JP3592170B2 - Golf club - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a golf club.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, shafts of golf clubs are becoming mainstream formed of fiber reinforced plastic (FRP), and such shafts are formed by winding a prepreg impregnated with a synthetic resin into a reinforcing fiber around a core bar, By heating this, the synthetic resin is cured, and thereafter, it is prepared through processes such as de-core, polishing, and painting.
[0003]
In such an FRP shaft, for example, as disclosed in JP-A 9-27738 Patent 9, head speed configuration can be improved head speed are also known for slow golfers. The golf club shaft disclosed in this publication uses a prepreg in which reinforcing fibers having a low elastic modulus (5 to 15 ton / mm ² ) are aligned in the axial length direction so as to be easily bent when a golfer swings. Yes.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, in the configuration using the prepreg made of the low elastic modulus reinforcing fiber, the flexure can be increased with high strength, but the vibration damping rate is reduced, so that the vibration remains immediately after hitting and a sense of flexibility is felt. It causes discomfort and gives an unreliable feeling. In other words, the impact at the time of hitting a ball causes a phenomenon that the tip part and the trunk part of the shaft are unnecessarily vibrated after hitting, that is, a so-called forward swing and trunk swing.
[0005]
The present invention has been made based on the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a golf club having a structure with high strength, large bending, and excellent shot feel.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a golf club having a shaft formed by winding a prepreg in which a reinforcing fiber is impregnated with a synthetic resin, wherein the shaft is at least a part of its axial length direction. in a low-elasticity layer by prepreg modulus comprises the reinforcing fibers 5~15tonf / mm ^2, this have a metal layer low elasticity layer is disposed at a position that is present, the low-elasticity layer, the metal It is characterized by being longer than the length of the layer .
[0007]
As described above, by disposing a low elastic layer in at least a part of the axial length direction, the shaft is easily bent, and by disposing a metal layer in a region where such a low elastic layer is present. The vibration transmitted to the portion that is easily bent due to the impact at the time of hitting the ball is effectively attenuated.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.
FIG. 1 is a view showing an embodiment of a golf club according to the present invention, and is a perspective view of a wood type golf club.
[0009]
The golf club 1 includes a hollow shaft 10, a head 50 attached to the distal end of the shaft 10, and a grip 60 attached to the proximal end side of the shaft 10.
[0010]
The shaft 10 winds a prepreg impregnated with a thermosetting resin such as an epoxy resin, a phenol resin, or a polyester or a synthetic resin such as a thermoplastic resin around a reinforcing fiber such as a carbon fiber, a glass fiber, an alumina fiber, or a boron fiber. As shown in FIG. 2, it is formed into a tapered shape that gradually decreases in diameter from the grip side (right side in the figure) toward the head mounting side (left side in the figure). In the present invention, the shape of the shaft is not limited. For example, a sharp taper is provided in the middle portion, a taper different in the axial length direction is combined, or the tapered portion and the straight portion are combined. May be. In the figure, symbol L indicates the total length of the shaft, and symbol L1 indicates the length from the shaft tip to the kick point (K.P.).
[0011]
3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating a specific configuration of the shaft 10, in which FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating an arrangement example of prepregs to be wound, and FIG. 3B is a stacked structure of prepregs according to FIG. FIG.
[0012]
The shaft 10 is formed by winding a plurality of prepregs around a core metal M, and thereafter performing processes such as tightening by taping, heat curing, core metal removal, tape removal, and polishing. In the cored bar M shown in the figure, different taper portions P1 and P3 are formed in the tip region and a region from the center to the rear end, respectively, and a steep taper portion P2 is formed therebetween, and the taper portion P3 The rear end side is substantially straight. According to such an outer shape of the metal core, a taper corresponding to the metal core is formed on the finally formed shaft.
[0013]
In the configuration shown in FIG. 3A, the prepreg 11 is wound around the cored bar M in order from the taper portion P2, and the prepregs 12 to 14 are wound over the entire cored bar. From above, a prepreg 15 that is longer than the prepreg 11 is wound in the front region in the axial direction, and the prepreg 16 is wound in the rear region so as to coincide with the rear end of the prepreg 15; and A reinforcing prepreg 17 is wound from above the prepreg 15 to the front end portion in the axial length direction.
[0014]
Here, the configuration of each prepreg wound as described above will be described.
[0015]
[Prepreg 11]
The prepreg 11 is made of woven fabric in which glass fibers are woven into a prepreg 11a (metal prepreg) in which metal fibers formed of titanium, iron, tungsten, copper, aluminum, etc. are aligned in a substantially axial direction and impregnated with a synthetic resin. A prepreg 11b (glass prepreg) impregnated with a synthetic resin is lined, and when actually wound, a metal layer 11L is formed as shown in FIG. 3B.
[0016]
In this case, the prepreg 11 (the metal layer 11L) is located on the front end side of the shaft, particularly on the front side of the kick point (K.P.) shown in FIG. 2, so that vibration transmitted from the head side after hitting can be effectively suppressed. It is desirable to wind. Specifically, when the length of the prepreg 11 is L2, it is desirable that L2 <L1. However, if L2 is too short, a sufficient attenuation effect cannot be obtained, so it is desirable that L2 be 100 mm or more.
[0017]
The metal prepreg 11a is formed to a thickness of 0.04 to 0.30 mm, preferably 0.07 to 0.20 mm, and the resin impregnation amount is 20 to 60 wt%, preferably 30 to 45 wt%. The glass prepreg 11b has a thickness of 0.01 to 0.20 mm, preferably 0.02 to 0.15 mm, and a resin impregnation amount of 20 to 60 wt%, preferably 25 to 45 wt%. . And the prepreg 11 of such superposition | polymerization structure is formed so that the frequency | count of winding may be 0.9-3.0.
[0018]
In the present embodiment, the metal layer 11L is located in the innermost layer of the shaft, the metal prepreg is exposed on the inner surface, and depending on the metal material used, problems such as corrosion occur, so the glass prepreg 11b is polymerized. However, if the metal layer is positioned other than the innermost layer of the shaft, the metal prepreg may be wound alone without polymerizing the glass prepreg.
[0019]
Further, the metal layer is disposed so as to attenuate the vibration of the shaft that occurs after the ball is hit. If such an effect is obtained, the configuration for forming the metal layer can be variously modified. . For example, a metal sheet made of the above-mentioned material is woven, and a prepreg impregnated with a synthetic resin, such as prepreg, titanium, aluminum, copper, iron, nickel, etc., is a thin sheet having a thickness of about 0.01 to 0.20 mm. Wrapped in such a shape, a thin metal sheet formed with a large number of through holes and meshed (may be a prepreg impregnated with a synthetic resin), or a prepreg impregnated with metal powder It may be formed.
[0020]
In this case, if the metal layer has a mesh structure as described above, the metal material does not extend straight in the axial length direction, so that an increase in bending rigidity can be suppressed. Moreover, such a mesh structure is lightweight and excellent in damping properties, and it becomes possible to suppress peeling between layers. In addition, when forming the above-mentioned through-holes, the shape, dimensions, directionality, etc. of the holes can be appropriately modified.
[0021]
[Prepreg 12]
The prepreg 12 is formed by aligning carbon fibers substantially in the circumferential direction and impregnating the carbon fiber with a synthetic resin (circumferential prepreg), and when actually wound, as shown in FIG. Then, the circumferential layer 12L is formed. In this way, by forming the circumferential layer over the entire length of the shaft, a shaft structure that is less likely to be crushed or broken can be obtained. The position where such a circumferential layer is disposed is arbitrary and can be omitted.
[0022]
The circumferential prepreg 12 has a thickness of 0.01 to 0.10 mm, preferably 0.02 to 0.04 mm, and a resin impregnation amount of 20 to 50 wt%, preferably 30 to 40 wt%. . The carbon fiber used has an elastic modulus of 10 to 60 tonf / mm ² , preferably 20 to 40 tonf / mm ² . And the circumferential direction prepreg 12 of such a structure is formed so that the frequency | count of winding may be set to 1.0-2.0.
[0023]
[Prepreg 13]
The prepreg 13 is configured by stacking two inclined prepregs 13a and 13b so that the aligned carbon fiber directions are inclined in two directions of ± 45 ° with respect to the axial length direction (inclination). Direction prepreg), when actually wound, the oblique layer 13L is formed as shown in FIG. 3 (b). The prepregs 13a and 13b are preliminarily polymerized so as to be shifted by about a half ply so that they are wound alternately. Thus, by forming the oblique layer over the entire length of the shaft, a shaft structure with improved torsional rigidity can be obtained. In addition, the position where such a diagonal layer is arrange | positioned is arbitrary.
