Drill Bit Cutter Pocket 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 that conforms to the outer profile of the substrate, with an area of increased braze gap defined at least partially by the inner profile of the cutter pocket;
• and
• a braze interface comprising a braze alloy disposed in the cutter pocket between the inner profile of the cutter pocket and the outer profile of the cutter substrate, whereby the braze alloy has a greater thickness in 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 the corresponding cutter pocket, to increase the resultant braze thickness at the one or more regions to spread out or otherwise redistribute the loading at the braze interface.