JPH049063B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] This invention relates to fiber reinforced plastics (hereinafter referred to as
Regarding the method of molding the head of a wood golf club with an outer shell made of FRP (abbreviated as FRP) and metal, we have attempted to improve moldability and workability by devising the formation of the outer shell that makes up the head body. This is what I did.

In general, this type of wood club has a head body made of wood such as persimmon or maple that is processed into the desired shape, a face plate made of ABS resin or the like on the hitting surface, and a sole or back made of brass, etc. It is well known that a ball is provided with a mass body such as a sole plate or a back weight to increase inertia and increase flight distance.

However, such conventional wood club heads have become expensive due to the soaring cost of materials due to the difficulty in obtaining raw wood, and the sophistication of processing technology due to the complexity of the shape. A decline was inevitable.

Therefore, in view of the drawbacks of the so-called wooden club heads mentioned above, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 51-21436, an FRP outer shell structure in which the core of the head body is filled with foamed synthetic resin has been developed. A wood-type club head has been developed, but as is well known, there are various difficulties in its specific manufacture due to the complexity of the head shape, and at present it has not been put into practical use.

The object of the present invention is to embody the above-mentioned prior art manufacturing means and make it practical, and also to provide a novel method for molding a golf club head by combining it with metal.

The gist of this is that a hollow metal core that makes up the inner shell of the head body is supported and fixed on a rod-shaped jig that corresponds to the shaft of the clubshaft, and the surface of this metal core is coated with FRP molding material. It is characterized in that it is placed in the cavity of a mold made of split molds, the mold is clamped, and hot-press molding is performed.

The present invention will be explained below based on illustrated embodiments.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, numeral 1 in the figures is a hollow head body. The head body 1 is made of FRP
It has a composite outer shell layer structure of an outer shell layer 2 consisting of a metal material made of a light metal alloy and an inner shell layer 3 consisting of a metal material of a light metal alloy. It is inserted and fixed to the outer shell layer 2, and on the striking surface 1b.
A sole plate 6 made of a metal plate such as brass, and a mass body such as a back weight material 7 are arranged on the face plate 5 made of ABS resin or hardened FRP, the sole surface 1c, and the back surface 1d by manufacturing means described later. Fixed. In addition, 8 in the figure is a plug that closes the opening on the insertion end side of the club shaft 4 which is inserted and fixed into the neck base 1a of the head body 1, and 9 in the figure is a plug that protects the area around the neck base 1a of the head body. It is a protective body.

That is, in order to manufacture the above-mentioned wood club head, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, a rod-shaped jig 10 (in the illustrated embodiment, the club shaft itself is a rod-shaped jig) forming the club shaft shaft portion is used. (In this case, the protector 9 is inserted and fixed in advance to the portion corresponding to the base of the head of the clubshaft), and a hollow separately formed in the shape of the core that constitutes the inner shell of the head body metal core 11
is supported and fixed in a state in which the tip end of the rod-shaped jig tip 10a completely penetrates and protrudes toward the sole surface side. Next, an FRP molding material 12 made of prepreg (indicated by a broken line) is applied to the surface of the metal core 11.
After attaching or pasting and wrapping and covering (see Fig. 3), a gel coat layer (not shown) is applied together with a mold release agent having the shape of the outer periphery of the head of the mold 15 consisting of a pair of left and right split molds 13 and 14. The most extreme part 10a of the rod-shaped jig 10 is placed in the coated cavity 16, and the split molds 13 and 14 are formed during mold clamping.
After positioning and fixing with the clamping action of the protector mounting base, hot press molding is performed (see FIGS. 4 and 5). After the mold is released, the most extreme part 10 of the rod-shaped jig (club shaft) protrudes toward the sole surface of the head body 1.
The wood club head shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is obtained by cutting the hole a (see FIG. 6) and sealing the open end thereof.

By the way, the reinforcing fibers of the prepreg used as FRP molding materials are composed of an appropriate combination of carbon fiber, glass fiber, or Kevlar, or of carbon fiber or glass fiber used alone. By inserting reinforcing members such as the face plate, sole plate, and back weight mass body in appropriate places, it is possible to integrate the entire head body at the same time as thermoforming the head body. Further, during hot pressurization, liquid may be injected at high pressure into the hollow portion of the metal core to apply pressure from the core side, thereby reliably preventing deformation of the metal core. Furthermore, when perforating the metal core to adjust the overall weight or center of gravity, the core member is formed separately and the perforated metal core is coated on its surface by an appropriate means, and the core member is foamed. If it is plastic, it may remain as it is, while if it is a material that can be leached out, such as a low-melting metal, it can be discharged to the outside after release from the mold to make it hollow.

As explained above, the present invention involves coating the surface of a hollow metal core that makes up the inner shell of the head with an FRP molding material that makes up the outer shell of the head, and placing it in the cavity of a mold having the outer peripheral shape of the head. By pressing, a head body made of a composite outer shell of FRP and metal is obtained. This makes it possible to easily mold a complex wood club head, and the metal core that makes up the inner shell of the head can be easily molded. Since it plays the role of an inner mold, the finish is good, and it also has excellent practical effects, such as reducing costs by improving productivity and mass production.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing one embodiment of a wood club head for golf according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the same, and FIGS. 3 to 6 are explanatory views showing the manufacturing state. 1...Head body, 2...FRP outer shell layer, 3...
...Metal inner shell layer, 11...Metal core, 12...
Prepreg, 13, 14, 15...Mold, 16
... Cavity.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. On a rod-shaped jig corresponding to the shaft of the clubshaft,
A hollow metal core that constitutes the inner shell of the head body is supported and fixed, the surface of this metal core is coated with FRP molding material, it is placed in the cavity of a mold consisting of a split mold, and the mold is clamped and hot-press molded. A method for molding a wood club head for golf, which is characterized by: