Smith International, Inc.

The Penn State Research Foundation

Schlumberger Technology Corporation

Anthony Griffo

Madapusi K Keshavan

Thomas W Oldham

Zhigang Zak Fang

Stewart N Middlemiss

Dah-Ben Liang

Youhe Zhang

Ronald K Eyre

Gregory Thomas Lockwood

Alysia C White

Yuelin Shen

Peter Thomas Cariveau

Robert M Denton

Brian A White

J Daniel Belnap

Michael Allen Siracki

Kumar T Kembaiyan

Michael Janssen

Greg Lockwood

James Layne Larsen

Alan W Lockstedt

Nephi M Mourik

John Daniel Belnap

Steven W Peterson

Manikiran Bandi

Ron K Eyre

James L Neville

Chris Edward Cawthorne

Robert H Slaughter, Jr

Jiaqing Yu

Randall M German

Mohammed Boudrare

Ramamurthy Viswanadham

Gary R Chunn

Saul N Izaguirre

David A Conroy

Yahua Bao

David Truax

Nathan R Anderson

Loel Gene Corbett

Lance T Richman

Daniel J Belnap

Patricia Heel

Leroy N Tinkham

Gerald Demenna

Timothy J Weaver

Julian A Thomas

Ahigang Fang

Sundar V Atre

Tracy Potter

Ted Tessitore

A downhole cutting tool includes a tool body with a cutting element or cutting element pocket thereon. At least a portion of the tool body or an attachment thereto is a metal matrix composite formed from metal carbide particles dispersed in a continuous metal matrix. The metal carbide particles make up less than 45 wt % of the metal matrix composite and/or less than 30 vol % of the metal matrix composite. The continuous metal matrix may also be formed from a metal or metal alloy other than Ni&#x2014;Si&#x2014;B and/or have a transverse rupture strength greater than 150 ksi and a fracture toughness over 22 ksi*in.

Metal matrix composite material for additive manufacturing of downhole tools

Thermally stable diamond constructions comprise a diamond body having a plurality of bonded diamond crystals, a plurality of interstitial regions disposed among the crystals, and a substrate attached to the body. The body includes a working surface and a side surface extending away from the working surface to the substrate. The body comprises a first region adjacent the side surface that is substantially free of a catalyst material and that extends a partial depth into the diamond body. The first region can further extend to at least a portion of the working surface and a partial depth therefrom into the diamond body. The diamond body can be formed from natural diamond grains and/or a mixture of natural and synthetic diamond grains. A surface of the diamond body is treated to provide the first region, and before treatment is finished to an approximate final dimension.

Thermally stable diamond polycrystalline diamond constructions

A method for making a polycrystalline diamond construction is disclosed, which includes the steps of treating a polycrystalline diamond body having a plurality of bonded together diamond crystals and a solvent catalyst material to remove the solvent catalyst material therefrom, wherein the solvent catalyst material is disposed within interstitial regions between the bonded together diamond crystals, replacing the removed solvent catalyst material with a replacement material, and treating the body having the replacement material to remove substantially all of the replacement material from a first region of the body extending a depth from a body surface, and allowing the remaining amount of the replacement material to reside in a second region of the body that is remote from the surface.

Polycrystalline diamond constructions having improved thermal stability

Polycrystalline diamond constructions include a diamond body comprising a matrix phase of bonded together diamond crystals formed at high pressure/high temperature conditions with a catalyst material. The sintered body is treated remove the catalyst material disposed within interstitial regions, rendering it substantially free of the catalyst material used to initially sinter the body. Accelerating techniques can be used to remove the catalyst material. The body includes an infiltrant material disposed within interstitial regions in a first region of the construction. The body includes a second region adjacent the working surface and that is substantially free of the infiltrant material. The infiltrant material can be a Group VIII material not used to initially sinter the diamond body. A metallic substrate is attached to the diamond body, and can be the same or different from a substrate used as a source of the catalyst material used to initially sinter the diamond body.

A cutting element includes a polycrystalline diamond layer having a cutting face and a diamond layer side surface, a substrate attached to the polycrystalline diamond layer, the substrate having a bottom surface and a substrate side surface, an interface between the diamond layer and the substrate, and a mask covering at least the bottom surface and the substrate side surface of the cutting element.

Coating on PDC/TSP cutter for accelerated leaching

A method of forming a thermally stable cutting element that includes disposing at least a portion of a polycrystalline abrasive body containing a catalyzing material to be leached into a leaching agent; and subjecting the polycrystalline abrasive object to an elevated temperature and pressure is disclosed. Thermally stable cutting elements and systems and other methods for forming thermally stable cutting elements are also disclosed.

Manufacture of thermally stable cutting elements

A cutting element for engaging earthern formations having a wear surface formed from a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) composition including a polycrystalline diamond or polycrystalline cubic boron nitride hard phase material and a ductile phase low CTE material formed from an alloy made of Co, Ni, Fe, C, and Mn. The hard phase material is bonded to one another by the ductile phase material to form the low CTE composition.