[0024]
Each of the inclined prepregs 13a and 13b has a thickness of 0.02 to 0.20 mm, preferably 0.04 to 0.15 mm, and a resin impregnation amount of 20 to 40 wt%, preferably 24 to 35 wt%. Is done. The carbon fiber used has an elastic modulus of 24 to 70 tonf / mm ² , preferably 30 to 50 tonf / mm ² . The oblique prepreg 13 having such a structure is formed so that the number of windings is 1.0 to 6.0. The alignment direction of the carbon fibers of the prepregs 13a and 13b is preferably + 45 ° and −45 °, respectively. However, the same effect can be obtained when + 45 ° ± 15 ° and −45 ° ± 15 °, respectively. It is possible to obtain.
[0025]
[Prepreg 14]
The prepreg 14 is formed by aligning carbon fibers substantially in the axial length direction and impregnating this with a synthetic resin (axial prepreg), and when actually wound, it is shown in FIG. Thus, the axial length direction layer 14L is formed.
[0026]
In this case, the axial direction prepreg 14 is formed with a thickness of 0.05 to 0.25 mm, preferably 0.07 to 0.16 mm, and a resin impregnation amount of 20 to 40 wt%, preferably 24 to 35 wt%. Is done. The carbon fiber used has an elastic modulus of 20 to 50 tonf / mm ² , preferably 24 to 40 tonf / mm ² . And the axial length direction prepreg 14 of such a structure is formed so that the winding number may be set to 1.0-3.0.
[0027]
In this way, by forming the axial length direction layer 14L by the prepreg having the above-described structure over the entire length of the shaft, a highly elastic and high strength shaft structure can be obtained. In addition, the position where such an axial length direction layer 14L is arrange | positioned is arbitrary.
[0028]
[Prepreg 15]
The prepreg 15 is a carbon fiber having a low elastic modulus, specifically, a carbon fiber having an elastic modulus of 15 tonf / mm ² or less, preferably 5 to 15 tonf / mm ² is aligned in a substantially axial direction, and a synthetic resin is arranged on this. It is formed by impregnation (low elastic prepreg), and when actually wound, a low elastic layer 15L is formed as shown in FIG. 3 (b). By disposing the low elastic layer in this way, it is possible to obtain a golf club that is high in strength but large in bending.
[0029]
In this case, the low elastic layer 15L may be disposed over the entire length of the shaft, but is desirably disposed over a range from the front end of the shaft to a little rearward of the kick point (K.P.). By disposing the low elastic layer in such a range, the front end side of the shaft is easily bent at the time of hitting, and the ball can be hit highly. Such an effect can be obtained by disposing the low-elasticity layer on at least a part within a range of a half length of the entire shaft length L from the head mounting side of the shaft.
[0030]
The low elastic layer 15L smoothes the bending curve of the shaft and further prevents damage due to stress concentration. Therefore, the distance from the shaft tip is preferably longer than the length L2 of the metal layer 11L. Further, the low elastic layer 15L has a strong influence on the flexibility, so it is preferable to arrange the low elastic layer 15L on the outer layer side, and the metal layer 11L is arranged on the inner layer side having a small cross-sectional area in order to reduce the weight. Is good. Further, by disposing the metal layer on the inner layer side with respect to the low elastic layer, the influence on the above-described flexibility is reduced.
[0031]
The low elastic prepreg 15 has a thickness of 0.05 to 0.20 mm, preferably 0.07 to 0.16 mm, and a resin impregnation amount of 20 to 45 wt%, preferably 25 to 38 wt%. Is done. And the low elastic prepreg 15 of such a structure is formed so that the frequency | count of winding may be 1.0-3.0.
[0032]
[Prepreg 16]
The prepreg 16 is a carbon fiber high modulus than the prepreg 15, specifically, the elastic modulus 16~60tonf / mm ^2, aligned preferably pulls the carbon fiber 24~46tonf / mm ² in a substantially axial length direction This is formed by impregnating with a synthetic resin (high elastic prepreg), and when actually wound, as shown in FIG. 3B, the high elastic layer 16L adjacent to the low elastic layer 15L is formed. Form. In this case, the high elastic layer 16L may be disposed over the entire length of the shaft, but by being disposed on the rear side adjacent to the low elastic layer 15L, the rigidity on the rear side of the shaft is increased and the front side is increased. The golf club can be easily bent on the side.
