Schlumberger Technology Corporation

Smith International, Inc.

Mingdong Cai

Youhe Zhang

Huimin Song

Ting Ren

Sudarsanam Chellappa

Cary A Roth

A bit may include a matrix portion, the matrix portion exposed at a cone region and a nose region of the bit. A bit may include a steel portion, the steel portion including a bit connection, the steel portion exposed at a gauge region of the bit. A bit may include a plurality of cutting elements secured to the matrix portion at the cone region and the nose region.

Devices, systems, and methods for a bit including a matrix portion and a steel portion

The disclosed drill tools have metal matrix composite (MMC) or steel alloy bodies that are formed around one or more pre-fabricated components using either a casting or infiltration process. The pre-fabricated components are made of sintered, infiltrated, and/or cemented particles of an ultrahard material, and may form any suitable portion of the bit blades. The pre-fabricated components may be loaded into a machined mold, and the mold cavity is subsequently filled with powder, such as tungsten carbide powder, filler metal powder, binder metal powder, or combinations thereof. During a casting or infiltration process, the mold and pre-fabricated components are heated to a sufficient temperature to melt the binder metal and/or filler metal, wherein the molten metal superficially interacts with the inner surfaces of the pre-fabricated components to form a metallurgical bond to secure the pre-fabricated components to the bit body.

Drilling tool having pre-fabricated components

A method of making a flux-coated binder includes treating metal binder slugs to have an adherent surface, adding a flux powder to the treated metal binder slugs, and distributing the flux powder on the adherent surface of the metal binder slugs. A method of making a metal-matrix composite-based drill bit body includes loading a matrix powder into a bit body mold, loading a flux-coated binder into the mold on top of the matrix powder to form a load assembly, and heating the load assembly to allow the binder to infiltrate into the matrix powder.

Methods of making flux-coated binder and metal-matrix drill bodies of the same

Cutting elements and hardfacing materials are in the form of a milled tooth having an uppermost first surface or crest and remaining surfaces such as flank surfaces and end surfaces extending downwardly away from crest. The crest has a hardfaced layer disposed thereon formed from a premium hardfacing material, and one or more of the remaining cutting element surfaces has a hardfaced layer formed from a hardfacing material different than the premium hardfacing material, wherein the hardfaced layer on the crest has a wear resistance at least 10% greater than that of the remaining cutting element hardfaced surfaces. The hardfaced layer on the crest may extend along a partial portion of one or more of the adjacent remaining cutting element surfaces.

Cutting elements with wear resistant surfaces

A method of making a flux-coated binder includes treating metal binder slugs to have an adherent surface, adding a flux powder to the treated metal binder slugs, and distributing the flux powder on the adherent surface of the metal binder slugs.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Mingdong Cai