JP3106103B2 - Golf club head - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a golf club head in which a head body is formed of metal, an inner layer is formed by plating the head body, and a PVD (Physic) is formed on the inner layer.
al Vapor Deposition) By forming the intermediate layer and outer layer by coating method to form a three-layer surface treatment layer,
The purpose is to improve the wear resistance and feeling of the head body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, steel, stainless steel, copper alloy, titanium, titanium alloy, tungsten alloy, and other materials have been used as metal heads such as iron heads, metal wood heads, and putters, and the head body itself has been used. Manufactured by forging or lost wax casting. And
As a surface treatment of these head bodies, a case where the surface is polished with a metal material and used as it is, a nickel-chrome plating or a baking coating is generally applied. Further, as disclosed in JP-A-59-69084, the frictional resistance with the golf ball at the time of hitting the ball is increased to increase the spin rate of the golf ball,
By simultaneously spraying ceramic powder and metal powder on the surface of the head body for the purpose of improving the flight distance, 5
A head provided with a thermal spray coating having a thickness of 0 to 200 μm is already known.

In the conventionally known surface treatment of the head body, the head body comes into contact with the ground or the like at the time of hitting the ball, so that the surface treatment layer or the head body of the head body is inevitably scraped off by sand or gravel or the like. Stick on,
There were drawbacks such as denting (depression) and rust.
Further, in the head which has been subjected to the surface treatment of the thermal spray coating disclosed in JP-A-59-69084, the thickness of the thermal spray coating is large and the surface roughness is rough, so that the surface of the golf ball is easily scratched. The point that it reduces durability,
There was a problem that the sprayed coating itself was easily peeled off.

In recent years, iron heads and metal wood heads made of titanium or titanium alloy having a low specific gravity have been distributed on the market. In the case of these head bodies, in order to further improve wear resistance, For example, as shown in FIG.
On a titanium alloy head body 6A, titanium nitride (T
iN), a titanium nitride (TiN) coating layer 7 is formed by an ion plating method, which is a kind of PVD coating method, and a kind of alkali silicate glass coating layer is further formed on the titanium nitride (TiN) coating layer 7. A head 6 coated with 8 is also known.

[0005] Similarly, as shown in FIG. 5, a nickel-chromium plating layer 10 is formed on a steel head body 9A in order to further improve the wear resistance. Titanium nitride (TiN) coating layer 1 on which titanium nitride (TiN) is coated by ion plating
The head 9 formed with 1 is also known.

[0006]

However, these known titanium alloy or steel head bodies have improved wear resistance as compared with conventional surface treatments, but still have the following improvements. There was a point. That is, a titanium nitride (TiN) coating layer 7 is formed on the titanium alloy head body 6A by ion plating.
Is formed on the titanium nitride (TiN) coating layer 7 and a kind of glass coating layer 8 of alkali silicate is coated on the titanium nitride (TiN) coating layer 7, the initial wear resistance is good, but the alkali silicate Is also shaved off by contact with sand or gravel at the time of hitting, and then the titanium nitride (TiN) coating layer 7 is also shaved off by contact with sand or gravel. Differences in color tone are conspicuous at the interface between the coating layer 8 and the underlying titanium nitride (TiN) coating layer 7 and the base body of the head body 6A,
There was a problem that a golfer would feel uncomfortable.

