CAST POLYURETHANE AND POLYUREA COVERS FOR GOLF BALLS

1 . A method of forming a golf ball comprising a core and a cover comprising the steps of:

providing a core;

providing a polyurea prepolymer comprising the reaction product of an isocyanate and an amine-terminated component;

casting the polyurea prepolymer and an amine-terminated curative blend into a mold to form a cover over the core, wherein the golf ball cover has a first crosslinking density; and

irradiating the cover with radiation from electrons, neutrons, protons, gamma rays, x-rays, helium nuclei, or the like to form a treated cover having a second crosslinking density that is greater than the first crosslinking density.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of irradiating the cover includes subjecting the cover to radiation of greater than 1 megarad at ambient temperature.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of irradiating the cover includes subjecting the cover to radiation of about 4 to about 8 megarads at ambient temperature.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second crosslinking density is at least about 10 percent greater than the first crosslinking density.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second crosslinking density is at least about 15 percent greater than the first crosslinking density.

6 . A method of forming a golf ball comprising a core and a cover comprising the steps of:

providing a core;

providing a prepolymer comprising the reaction product of a first isocyanate-containing component and an isocyanate-reactive component, wherein the prepolymer includes a first amount of unreacted amine;

casting the prepolymer and an amine-terminated curative about the core to form a cover comprising a second amount of unreacted amine less than the first amount of unreacted amine; and

treating the cover with a second isocyanate-containing component to form a treated cover, wherein the treated cover has a third amount of unreacted amine that is less than the second amount of unreacted amine.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the step of treating the cover includes dipping, wiping, soaking, brushing or spraying the cover with the second isocyanate-containing component.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the second isocyanate-containing component is selected from the group consisting of 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, 2,4-toluene diisocyanate, m-xylylene diisocyanate, methylene bis-(4-cyclohexyl isocyanate), hexamethylene diisocyanate, naphthalene-1,5,-diisocyanate, 3,3′-dimethyl-4,4′-biphenyl diisocyanate, 1,4-diisocyanate benzene, phenylene-1,4-diisocyanate, 2,2,4- or 2,4,4-trimethyl hexamethylene diisocyanate, isophorone diisocyanate, 1,4-cyclohexyl diisocyanate, diphenylether-4,4′-diisocyanate, p,p′-diphenyl diisocyanate, lysine diisocyanate, 1,3-bis (isocyanato methyl)cyclohexane, polymethylene polyphenyl isocyanate, meta-tetramethylxylylene diisocyanate, and combinations thereof.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the second isocyanate-containing component is selected from the group consisting of hexamethylene diisocyanate, 2,2,4- or 2,4,4-trimethyl hexamethylene diisocyanate, 1,4-cyclohexyl diisocyanate, and combinations thereof.

10 . A method of forming a golf ball comprising a core and a cover comprising the steps of:

providing a core;

providing a polyurea prepolymer comprising the reaction product of an isocyanate and an amine-terminated component;

mixing the polyurea prepolymer with a blocked isocyanate or a free radical initiator to form an intermediate prepolymer;

reacting the intermediate prepolymer with an amine-terminated curative blend to provide a composition comprising a first amount of free amine;

molding the composition over the core to form a molded cover;

exposing the molded cover to heat or an energy source to provide a product having a second amount of free amine that is less than the first amount of free amine.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the step of mixing includes selecting a free radical initiator comprising a peroxide.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the peroxide is selected from the group consisting of di-t-amyl peroxide, 1,1-bis(t-butylperoxy)-3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexane or 1,1-di(t-butylperoxy) 3,3,5-trimethyl cyclohexane, di-t-butyl peroxide, 2,5-di-(t-butylperoxy)-2,5-dimethyl hexane, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di-benzoylperoxyhexane, n-butyl-4,4-bis(t-butylperoxy)valerate, lauryl peroxide, benzoyl peroxide, t-butyl hydroperoxide, t-butyl cumylperoxide, t-butyl peroxybenzoate, 2,4-dichloro-benzoyl peroxide, and mixtures thereof.

13 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the step of mixing includes selecting a free radical initiator comprising persulfates, azo compounds, benzophenones, hydrazides, or combinations thereof.

14 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the step of exposing the molded cover includes exposing the molded cover to radiation from electrons, neutrons, protons, gamma rays, x-rays, helium nuclei, or the like.

15 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the molded cover has a first crosslinking density, and wherein the product has a second crosslinking density that is greater than the first crosslinking density.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the second crosslinking density is at least 10 percent greater than the first crosslinking density.

17 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the step of mixing includes providing a blocked isocyanate that is the reaction product of an isocyanate and a blocking agent, wherein the blocking agent is selected from the group consisting of 1,2,4-triazole, 2-formyloxyethyl methacrylate (FEMA), caprolactam, diethyl malonate (DEM), 3,5-dimethylpyrazole (DMP), methylethylketoxime (MEKO), and combinations thereof.

18 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the step of exposing the molded cover to heat includes elevating a mold temperature to at least about 212° F.

19 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the step of molding the composition over the core to form a molded cover is performed at a first temperature, and wherein the step of exposing the molded cover to heat is performance at a second temperature that is greater than the first temperature.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the first temperature is less than about 200° F., and wherein the second temperature is at least about 212° F.