Drill Bit Cutter With Stress Reducing Features

A braze joint, comprising:

• a cutter substrate having an outer profile;
• a cutter pocket for receiving the cutter substrate and having an inner profile with a uniform gap between the inner and outer profiles outside an area of increased braze gap defined along the outer profile of the substrate;
• and
• a braze interface comprising a braze alloy disposed in each cutter pocket between the inner profile of the cutter pocket and the outer profile of the respective substrate, such that a thickness of the braze alloy is greater at the area of increased braze gap.

A method of designing a drill bit, comprising:

• determining an expected loading on a plurality of fixed cutters received across a plurality of cutter pockets of a bit body;
• identifying one or more regions to increase a thickness of a braze interface between a fixed cutter and a corresponding cutter pocket of the plurality of cutter pockets;
• and
• selecting the shape of a substrate of the fixed cutter, to increase the resultant braze thickness at the one or more regions to spread out or otherwise redistribute the loading at the braze interface.