approach each other with the width of the slit 25 narrowed. Thereby, it is formed into a substantially cup-shaped face member 7.

  FIG. 9 shows an enlarged view of a portion A of the return portion 9 of the face member 7 of FIG. 7 after the pressing process. 9 shows a state in which the direction of the viewpoint is slightly changed from FIG. 7 so that the first edge portion 31 and the second edge portion 32 can be more easily understood. FIG. 10 is an end view of the AA line. As is apparent from FIGS. 9 and 10, the pressing process of the present embodiment forms an overlapping portion 35 in which the first edge portion 31 and the second edge portion 32 overlap each other in the direction of the thickness direction t of the plate-like member 20. As described above, the plate-like member 20 is deformed.

  The overlapping portion 35 has, for example, a circumferential length L2 (<L1) of the end portion of the return portion 9 of the face member 7 smaller than the circumferential length L1 (excluding the slit 25) of the outer peripheral edge 24 of the plate-like member 20. ) Can be molded. At the position of the slit 25, the material can move relatively easily during the press working, so that the first edge portion 31 and the second edge portion 32 can be easily overlapped at this portion.

  In particular, as shown in FIG. 5, when at least one of the first edge portion 31 and the second edge portion 32 is formed of the thin portion 31a or 32a, the first edge portion 31 and the second edge are in the middle of plastic deformation. Even when the portions 32 are abutted against each other, it is possible to immediately cause a positional shift in the thickness direction, and to promote the deformation such that they overlap each other in the direction of the thickness t. Such an action is further enhanced when the first edge portion 31 or the second edge portion 32 is formed in a tapered shape.

  In addition, when at least one of the first edge portion 31 and the second edge portion 32 is formed of the thin portion 31a or 32a, the thickness of the overlapping portion 35 is locally increased compared to other portions. Can be prevented. If the rigidity of the return portion 9 is locally increased, the resilience of the head 1 may be reduced, but this embodiment is useful for preventing such problems. In a particularly preferable aspect, it is desirable that the thickness of the overlapping portion 35 is substantially the same as the thickness t of the plate-like member 20.

  It is desirable that the thin portions 31a and 32a of the first edge portion 31 or the second edge portion 32 are processed at the same time when the plate member 20 is cut out from the metal plate, for example. This is easily realized, for example, by processing a tapered surface or the like in a punching die when the plate-like member 20 is punched from a metal plate.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 5, each of the thin portions 31 a and 32 a of the first edge portion 31 and the second edge portion 32 is flat on one surface, and only the other surface is a slope. And it is piled up so that slopes may mutually contact. Thereby, the change in the thickness of the overlapping portion 35 can be further suppressed. As another embodiment, it goes without saying that the thin-walled portions 31a and 31b may be formed with inclined surfaces on both sides.

  For example, a welding process is performed after the pressing process. In the welding process, as shown in FIG. 11, the first edge portion 31 and the second edge portion 32 are securely fixed by welding while maintaining the overlapping portion 35 in the return portion 9. Further, after the welding process, the excessively accumulated molten metal 36 is removed by, for example, polishing, and the surface of the return portion 9 is smoothly formed.

  As described above, the overlapping portion 35 can substantially eliminate the discontinuity portion of the metal material of the plate-like member 20 with the slit 25 as a boundary in the return portion 9 of the face member 7. The face member 7 obtained by the manufacturing method of the present embodiment is a molten metal added by welding from the crown portion 3 side to the side portion 5 side in the toe side corner portion 30 of the return portion 9 shown in FIG. The material itself can be substantially continuous. Therefore, such a face member 7 can effectively suppress damage in the vicinity of the slit 25, and can exhibit excellent durability.

  In order to enhance the above action, as shown in FIG. 10, the width W1 (maximum value) of the overlapping width 35 between the first edge portion 31 and the second edge portion 32 is preferably about 2.0 to 7.0 mm. Is desirable. Further, as in the present embodiment, it is desirable that the overlapping portion 35 is formed in the entire range of the return portion 9. As one embodiment, there is an aspect in which the width W of the overlapping portion 35 gradually increases from the face portion 2 side toward the head body 8 side. However, as an embodiment of the present invention, there may be a mode in which the width W of the overlapping portion 35 gradually increases from the head body 8 side toward the face portion 2 side. In this case, the durability in the vicinity of the point P where stress tends to concentrate and bends well is improved.

