Golf club made of a bulk-solidifying amorphous metal

Abstract

A golf club is made of a club shaft and a club head. Either the club shaft or the club head is made at least in part of a bulk-solidifying amorphous metal. A preferred bulk-solidifying amorphous metal has a composition, in atomic percent, of from about 45 to about 67 percent total of zirconium plus titanium, from about 10 to about 35 percent beryllium, and from about 10 to about 38 percent total of copper plus nickel, plus incidental impurities, the total of the percentages being 100 atomic percent. The weights of the various club heads of a set, which have different volumes, may be established by varying the compositions and thence the densities of the bulk-solidifying amorphous alloys.

1 . A golf club, comprising: 
 a club shaft; and    a club head,    at least one of the club shaft and the club head being made at least in part of a bulk-solidifying amorphous metal that may be cooled from the melt at a cooling rate of about 500° C. per second or less, yet retain an amorphous structure.    
   
   
       2 . The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein at least a part of the club shaft is made of a bulk-solidifying amorphous metal.  
   
   
       3 . The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein at least a part of the club head is made of a bulk-solidifying amorphous metal.  
   
   
       4 . The golf club of  claim 3 , wherein the golf club head is a driver club head.  
   
   
       5 . The golf club of  claim 3 , wherein the golf club head is an iron club head.  
   
   
       6 . The golf club of  claim 3 , wherein the golf club head is a putter club head.  
   
   
       7 . The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein the club head has a club head face made of a bulk-solidifying amorphous metal.  
   
   
       8 . The golf club of  claim 7 , wherein the club head face has a thickness of less than about 2.5 millimeters.  
   
   
       9 . The golf club of  claim 7 , wherein the club head face has a thickness of from about 1.5 to about 2.0 millimeters.  
   
   
       10 . The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein the bulk-solidifying amorphous metal has a composition, in atomic percent, of from about 45 to about 67 percent total of zirconium plus titanium, from about 10 to about 35 percent beryllium, and from about 10 to about 38 percent total of copper plus nickel, plus incidental impurities, the total of the percentages being 100 atomic percent.  
   
   
       11 . The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein the bulk-solidifying amorphous metal has a composition, in atomic percent, of from about 25 to about 85 percent total of zirconium and hafnium, from about 5 to about 35 percent aluminum, and from about 5 to about 70 percent total of nickel, copper, iron, cobalt, and manganese, plus incidental impurities, the total of the percentages being 100 atomic percent.  
   
   
       12 . The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein the bulk-solidifying amorphous alloy exhibits substantially no plastic deformation when loaded to about 80 percent of its fracture strength.  
   
   
       13 . The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein the bulk-solidifying amorphous alloy has an elastic strain limit of at least about 1.5 percent strain.  
   
   
       14 . The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein the bulk-solidifying amorphous alloy has a strength-to-density ratio of at least about 1×10 6  inches.  
   
   
       15 . A golf club, comprising: 
 a club shaft; and    a club head attached to the club shaft,    wherein at least part of the club head is made of a bulk-solidifying amorphous metal that may be cooled from the melt at a cooling rate of about 500° C. per second or less, yet retain an amorphous structure.    
   
   
       16 . The golf club of  claim 15 , wherein the bulk-solidifying amorphous metal has a composition, in atomic percent, of from about 45 to about 67 percent total of zirconium plus titanium, from about 10 to about 35 percent beryllium, and from about 10 to about 38 percent total of copper plus nickel, plus incidental impurities, the total of the percentages being 100 atomic percent.  
   
   
       17 . The golf club of  claim 15 , wherein the bulk-solidifying amorphous metal has a composition, in atomic percent, of from about 25 to about 85 percent total of zirconium and hafnium, from about 5 to about 35 percent aluminum, and from about 5 to about 70 percent total of nickel, copper, iron, cobalt, and manganese, plus incidental impurities, the total of the percentages being 100 atomic percent.  
   
   
       18 . A golf club, comprising: 
 a club shaft; and    a driver club head attached to the club shaft,    wherein at least part of the driver club head is made of a bulk-solidifying amorphous metal that may be cooled from the melt at a cooling rate of about 500° C. per second or less, yet retain an amorphous structure.    
   
   
       19 . The golf club of  claim 18 , wherein the bulk-solidifying amorphous metal has a composition, in atomic percent, of from about 45 to about 67 percent total of zirconium plus titanium, from about 10 to about 35 percent beryllium, and from about 10 to about 38 percent total of copper plus nickel, plus incidental impurities, the total of the percentages being 100 atomic percent.  
   
   
       20 . The golf club of  claim 18 , wherein the bulk-solidifying amorphous metal has a composition, in atomic percent, of from about 25 to about 85 percent total of zirconium and hafnium, from about 5 to about 35 percent aluminum, and from about 5 to about 70 percent total of nickel, copper, iron, cobalt, and manganese, plus incidental impurities, the total of the percentages being 100 atomic percent.