On the other hand, a nickel-chromium plating layer 10 is formed on the latter steel head body 9A, and a titanium nitride (TiN) coating layer 11 is formed on the nickel-chromium plating layer 10. Has good wear resistance, but when the thickness of the titanium nitride (TiN) coating layer 11 is small or the thickness of the nickel-chromium plating layer 10 is small, the moisture is reduced to the titanium nitride (TiN) coating layer 11. It penetrated the nickel-chromium plating layer 10, penetrated these two layers, reached the steel head body 9A, corroded the steel head body 9A, and had the possibility of generating rust. In addition, the titanium nitride (TiN) coating layer 11 is also scraped off by contact with sand or gravel when hitting, and a part of the inner nickel-chromium plating layer 10 is exposed. However, there is a problem in that the address causes a sense of incongruity when addressing. Therefore, it has been desired to further improve the wear resistance of the head main body and maintain the appearance of the head main body in a good condition.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to achieve the above object. That is, the head body of the golf club head is formed of a metal material, the head body is plated to form an inner layer, and an intermediate layer containing titanium nitride (TiN) or titanium carbide as a main component is formed on the inner layer. And forming titanium carbide nitride (TiC) on the intermediate layer.
A golf club head having a surface treatment layer having a three-layer structure by forming an outer layer containing N) as a main component.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a head body of a golf club head is formed of a metal material, the head body is plated to form an inner layer, and a nitride layer is formed on the inner layer. A three-layer structure is formed by forming an intermediate layer mainly containing titanium (TiN) or titanium carbide (TiC) and forming an outer layer mainly containing titanium carbonitride (TiCN) on the intermediate layer. A golf club head having a surface treatment layer of

[0010]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a golf club head according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
The head body 1A is formed of a metal material, and the head body 1A is plated to form an inner layer 2. Titanium nitride (TiN) is formed on the inner layer 2 by an ion plating method.
Alternatively, a film mainly composed of titanium carbide (TiC) is formed to form the intermediate layer 3, and a film mainly composed of titanium carbonitride (TiCN) is formed on the intermediate layer 3 to form the outer layer 4. This constitutes a golf club head 1 having a surface treatment layer 5 having a layer structure.

Further, the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 3, a head body 1A is formed of a metal material, and the head body 1A is plated to form an inner layer 2. On the inner layer 2, titanium nitride (TiN) or titanium carbide (Ti
C) to form an intermediate layer 3 having a thickness of 1.2 μm to 4.5 μm as a main component, and further form a coating mainly composed of titanium carbonitride (TiCN) on the intermediate layer 3. The golf club head 1 has a three-layer surface treatment layer 5 as the outer layer 4.

Further, the head main body 1A is plated with the head main body 1A to form an inner layer 2, and titanium nitride (TiN) or titanium carbide (TiC) is mainly formed on the inner layer 2 by an ion plating method. Intermediate layer 3 of the film as a component
The thickness is most preferably about 1.5 μm to 2.5 μm in consideration of manufacturing cost, adhesion, abrasion resistance, and color tone stability.
If the practical thickness of the surface treatment is about 2.2 μm, the effect can be sufficiently exerted in terms of adhesion, abrasion resistance, scratch resistance and corrosion resistance. When the thickness of the coating increases, the scratch resistance increases almost in proportion. However, when the thickness of the coating is 4.5 μm or more, the production cost becomes too high, and the rate of improvement of the characteristic value decreases. Thickness is not something that is good. Also, conversely, the coating thickness is
At about 1.0 μm, there remains a problem in terms of wear resistance and scratch resistance.

The thickness of the outer layer 4 composed mainly of titanium carbonitride (TiCN) formed on the intermediate layer 3 of the head body 1A may be 0.5 μm to 1.0 μm. The thickness of the outer layer 4 containing titanium carbonitride (TiCN) as a main component is most preferably 0.6 μm or more in consideration of manufacturing cost, adhesion, abrasion resistance and color tone stability. If it is about 0.9 μm, the performance as a golf club head can be maintained.

The metal material constituting the head body (iron head, metal wood head, putter, etc.) 1A of the present invention is steel, stainless steel, carbon steel, copper, copper alloy, beryllium copper alloy, pure titanium, titanium An alloy, a tungsten alloy, a magnesium alloy, a tantalum alloy, an amorphous alloy, or the like can be selected as needed.

