Baker Hughes Corporation

Eastman Christensen Company

Norton Christensen, Inc.

Lorenzo G Lovato

Gordon A Tibbitts

Sidney L Findley

Jacob T Chow

David P Beacco

Ralph M Horton

Robert W Voight, Iii

Robert J Balkenbush

Jerry L Robin

Joseph D McDermaid

A cutting element for use on a rotary-type earth boring drill bit for drilling subterranean formations including a segment and a support member. The support member is preferably fabricated from a tough and ductile material, such as iron, an iron-based alloy, nickel, a nickel-based alloy, copper, a copper-based alloy, titanium, a titanium-based alloy, zirconium, a zirconium-based alloy, silver, or a silver-based alloy. A bit attachment portion of the support member is securable to a bit body. A segment-receiving portion of the support member is disposable within a recess formed in the segment to secure the segment to the bit body and support the segment during use of the drill bit. Preferably, the segment is fabricated from a hard continuous phase material that is impregnated with a particulate abrasive material, such as natural diamond, synthetic diamond, or cubic boron nitride. The continuous phase material and abrasive material may be aggregated by sintering, hot isostatic pressing, laser melting, or ion beam melting.

Reinforced abrasive-impregnated cutting elements, drill bits including same and methods

Reinforced abrasive-impregnated cutting elements, drill bits including same

A method of manufacturing a drill bit or other drilling-related structure used for drilling into subterranean formations is herein disclosed where a blank is formed by placing a ferrous metal powder such as steel into a mold, sintering the ferrous metal powder to form a preformed blank, packing an abrasion- and erosion-resistant material such as tungsten carbide powder around the preformed blank, and infiltrating the preformed blank and tungsten carbide with a common binder such as a copperbased binder. For some materials, during sintering, the preformed blank may shrink in size relative to the mold enough to provide space between the mold and the preformed blank for a layer of abrasion- and erosion-resistant material. With other materials, a separate blank mold may be used to form the sintered blank which can then be inserted into the mold for infiltration. Accordingly, the same or substantially similarly configured mold can be used to form the preformed blank and the finished drill bit or drilling-related structure having a sintered steel core and a tungsten carbide shell infiltrated with a copper-based binder.

Structure for use in drilling a subterranean formation

A method of manufacturing a drill bit or other drilling-related structure used for drilling into subterranean formations is herein disclosed where a blank is formed by placing a ferrous metal powder such as steel into a mold, sintering the ferrous metal powder to form a preformed blank, packing an abrasion- and erosion-resistant material such as tungsten carbide powder around the preformed blank, and infiltrating the preformed blank and tungsten carbide with a common binder such as a copper-based binder. For some materials, during sintering, the preformed blank may shrink in size relative to the mold enough to provide space between the mold and the preformed blank for a layer of abrasion- and erosion-resistant material. With other materials, a separate blank mold may be used to form the sintered blank which can then be inserted into the mold for infiltration. Accordingly, the same or substantially similarly configured mold can be used to form the preformed blank and the finished drill bit or drilling-related structure having a sintered steel core and a tungsten carbide shell infiltrated with a copper-based binder.

Bit manufacturing method

A rotary drill bit for drilling earth formations is provided and includes a bit shank, a hard metal matrix secured to a blank and cutting elements on the exterior face thereof. The matrix includes a displacement material having a different composition than the matrix material within the matrix. The displacement material is preferably less expensive than the matrix material and also has different material properties. The resulting bit may be custom-engineered for toughness, ductility, and impact resistance.

Earth boring drill bit with matrix displacing material

Replaceable nozzles may be provided in a tungsten carbide drill bit manufactured by powder metallurgical infiltration techniques wherein at least one nozzle is threaded into a corresponding molded threaded bore in the bit. Despite the practical nonmachinability and brittleness of the tungsten carbide material, secure threaded insertion can be achieved if a squared thread design is used, and if the mold plug for forming the threaded bore is oversized to take into account the average variation in shrinkage in a bit formed by powder metallurgical infiltration techniques.

Growing community of inventors

Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America

Lorenzo G Lovato