[0033]
The above highly elastic prepreg 16 has a thickness of 0.05 to 0.20 mm, preferably 0.07 to 0.16 mm, and a resin impregnation amount of 20 to 40 wt%, preferably 24 to 35 wt%. Is done. And the low elastic prepreg 16 of such a structure is formed so that the frequency | count of winding may be set to 1.0-3.0.
[0034]
[Prepreg 17]
The prepreg 17 is arranged to reinforce the portion to which the head is mounted, and is formed by aligning carbon fibers in a substantially axial length direction and impregnating this with a synthetic resin (reinforcing prepreg). When wound around, a reinforcing layer 17L is formed as shown in FIG. 3 (b). In this case, the reinforcing prepreg 17 has a thickness of 0.05 to 0.20 mm, preferably 0.07 to 0.15 mm, and a resin impregnation amount of 24 to 40 wt%, preferably 30 to 35 wt%. . The carbon fiber used has an elastic modulus of 5 to 40 tonf / mm ² , preferably 15 to 30 tonf / mm ² .
[0035]
According to the shaft structure formed by winding the prepreg having the above-described configuration, the golf club has a high strength and is easy to bend on the tip side, and a metal layer is disposed in a region where the flexure is large. Therefore, the vibration generated at the time of hitting the ball is effectively damped, and a golf club having a good shot feeling can be obtained. That is, it is possible to obtain a golf club with a good shot feeling that does not cause a run-out or a run-out after hitting.
[0036]
FIG. 3 merely shows an example of the shaft structure. Regarding each prepreg for forming the shaft, the configuration such as the number of sheets to be used, the number of windings, the thickness, the type of reinforcing fiber, the amount of resin impregnation, etc. Various changes can be made according to the required characteristics. In the above-described configuration, aligning the reinforcing fibers in the substantially circumferential direction includes a range of 90 ° ± 10 ° with respect to the shaft core, and aligning the reinforcing fibers in the approximately axial length direction refers to the shaft core. In contrast, a range of 0 ° ± 10 ° is included.
[0037]
Next, a modification of the above-described embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In this modification, the same parts as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.
[0038]
In this modification, a circumferential prepreg 20 having substantially the same configuration as that of the prepreg 12 is provided on the prepregs 15 and 16 having the above-described configuration, and an axial length direction prepreg 21 having substantially the same configuration as that of the prepreg 14 is provided thereon. The second circumferential direction layer 20L and the second axial length direction layer 21L are disposed by winding.
[0039]
As described above, in the golf club having a high vibration damping effect as described above, the second circumferential direction layer 20L is further provided to enhance the reinforcing effect against crushing and cracking, and further the second axial length direction layer. By disposing 21L, the rigidity of the entire shaft can be increased.
[0040]
In addition, the whole shaft can also be made into the structure which becomes easy further by using a low elastic thing for the reinforcing fiber of the axial direction prepreg 21. FIG.
[0041]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, although the golf club has a high strength and a large bending, unpleasant vibration generated immediately after hitting a ball is immediately attenuated, and a golf club having a structure excellent in hit feeling is obtained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a view showing an embodiment of a golf club according to the present invention, and is a perspective view of a wood type golf club.
FIG. 2 is a view showing a shaft of the golf club of FIG.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating a specific configuration of a shaft, wherein FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating an arrangement example of prepregs to be wound, and FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating a laminated structure of prepregs according to FIG. .
4A and 4B are diagrams showing a modification of the shaft shown in FIG. 3, wherein FIG. 4A is a diagram showing an example of arrangement of prepregs to be wound, and FIG. 4B is a laminated structure of prepregs according to FIG. FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 golf club 10 shaft 11L metal layer 15L low elastic layer M cored bar

Claims (4)

In a golf club having a shaft formed by winding a prepreg impregnated with a synthetic resin in a reinforcing fiber,
The shaft has a low elastic layer made of a prepreg having a reinforcing fiber having an elastic modulus of 5 to 15 tonf / mm ² at least partly in the axial length direction, and a metal layer disposed at a position where the low elastic layer exists. have a, the low-elasticity layer, a golf club, characterized in that longer than the length of the metal layer. The golf club according to claim 1, wherein the metal layer is disposed inside the low elastic layer. The golf club according to claim 1, wherein the metal layer is configured by winding a sheet formed in a mesh shape. 4. The low-elasticity layer and the metal layer are disposed in at least a part of a range of a half length of the entire length of the shaft from the head mounting side of the shaft. The golf club described in the item.

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