With respect to the fact that the inner layer 2 is formed by plating the head body of the present invention, the plating is generally performed by nickel plating, double nickel (nickel-nickel) plating, nickel-chrome plating, hard chrome plating, or the like. It can be used after forming an excellent plating film. The plating used in the present invention and the thickness of the coating are 5 μm in nickel plating and double nickel plating.
It may be about 25 μm. In the case of nickel-chromium plating, the thickness of the nickel plating film may be about 5 to 25 μm, and in the case of the present invention, it is most preferably about 15 μm, while the thickness of the chromium plating film is 3 μm.
m to 20 μm, and in the case of the present invention, 5
About μm is the most preferable. In addition, in the case of hard chrome plating, it is sufficient that the thickness is about 3 μm to 20 μm,
In the case of the present invention, about 15 μm is most preferable.

If the thickness of the nickel plating is less than 5 μm, problems remain in terms of wear resistance, scratch resistance and depression resistance, and if the thickness exceeds 25 μm, problems arise in mass productivity and manufacturing cost, and Then, delamination tends to occur. Also, as with nickel plating, if the thickness of chrome plating is less than 3 μm, problems remain in terms of wear resistance, scratch resistance, and sinking resistance,
If the thickness exceeds 20 μm, problems occur in mass productivity and manufacturing cost, and delamination tends to occur.

Further, the surface treatment layer formed on the head body according to the present invention can be formed by using a PVD coating method. The PVD coating method includes a vacuum deposition method, an ion plating method, and a sputtering method. Of these, in particular, by using an ion plating method (Mattox method), titanium (Ti) as an evaporating substance and nitrogen (N
₂ ), ethylene (C ₂ H ₄ ), acetylene (C ₂ H ₂ )
By selecting the type of reactive gas, such as titanium nitride (TiN), titanium carbide (TiC), and titanium carbonitride (TiCN), various color tones can be obtained, and color tone reproducibility is excellent. Also, since the uniformity of the film is good, the color tone is excellent in stability.

For example, in the case of titanium nitride (TiN), a color tone of gold to yellow is possible, and titanium carbide (TiN)
In C), silver to gray tones are possible. or,
In titanium carbonitride (TiCN), various color tones such as pink, blue, yellow, and gold are made possible by the concentration of the reactive gas and the difference in the mixing ratio.

Even when the surface condition of the head body is, for example, a mirror finish, a hairline finish, a honing finish, or the like, a dense surface treatment layer may be formed so as to maintain the surface condition of the head body. Since it is possible, the appearance of the head body can be freely set.

Further, the adhesiveness to materials such as stainless steel, titanium, and titanium alloy is good, and the surface hardness and corrosion resistance are extremely good. In addition, since the film is formed in three layers over the details of the head body, the conventional The abrasion resistance of the head main body is improved as compared with the head, and the rust prevention effect is also produced.

Further, as another embodiment of the present invention, by using pure titanium or a titanium alloy for the head body and performing the surface treatment of the present invention, the material of the head body is light in weight, specific elasticity and specific strength. The golf club is suitable for intermediate and advanced golfers because the material is high in quality, which makes it easy to control the ball with good ball separation and improves the abrasion resistance and freedom of color tone. Is what you can do.

Furthermore, a golf club head having a three-layered surface treatment layer by plating and ion plating according to the present invention, and a comparative example of an untreated golf club head and a single-layer surface treatment by conventional ion plating Table 1 shows the results of tests for corrosion resistance and scratch resistance with a golf club head having a layer.

[0023]

[Table 1]

That is, as is clear from Table 1, in the salt spray test (spray of salt water of 3% concentration for 24 hours), rust was generated in the mirror-finished untreated product. No rust was generated in the case of the three-layer surface-treated layer formed by ion plating, in the case of an untreated product having a paint finish, or in the case of the conventional one-layer surface-treated layer formed by ion plating. Further, in the scratch resistance test, in the actual hitting test (3000 balls) of the golf ball and the polishing test with steel wool, no scratch was generated except for the unfinished product having a painted finish. However, in the most severe sanding ball actual hit test (50 balls), the surface treatment layer having a three-layer structure by plating and ion plating of the present invention was not damaged, but in the untreated product, Both the mirror-finished and the paint-finished ones suffered scratches, and the conventional one-layer surface-treated layer formed by ion plating also suffered scratches.

