Smith International, Inc.

Suprant J Huang

Madapusi K Keshavan

J Daniel Belnap

Ronald K Eyre

Gary Ray Portwood

Michael Allen Siracki

Chris Edward Cawthorne

Zhou Yong

Nathan R Anderson

Per I Nese

A cutter element for use in a drill bit, comprising a substrate and a cutting layer. The substrate comprises a grip portion and an extension portion, where the grip portion has an insert axis and an extension portion including an interface surface having a first apex. The cutting layer is affixed to the interface surface and has a cutting surface having a second apex. The cutting layer is shaped such that when a plane passing through the first apex and lying parallel to the insert axis and normal to a radius from the insert axis, the plane divides the cutting layer into major and minor portions and the major portion has a major volume that is at least 60 percent of the total volume of said cutting layer. Alternative embodiments of the present invention include variations wherein the first and second apices do not coincide and wherein the interface surface of the substrate is not axisymmetric. Using these variations, cutter elements having sizeable variations in thickness are constructed.

Drill bit inserts with variations in thickness of diamond coating

Growing community of inventors

The Woodlands, TX, United States of America

Suprant J Huang