General Electric Company

Henry S Marek

David B Cerutti

David Martin Johnson

Gary Martin Flood

Francis R Corrigan

Metal carbide supported polycrystalline diamond (PCD) compacts having improved abrasion/impact resistance properties and a method for making the same under high temperature/high pressure (HT/HP) processing conditions. The PCD compact is characterized as having a mixture of submicron sized diamond particles and large sized diamond particles.

Method for producing abrasive compact with improved properties

The present invention relates to supported polycrystalline diamond compact cutters (PDC cutters) made under high temperature, high pressure (HT/HP) processing conditions, and more particularly to supported PDC cutters having non-planar cutting surfaces. More specifically, the present invention is for an oriented PDC cutter wherein chips and debris are funneled away from the cutting edge by a raised top surface of the polycrystalline diamond layer (PCD layer). The redirection of the debris is achieved by the creation of high and low regions on the PCD layer, of which there can be a variety of different surface geometry's. Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a PDC cutter with improved performance through channeling debris away from its cutting edge.

Polycrystalline diamond compact PDC cutter with improved cutting

Abrasive compact with improved properties

Supported polycrystalline compacts having improved shear strength, impact, and fracture toughness properties, and methods for making the same under high temperature/high pressure (HT/HP) processing conditions. The method involves a HT/HP apparatus formed of a generally cylindrical reaction cell assembly having an inner chamber of predefined axial and radial extents and containing pressure transmitting medium, and a charge assembly having axial and radial surfaces and formed of at least one sub-assembly comprising a mass of crystalline particles adjacent a metal carbide support layer. The charge assembly is disposed within the chamber of the reaction cell assembly, with the pressure transmitting medium being interposed between the axial and radial surfaces of the charge assembly and the extents of the reaction cell chamber to define an axial pressure transmitting medium thickness, L.sub.h, and a radial pressure transmitting medium thickness, L.sub.r, the ratio of which, L.sub.h /L.sub.r being selected as less than 1. The reaction cell assembly containing the charge assembly then is subjected to HT/HP conditions selected as effective to sinter the crystalline particles into a polycrystalline compact layer and to bond the polycrystalline compact layer at an interface to the metal carbide support layer for forming a metal carbide supported polycrystalline compact. The supported compact is characterized as having an essentially constant or increasing residual compressive stress on the surface of its compact layer as portions of a predefined thickness, W, of its support layer, as measured from the interfaced, are incrementally removed.

Supported polycrystalline compacts having improved physical properties

Metal carbide supported polycrystalline diamond (PCD) compacts having improved shear strength and impact resistance properties, and a method for making the same under high temperature/high pressure (HT/HP) processing conditions. A sintered polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) compact interlayer is provided to be bonded at a first interface to a sintered PCD compact layer, and at a second interface to a cemented metal carbide support layer comprising particles of a metal carbide in a binder metal. The supported compact is characterized as having a substantially uniform sweep through of the binder metal from the cemented metal carbide support layer, which sweep through bonds the sintered PCD compact layer to the sintered PCBN interlayer, and the sintered PCBN interlayer to the cemented metal carbide support layer.

Supported polycrystalline diamond compact having a cubic boron nitride

Metal carbide supported polycrystalline diamond (PCD) compacts having improved shear strength and impact resistance properties, and a method for making the same under high temperature/high pressure (HT/HP) processing conditions. A sintered polycrystalline cubic boron nitrite (PCBN) compact interlayer is provided to be bonded at a first interface to a sintered PCD compact layer, and at a second interface to a cemented metal carbide support layer comprising particles of a metal carbide in a binder metal. The supported compact is characterized as having a substantially uniform sweep through of the binder metal from the cemented metal carbide support layer, which sweep through bonds the sintered PCD compact layer to the sintered PCBN interlayer, and the sintered PCBN interlayer to the cemented metal carbide support layer.

An abrasive tool insert comprises a cemented substrate and a polycrystalline diamond layer formed thereon by high pressure, high temperature processing. The interface between the substrate and the diamond layer comprises at least one angled profile wherein said profile slopes downwardly and outwardly toward the periphery of the insert.

Abrasive tool insert

Disclosed is an abrasive tool insert having an abrasive particle layer having an upper surface, an outer periphery, and a lower surface integrally formed on a substrate which defines an interface therebetween. The abrasive particle layer outer periphery forms a cutting plane. The thickness of the abrasive particle layer at its outer periphery cutting plane decreases radially inwardly. Thus, the interface can have a sawtooth shape cross-sectional profile, at least one slot extending from said abrasive particle layer outer periphery radially inwardly, or other configuration based on the precepts of the present invention. Also, the angle of the outwardly sloping profile can be matched to the anticipated angle of the wear plane which will develop as the PDC wears in use.

A method for coating cluster compacts of polycrystalline diamond and CBN particles is provided, wherein the cluster compact is not exposed to high temperatures due to selective heating of the coating/cluster compact interface with the use of laser energy. Strong coatings can be formed on thermally sensitive compacts which allow such compacts to be brazed directly to a tool holder.

Growing community of inventors

Worthington, OH, United States of America

Henry S Marek