Polycrystalline compacts having material disposed in interstitial spaces therein, cutting elements and earth-boring tools including such compacts, and methods of forming such compacts
AssigneeBaker Hughes Incorporated
InventorAnthony A. DiGiovanni
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Polycrystalline compacts include smaller and larger hard grains that are interbonded to form a polycrystalline hard material. The larger grains may be at least about 150 times larger than the smaller grains. An interstitial material comprising one or more of a boride, a carbide, a nitride, a metal carbonate, a metal bicarbonate, and a non-catalytic metal may be disposed between the grains. The compacts may be used as cutting elements for earth-boring tools such as drill bits, and may be disposed on a substrate.
Claims16
A method of forming a polycrystalline compact, comprising:
- at least partially coating each nanoparticle of a plurality of nanoparticles of hard material with a coating material comprising at least one of a boride, a carbide, a nitride, a metal carbonate, a metal bicarbonate, and a non-catalytic metal;
- and
- sintering the plurality of nanoparticles to form a polycrystalline hard material comprising a plurality of grains formed from the plurality of nanoparticles, the plurality of grains being interspersed and interbonded to form the polycrystalline hard material.
A method of forming a polycrystalline compact, comprising:
- at least partially coating each particle of a first plurality of particles of hard material having a first average particle size with a coating material comprising at least one of a boride, a carbide, a nitride, a metal carbonate, a metal bicarbonate, and a non-catalytic metal;
- dispersing the first plurality of particles among at least a second plurality of particles of hard material having a second average particle size larger than the first average particle size of the first plurality of particles;
- sintering the first plurality of particles and the at least a second plurality of particles to form a polycrystalline hard material comprising a first plurality of grains formed from the first plurality of particles and a second plurality of grains formed from the second plurality of particles, the first plurality of grains and the second plurality of grains being interspersed and interbonded to form the polycrystalline hard material;
- and
- selecting the first average particle size of the first plurality of particles and the second average particle size of the second plurality of particles to cause the second plurality of grains to have a second average grain size at least about one hundred fifty (150) times larger than a first average grain size of the first plurality of grains.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.