Golf ball with core material containing rubber and polyurethane
A golf ball has a core, core center, or core layer containing a thermoset elastomer and a polyurethane prepared by combining a thermosetting elastomer and an isocyanate-functional polyurethane, which may be an elastomeric polyurethane, then curing the thermosetting elastomer.
1. A golf ball comprising a core comprising a thermoset elastomer and an isocyanate-functional polyurethane prepared by combining a thermosetting elastomer and an isocyanate-functional polyurethane, then curing the thermosetting elastomer, wherein the isocyanate-functional polyurethane is prepared by polymerization of a reaction mixture having an isocyanate index of at least 1.08.
2. A golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the core is a multilayer core comprising a core center and a core layer.
3. A golf ball according to claim 2 , wherein the core center comprises the thermoset elastomer and isocyanate-functional polyurethane.
4. A golf ball according to claim 3 , wherein the core layer comprises a polybutadiene rubber.
5. A golf ball according to claim 2 , wherein the core layer comprises the thermoset elastomer and isocyanate-functional polyurethane.
6. A golf ball according to claim 5 , wherein the core center comprises a copolymer of ethylene and at least one of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid that is at least about 70% neutralized with a metal cation.
7. A golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the isocyanate-functional polyurethane is an elastomer.
8. A golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the thermoset elastomer is a rubber.
9. A golf ball according to claim 8 , wherein the isocyanate-functional polyurethane combined with the thermoset elastomer has an ethylenically unsaturated group and wherein the rubber is cured using a free-radical initiator.
10. A golf ball according to claim 9 , wherein the ethylenically unsaturated group is provided by copolymerization of a monomer having a structure
wherein n is an integer of from about 5 to about 20.
11. A golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the isocyanate-functional polyurethane is at least about 1% by weight of the combined weights of the thermoset elastomer and the isocyanate-functional polyurethane.
12. A golf ball according to claim 1 , further comprising a cover.
13. A golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the isocyanate-functional polyurethane has a melt flow rate of from about 5 g/10 min to about 100 g/10 min.
14. A golf ball comprising a core comprising a thermoset elastomer and an isocyanate-functional polyurethane prepared by combining a thermosetting elastomer and an isocyanate-functional polyurethane, then curing the thermosetting elastomer, wherein the core is a multilayer core comprising:
a) a core center comprising a copolymer of ethylene and at least one of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid that is at least about 70% neutralized with a metal cation; and
b) a core layer comprising the thermoset elastomer and isocyanate-functional polyurethane.
15. A golf ball according to claim 14 , wherein the isocyanate-functional polyurethane is an elastomer.
16. A golf ball according to claim 14 , wherein the thermoset elastomer is a rubber.
17. A golf ball according to claim 16 , wherein the isocyanate-functional polyurethane combined with the thermoset elastomer has an ethylenically unsaturated group and wherein the rubber is cured using a free-radical initiator.
18. A golf ball according to claim 9 , wherein the ethylenically unsaturated group is provided by copolymerization of a monomer having a structure
wherein n is an integer of from about 5 to about 20.
19. A golf ball according to claim 14 , wherein the isocyanate-functional polyurethane is at least about 1% by weight of the combined weights of the thermoset elastomer and the isocyanate-functional polyurethane.
20. A golf ball according to claim 14 , wherein the isocyanate-functional polyurethane has a melt flow rate of from about 5 g/10 min to about 100 g/10 min.