GOLF BALL LAYERS BASED ON POLYALKENAMER / IONOMER / POLYAMIDE BLENDS
Multi-piece golf balls containing a core of at least one layer and cover of at least one layer are provided. At least one component is formed from a rubber composition comprising: i) about 10 to about 65 weight percent of a cycloalkene rubber having a trans-content of about 55% or greater and a melting point of 30° C. or greater; ii) about 30 to about 80 weight percent of an ionomeric resin; and 3) about 5 to about 40 weight percent of a polyamide. The rubber composition may further include other thermoplastic and thermosetting materials such as, for example, polybutadiene, polyisoprene, ethylene propylene rubber, ethylene propylene diene rubber, and styrene-butadiene rubber. The rubber composition helps improve resiliency, durability, scuff-resistance, and feel of the ball.
1 . A golf ball, comprising a solid core of at least one layer and cover of at least one layer, wherein at least one of the core or cover layers is formed from a rubber composition comprising: i) about 10 to about 65 weight percent of a cycloalkene rubber having a trans-content of about 55% or greater and a melting point of 30° C. or greater; ii) about 30 to about 80 weight percent of an ionomeric resin; and 3) about 5 to about 40 weight percent of a polyamide.
2 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the rubber composition further comprises peroxide in an amount of 2.5 phr or greater based on total weight of rubber.
3 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the cycloalkene rubber has a trans-content of 75% or greater and a melting point of 50° C. or greater.
4 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the rubber composition comprises about 30 wt. % cyclolalkene rubber; about 50 wt. % ionomer; and about 20 wt. % polyamide.
5 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the rubber composition comprises about 40 wt. % cyclolalkene rubber; about 40 wt. % ionomer; and about 20 wt. % polyamide.
6 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the rubber composition comprises about 25 wt. % cyclolalkene rubber; about 50 wt. % ionomer; and about 25 wt. % polyamide.
7 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the core is formed from the rubber composition.
8 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the at least one intermediate layer and cover is formed from the rubber composition.
9 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the ionomeric resin contains greater than 16 weight percent acid groups.
10 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the ionomeric resin contains less than 16 weight percent acid groups.
11 . The golf ball of claim 9 or 10 , wherein the acid groups of the ionomeric resin are neutralized greater than 70%.
12 . The golf ball of claim 9 or 10 , wherein the acid groups of the ionomeric resin are neutralized greater than 90%.
13 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the ionomeric resin is a copolymer of α-olefin, C 3 to C 8 α, β-ethylenically unsaturated mono- or dicarboxylic acid, and optional softening monomer.
14 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the ionomeric resin is a E/X/Y copolymer, wherein E is ethylene; X is a C 3 to C 8 α, β-ethylenically unsaturated mono- or dicarboxylic acid; and Y is a softening monomer.
15 . The golf ball of claim 14 , wherein the copolymer is selected from the group consisting of ethylene/(meth)acrylic acid/n-butyl acrylate; ethylene/(meth)acrylic acid/ethyl acrylate; ethylene/(meth)acrylic acid/methyl acrylate; ethylene/(meth)acrylic acid/n-butyl acrylate; and ethylene/(meth)acrylic acid/isobutyl acrylate copolymers.
16 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the polyamide is selected from the group consisting of polyamide 6; polyamide 6,6; polyamide 610; polyamide 11; polyamide 12; and polyamide 46, and copolymers and blends thereof.
17 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the polyamide is selected from the group consisting of polyamide/polyester copolymers and polyamide/polyether copolymers, and blends thereof.
18 . A rubber composition comprising: i) about 10 to about 65 weight percent of a cycloalkene rubber having a trans-content of about 55% or greater and a melting point of 30° C. or greater; ii) about 30 to about 80 weight percent of an ionomeric resin; and 3) about 5 to about 40 weight percent of a polyamide.
19 . The rubber composition of claim 18 , wherein the composition further comprises peroxide in an amount of 2.5 phr or greater based on total weight of rubber.
20 . The rubber composition of claim 18 , wherein the cycloalkene rubber has a trans-content of 75% or greater and a melting point of 50° C. or greater.