[0025]

As described above, in the golf club head of the present invention, the head body is plated to form an inner layer, and titanium nitride (Ti) is formed on the inner layer by a PVD method.
N) or a treatment layer containing titanium carbide (TiC) as a main component is formed as an intermediate layer, and then a treatment layer containing titanium carbonitride (TiCN) as a main component is similarly formed by PVD to form an outer layer. Since the golf club head is characterized by comprising a surface treatment layer having a three-layer structure of inner, inner, and outer layers, in particular, by using an ion plating method (Mattox method), titanium (Ti) as an evaporating substance is used. Nitrogen (N ₂ ), ethylene (C ₂ H ₄ ) and acetylene (C ₂ H ₂
) Can produce various colors such as gold to yellow, pink, and blue of titanium nitride (TiN), titanium carbide (TiC), and titanium carbonitride (TiCN). And the color tone is excellent in reproducibility and the uniformity of the film is good, so that the color tone is excellent in stability. For example, when the material of the head body is steel or stainless steel and the inner layer is nickel-chromium plating, if the intermediate layer of titanium carbide (TiC) is formed in accordance with the color tone of the head body, the color becomes silver to gray. It is also possible to select a color tone close to these with titanium carbonitride (TiCN).

Even if the surface condition of the head body is, for example, mirror finish, hairline finish, honing finish, etc., it is possible to form a dense surface treatment layer so as to maintain the surface condition of the head body. Since it is possible, the appearance of the head body can be freely set. In addition, it has good adhesion to materials such as stainless steel, titanium, and titanium alloys, and has extremely good surface hardness and corrosion resistance. In addition, the abrasion resistance, scratch resistance and depression resistance of the head body are remarkably improved, and a rust-preventing effect is also produced.

Further, as another embodiment of the present invention, by using pure titanium or a titanium alloy for the head body and performing the surface treatment of the present invention, the material of the head body is light in weight, specific elasticity and specific strength. The golf club is suitable for intermediate and advanced golfers because the material is high in quality, which makes it easy to control the ball with good ball separation and improves the abrasion resistance and freedom of color tone. Is what you can do.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a golf club head according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a surface treatment of the golf club head according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a surface treatment of the golf club head according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a surface treatment of a conventional golf club head.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a main part showing surface treatment of a conventional golf club head.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 golf club head 1A head body 2 inner layer 3 intermediate layer 4 outer layer 5 surface treatment layer 6 head 6A head body 7 titanium nitride (TiN) coating layer 8 glass coating layer 9 head 9A head body 10 nickel-chrome plating layer 11 titanium nitride ( TiN) coating layer

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Shinji Ikeda 2-25 Kita Industrial Park, Kitakami City, Iwate Pref. , A) Registered utility model 3028726 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A63B 53/04

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A head body of a golf club head is formed of a metal material, the head body is plated to form an inner layer, and titanium nitride (TiN) or titanium carbide (TiC) is mainly formed on the inner layer. A golf club head having a three-layer surface treatment layer by forming an intermediate layer as a component and forming an outer layer containing titanium carbonitride (TiCN) as a main component on the intermediate layer. . 2. The head body according to claim 1, wherein the inner layer of the plating is made of at least one of nickel plating and chromium plating, and the thickness of the nickel plating is 5 μm to 25 μm and the thickness of the chromium plating is 3 μm to 20 μm. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein 3. A head body comprising titanium nitride (TiN);
Alternatively, the intermediate layer mainly containing titanium carbide (TiC)
The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the thickness is from 1.2 μm to 4.5 μm. 4. A head body comprising titanium nitride (TiN);
Alternatively, the intermediate layer mainly containing titanium carbide (TiC)
The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the thickness is 1.5 μm to 2.5 μm. 5. A head body comprising titanium carbonitride (TiC)
The outer layer mainly composed of N) has a thickness of 0.5 μm to 1.0 μm.
The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of the golf club head is μm. 6. A head body comprising titanium carbonitride (TiC).
The outer layer mainly composed of N) has a thickness of 0.6 μm to 0.9 μm.
The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of the golf club head is μm.