Low coefficient of thermal expansion cermet compositions

A drill bit may include a bit body having a plurality of blades extending radially therefrom and at least one cutting element for engaging a formation disposed on at least one of the plurality of blades. The bit body has a continuous infiltration binder and a plurality of carbide particles dispersed in the continuous infiltration binder, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of carbide particles and at least a portion of the continuous infiltration binder form a first carbide matrix region, and wherein the plurality of carbide particles forming the first carbide matrix region have an average grain sizes of less than about 44 microns.

High strength infiltrated matrix body using fine grain dispersions

Thermally-stable polycrystalline diamond materials comprise a first phase including a plurality of bonded together diamond crystals, and a second phase including a reaction product formed between a binder/catalyst material and a material reactive with the binder/catalyst material. The reaction product is disposed within interstitial regions of the polycrystalline diamond material that exists between the bonded diamond crystals. The first and second phases are formed during a single high pressure/high temperature process condition. The reaction product has a coefficient of thermal expansion that is relatively closer to that of the bonded together diamond crystals than that of the binder/catalyst material.

Thermally-stable polycrystalline diamond materials and compacts

PCD materials comprise a diamond body having bonded diamond crystals and interstitial regions disposed among the crystals. The diamond body is formed from diamond grains and a catalyst material at high pressure/high temperature conditions. The diamond grains have an average particle size of about 0.03 mm or greater. At least a portion of the diamond body has a high diamond volume content of greater than about 93 percent by volume. The entire diamond body can comprise high volume content diamond or a region of the diamond body can comprise the high volume content diamond. The diamond body includes a working surface, a first region substantially free of the catalyst material, and a second region that includes the catalyst material. At least a portion of the first region extends from the working surface to depth of from about 0.01 to about 0.1 mm.

Polycrystalline diamond materials having improved abrasion resistance, thermal stability and impact resistance

Thermally stable diamond constructions comprise a diamond body having a plurality of bonded diamond crystals and a plurality of interstitial regions disposed among the crystals. A metallic substrate is attached to the diamond body. A working surface is positioned along an outside portion of the diamond body, and the diamond body comprises a first region that is substantially free of a catalyst material, and a second region that includes the catalyst material. The diamond body first region extends from the working surface to depth of at least about 0.02 mm to a depth of less than about 0.09 mm. The diamond body includes diamond crystals having an average diamond grain size of greater than about 0.02 mm, and comprises at least 85 percent by volume diamond based on the total volume of the diamond body.

A method for making a thermally stable cutting element may include forming an acid mixture containing two different acid species by combining an acid solution and at least one acid-forming compound, wherein the at least one acid-forming compound is provided in solid form, and wherein the at least one acid-forming compound produces an acid that is different than the acid solution; treating at least a portion of a sintered diamond body by placing the sintered diamond body in the acid mixture, wherein the sintered diamond body comprises: a matrix phase of bonded-together diamond grains; a plurality of interstitial regions dispersed within the matrix phase; and a metal material disposed within a plurality of the interstitial regions; wherein the treating removes the metal material from at least a portion of the plurality of interstitial regions; and removing the sintered diamond body from the acid mixture after a predetermined length of time, wherein at least a portion of the diamond body removed from the acid mixture is substantially free of the metal material and is a thermally stable diamond body.

Techniques and materials for the accelerated removal of catalyst material from diamond bodies

Ultra-hard composite constructions comprise an ultra-hard body having a plurality of diamond crystals bonded to one another by a carbide reaction product. A reactant material is selected from materials that are strong carbide formers to form a carbide reaction product with diamond at HPHT conditions. The body includes a high-density diamond region positioned along a surface portion of the body and that is substantially exclusively diamond, and that has a diamond volume content of 95 to 99 percent or more. The high-density diamond region can form a working surface of the composite construction. A substrate can be attached to the body, thereby forming a compact, and can include metallic materials, ceramic materials, carbides, nitrides, cermets, and mixtures thereof. An intermediate layer can be interposed between the body and the substrate depending on the substrate and/or method of attaching the same.

Ultra-hard composite constructions comprising high-density diamond surface

Drill bits and cutting elements having a functionally-engineered surface comprise a cermet material selected from the group consisting of refractory metal carbides, nitrides, borides, carbonitrides and mixtures thereof. A functionally-engineered material is disposed over a surface portion one of the cutting elements to form a wear resistant surface thereon having a hardness that is different than that of the underlying cutting element. The wear resistant surface is provided by forming a conformable material mixture by combining one or more powders selected from the group consisting of cermets, carbides, borides, nitrides, carbonitrides, refractory metals, diamond particles, cubic boron nitride particles, Co, Fe, Ni, and combinations thereof, with an applying agent. The applied material mixture is pressurized under conditions of elevated temperature to consolidate and sinter the material mixture, thereby forming the wear resistant surface having desired properties of hardness and/or fracture toughness.

Drill bit with cutting elements having functionally engineered wear surface

Growing community of inventors

The Woodlands, TX, United States of America

Anthony Griffo