Smith International, Inc.

Loel Gene Corbett

J Daniel Belnap

Ronald K Eyre

Peter Thomas Cariveau

Nephi M Mourik

Anthony Griffo

Yahua Bao

Daniel J Belnap

Gerald Demenna

Terry Lee Woodruff

A cutting element includes a substrate and a cutting layer disposed on a surface of the substrate. The cutting layer includes an ultra hard material. The substrate includes tungsten carbide and a metal binder. The substrate has a magnetic saturation value in the range of from 80 to less than 85%. In another aspect, the magnetic saturation value may increase within the substrate along a gradient, wherein proximal to the interface with the cutting layer, the substrate has a magnetic saturation value in the range of from 80 to less than 85%. Drill bits incorporating such cutting elements and methods of manufacturing such cutting elements are described.

Cutting element and a method of manufacturing a cutting element

A system for producing thermally stable cutting elements may include a heat source, a pressure vessel, at least one polycrystalline diamond body attached to a carbide substrate, and a leaching agent is disclosed, wherein the heat source includes a container comprising at least one receiving mechanism and at least one retention mechanism, and wherein the carbide substrate is disposed in the at least one receiving mechanism of the pressure vessel, and wherein the leaching agent is disposed in the pressure vessel, and wherein the leaching agent removes the catalyzing material from the interstitial spaces interposed between the diamond particles of the at least one polycrystalline diamond body, and wherein the at least one retention mechanism of the pressure vessel seals at least a portion of the carbide substrate into the at least one receiving mechanism and prevents the leaching agent from contacting at least a portion of the carbide substrate.

Deep leach pressure vessel for shear cutters

The present disclosure relates in one aspect to a cutting element comprising a substrate and a cutting layer disposed on a surface of the substrate. The cutting layer comprises an ultra hard material. The substrate comprises tungsten carbide and a metal binder. The substrate has a magnetic saturation value in the range of from 80% to less than 85%. In another aspect, the magnetic saturation value may increase within the substrate along a gradient, wherein proximal to the interface with the cutting layer, the substrate has a magnetic saturation value in the range of from 80% to less than 85%. Also included are drill bits incorporating such cutting elements. Additionally, the present disclosure relates to methods of manufacturing cutting elements.

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

A device, system and method for nondestructively obtaining qualitative and/or quantitative information relating to the material properties of a region in a diamond body comprises directing x-rays onto the body. The body can comprise sintered or unsintered diamond. The body can ultimately be in the form of a cutting element used with a subterranean drill bit. The x-rays penetrate the body and cause a target element within the desired region including the same to emit x-ray fluorescence. The emitted x-ray fluorescence is received and information relating to content, location, and/or distribution of the target element in the region within the body is determined therefrom. The measured region can extend axially or radially from a surface of the body, and the target elements are nondiamond materials that can be constituents of a substrate attached to the body, or of a container used during HPHT sintering of the body.

Nondestructive device and method for evaluating ultra-hard polycrystalline constructions

A method for nondestructively obtaining measurement information of a region within one or more ultra-hard polycrystalline constructions comprises conducting a first measurement using x-ray fluorescence by directing x-rays onto a surface of the diamond body, receiving x-ray fluorescence from the diamond body, and deriving measurement information regarding the region therefrom. A second method can be used on the same or other ultra-hard polycrystalline constructions to obtain measurement information regarding the region in a manner that is relatively more time efficient than the first method to facilitate use of the measurement method on a large number of constructions. The second measurement can be selected from the group including beta backscatter, x-ray radioscopy, eddy current, magnetic induction, and microresistance. In an example embodiment, the method is used to determine the thickness of a region within the diamond body that comprises less catalyst material than another region within the body.

Multi-step method of nondestructively measuring a region within an ultra-hard polycrystalline construction

A method for determining a position of a region within an ultra-hard polycrystalline body comprises directing x-rays onto the body, wherein the body includes one region that includes a target atom and another region that does not. The ultra-hard polycrystalline body can be in the form of a cutting element used with a subterranean drill bit. The x-rays penetrate the body and cause the target atom within the region including the same to emit x-ray fluorescence. The emitted x-ray fluorescence is received and the position of the second region within the body is determined therefrom. In one embodiment, the one region extends a depth from the surface, and the other region extends from one region into the body. The x-rays can be directed onto a number of different body surface portions to determine the placement position of the region comprising the target atom within the polycrystalline body.

Nondestructive method of measuring a region within an ultra-hard polycrystalline construction

A method for nondestructively obtaining measurement information of a region within one or more ultra-hard polycrystalline constructions comprises conducing a first measurement using x-ray fluorescence by directing x-rays onto a surface of the diamond body, receiving x-ray fluorescence from the diamond body, and deriving measurement information regarding the region therefrom. A second method can be used on the same or other ultra-hard polycrystalline constructions to obtain measurement information regarding the region in a manner that is relatively more time efficient than the first method to facilitate use of the measurement method on a large number of constructions. The second measurement can be selected from the group including beta backscatter, x-ray radioscopy, eddy current, magnetic induction, and microresistance. In an example embodiment, the method is used to determine the thickness of a region within the diamond body that comprises less catalyst material than another region within the body.

Growing community of inventors

Saratoga Springs, UT, United States of America

Loel Gene Corbett