  FIG. 12 shows another embodiment of the plate-like member 20. In this embodiment, the slit 25 terminates before the outer peripheral edge 24 of the plate-like member 20. Even in such an embodiment, the slit 25 provides a clearance for the deformation of the first edge portion 31 and the second edge portion 32 at the time of press working, and the first edge portion 31 and the second edge portion 32 are provided in the slit 25. Can be stacked on each other in the thickness direction. In this embodiment, the joint portion 26 exists on the outer peripheral edge 24 side of the slit 25. The joint portion 26 is deformed into a burr at the time of pressing, and can be cut off thereafter.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described in detail, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to the said specific embodiment, It can change and implement in a various aspect.

  In order to confirm the effect of the present invention, a durability test was performed on 20 samples (Examples) of wood-type golf club heads manufactured according to the manufacturing method described in FIGS. For comparison, the slit width of the plate-like member is processed to be larger than that of the embodiment, and the first edge portion and the second edge portion are simply abutted without overlapping each other at the time of pressing (others The same durability test was conducted on 20 samples (comparative examples) in the same process as in the example. The contents of the test are as follows.

<Specifications of golf club head>
Head volume: 180cc
Face member material: HT1770M (Nisshin Steel)
The length of the return part to the back of the head: 10mm
Return thickness: 1.2mm
Overlap width W1: 3.0mm

<Content of durability test>
A golf club was prototyped by attaching a club shaft to each golf club head. Next, a continuous impact test was performed using a swing robot under the following conditions. The number of hit balls until the face part and the return part were damaged was measured.
Head speed: 49m / s
Club length: 43 inches

<Test results>
As a result of the test, when the average number of hits of the 20 samples of the comparative example was 100, the average number of hits of the 20 samples of the example was 130.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Golf club head 2 Face part 2a Face 7 Face member 9 Return part 20 Plate-like member 21 Return part plan part 22 Face part plan part 23 Peripheral edge 24 Plan part plan part outer edge 25 Slit 31 First edge part 32 Second edge portion 35 Overlap portion

Claims (9)

A method for manufacturing a golf club head using a substantially cup-shaped metal face member integrally including a face portion for hitting a ball and a return portion bent at the periphery of the face portion and extending rearward of the head Because
A preparation step of preparing a metal plate-like member including a return portion planned portion processed into the return portion and a face portion planned portion processed into the face portion;
A pressing step of plastically deforming the plate-shaped member into the substantially cup-shaped face member,
The preparation step includes a step of forming at least one slit extending from the vicinity of the periphery of the face portion planned portion toward the outer periphery of the plate-like member in the return portion planned portion,
In the golf club head, the pressing step is to deform the first edge portion and the second edge portion of the return portion scheduled portion divided by the slit so as to overlap each other in the thickness direction. Production method.   2. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the preparing step includes a step of forming at least one of the first edge portion and the second edge portion with a thickness smaller than other portions of the return portion scheduled portion. Manufacturing method.   2. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the preparing step includes a step of forming both the first edge portion and the second edge portion with a thickness smaller than other portions of the return portion scheduled portion. Production method.   4. The method of manufacturing a golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the slit extends to the outer peripheral edge of the plate-like member. 5.   4. The method of manufacturing a golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the slit is terminated before the outer peripheral edge of the plate-like member. 5.   The golf club head manufacturing method according to claim 4, wherein the width of the slit gradually increases toward the outer peripheral edge. A golf club head in which a metal face member and a head body are joined,
The face member has a substantially cup shape integrally including a face portion for hitting a ball and a return portion that is bent at the periphery of the face portion and extends rearward of the head,
The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein at least part of the return portion includes an overlapping portion in which the first edge portion and the second edge portion are overlapped with each other in the thickness direction.   8. The golf club head according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the first edge portion and the second edge portion has a thin portion having a smaller thickness than other portions of the return portion.   The golf club head according to claim 7, wherein both the first edge portion and the second edge portion have a thin portion having a thickness smaller than that of the other portion of the return portion.

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