# US 12,110,744 B2 · Precipitate-strengthened hard metal-diamond composite

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 12,110,744 B2
- Document ID: US12110744B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/348,684
- Filed: 2021-06-15
- Published: 2022-12-15
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2021-06-15
- Assignees: Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC
- Applicants: Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC
- Inventors: Andrew Robertson; Marc Bird
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12110744B2

## CPC

- C22C 29/08: based on tungsten carbide
- E21B 10/50: the bit being of roller type
- B22F 3/14: simultaneously
- C04B 35/5626: {based on tungsten carbides}
- C22C 1/051: Making hard metals based on borides, carbides, nitrides, oxides or silicides; Preparation of the powder mixture used as the starting material therefor
- C22C 26/00: Alloys containing diamond {or cubic or wurtzitic boron nitride, fullerenes or carbon nanotubes}
- C22C 29/067: {comprising a particular metallic binder}
- B22F 2003/248: {Thermal after-treatment}
- B22F 2005/001: {Cutting tools, earth boring or grinding tool other than table ware}
- C04B 2235/404: Refractory metals
- C04B 2235/405: Iron group metals
- C04B 2235/427: Diamond
- C04B 2235/762: Cubic symmetry, e.g. beta-SiC
- C04B 2235/80: Phases present in the sintered or melt-cast ceramic products other than the main phase
- C22C: ALLOYS (treatment of alloys C21D, C22F)
- E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- B22F: WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER (making alloys by powder metallurgy C22C); APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
- C04B: LIME, MAGNESIA; SLAG; CEMENTS; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF, e.g. MORTARS, CONCRETE OR LIKE BUILDING MATERIALS; ARTIFICIAL STONE {(roofing granules E04D7/005)}; CERAMICS (devitrified glass-ceramics C03C10/00); REFRACTORIES; TREATMENT OF NATURAL STONE

## Abstract

A cutting table for a cutting element, including: a diamond phase; a tungsten carbide phase; a cobalt-tungsten metallic phase; and an intermetallic phase comprising Co3WCx, where 0≤x≤1. Also disclosed is a method of manufacturing a cutting element, the method including: sintering diamond and tungsten carbide particles in the presence of Co and W to about 1520° C. or greater under pressure of about 57 kbar or greater to form a hard metal-diamond composite compact and solubilize carbon and tungsten within the compact; cooling the cutting element at about 1° C./sec or greater; and subsequent to cooling the cutting element, heat-treating the cutting element to precipitate carbon and tungsten in the compact as an intermetallic phase.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A cutting table for a cutting element, comprising:
diamond particles;
tungsten carbide particles;
a cobalt-tungsten metallic matrix phase; and
an intermetallic phase comprising Co3WCx, where 0<x≤1;
wherein the intermetallic phase and the cobalt-tungsten metallic matrix phase are disposed in the interstitial spaces between the diamond particles and the tungsten carbide particles.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The cutting table of claim 1, wherein a cutting surface of the cutting table is configured as an insert for a roller cone earth boring tool.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The cutting table of claim 1, comprising between 3 wt. % and 15 wt. % cobalt.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The cutting table of claim 1, comprising between 5 wt. % and 40 wt. % diamond.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The cutting table of claim 1, comprising between 50 wt. % and 90 wt. % tungsten carbide.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The cutting table of claim 1, wherein the cutting table exhibits a fracture toughness of at least 13 MPa*m{circumflex over ( )}½.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The cutting table of claim 1, wherein the intermetallic phase is a precipitated phase.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The cutting table of claim 1, wherein a cutting surface of the cutting table has an abrasion resistance of at least about 7,000 revolutions/cm3 as assessed by ASTM B611.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The cutting table of claim 1, wherein the cobalt-tungsten-carbon metallic phase is a Face Centered Cubic (FCC) phase.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The cutting table of claim 1, wherein the cobalt-tungsten-carbon metallic phase is a Hexagonal Close-Packed (HCP) phase.

### Claim 11

A method of manufacturing a cutting element, the method comprising:
sintering diamond and tungsten carbide particles in the presence of Co and W to about 1520° C. or greater under pressure of about 57 kbar or greater to form a hard metal-diamond composite compact and solubilize carbon and tungsten within the compact;
cooling the cutting element at about 1° C./sec or greater to form a cobalt-tungsten metallic phase in the compact; and
subsequent to cooling the cutting element, heat-treating the cutting element to precipitate carbon and tungsten in the compact as an intermetallic phase comprising Co3WCx, where 0<x≤1.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein subsequent to cooling the cutting element, heat-treating the cutting element to precipitate carbon and tungsten as an intermetallic phase comprises heating treating the cutting element for at least about 30 minutes at no less than about 600° C.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein cooling the cutting element at about 1° C./sec or greater comprises cooling the cutting element at about 5° C./sec or greater.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein cooling the cutting element at about 1° C./sec or greater comprises cooling the cutting element to less than about 200° C.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein cooling the cutting element at about 1° C./sec or greater comprises maintaining sintering pressure on the cutting element during cooling.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the pressure is between about 57 kbar and about 70 kbar.

### Claim 17

A method of forming a cutting table of a cutting element comprising:
sintering diamond and tungsten carbide particles in the presence of cobalt and tungsten to about 1520° C. or greater under about 57 kbar to about 70 kbar of pressure to form a hard metal-diamond composite compact and solubilize carbon and tungsten between diamond and tungsten carbide particles of the compact;
cooling the cutting element at about 5° C./sec or greater to form a cobalt-tungsten metallic phase in the compact; and
subsequent to cooling the cutting element, heat-treating the cutting element to precipitate carbon and tungsten as an intermetallic phase comprising Co3WCx, where 0<x≤1, between diamond and tungsten carbide particles of the compact, wherein the heat-treating is performed at 600 to 800° C. for at least 10 minutes.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein sintering to about 1520° C. or greater under about 57 kbar to about 70 kbar of pressure comprises heating the diamond and tungsten carbide particles, cobalt and tungsten to no more than about 1600° C.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the heat-treating is performed at about 700° C. for at least about an hour.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein cooling the cutting element at about 5° C./sec or greater is performed at about 10° C./sec.