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US 5,669,271 AGranted
Elements faced with superhard material
AssigneeCamco Drilling Group Limited of Hycalog
InventorsNigel Dennis Griffin, John Michael Fuller
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AssigneeCamco Drilling Group Limited of Hycalog
InventorsNigel Dennis Griffin, John Michael Fuller
Estimating the term…
A preform cutting element for a drag-type rotary drill bit includes a facing table of polycrystalline diamond bonded to a less hard substrate, such as cemented tungsten carbide. The element is formed by first forming a solid substrate, and then applying an electron beam, laser, or other intense heating source to adjacent areas of the front surface of the substrate to melt the surface and form an array of holes or holes therein. A layer of polycrystalline diamond particles is applied to the substrate so that such particles fill the holes or holes, and the diamond layer and substrate are then subjected to pressure and temperature in a high pressure, high temperature press to bond the superhard layer to the substrate. The engagement of parts of the diamond table in the holes or holes in the substrate provides a mechanical interlock to improve the strength of the bond between the table and substrate.
A method of manufacturing a preform element including a facing table of superhard material having a front face and a rear surface bonded to the front surface of a substrate which is less hard than the superhard material, the method comprising forming a solid substrate, applying an intense heating source to adjacent areas of the front surface of the substrate to melt the surface of the substrate in each of said area so as to form in each area a pool of molten substrate material and thereby to create, on subsequent cooling and solidification of the molten material, a cavity in the surface of the substrate in each said area, applying to said front face a layer of superhard particles so that particles of superhard material fill said cavities, and subjecting the superhard layer and substrate to pressure and temperature in a high pressure, high temperature press to bond the superhard layer of the substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.