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US 6,374,932 B1Granted
Heat management drilling system and method
OwnerWilliam J. Bradyinventor
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OwnerWilliam J. Bradyinventor
Estimating the term…
The invention is embodied in an earth boring tool comprising a bit body having a rotatable working head portion with a cutter element having a wear table of superhard material bonded to a substrate, and wherein the superhard and substrate materials have different coefficient properties creating a stress condition at their interface during bonding and wherein the cutter elements are stress relieved in situ on the bit body by low temperature heat annealing for a preselected time, and in which the cutter elements and bit body head portion are constructed and arranged for heat management in a dry, vacuum drilling operation. The invention further involves the heat management system and method of the stress relief process of heat annealing PCD cutter elements in situ, either alone or with a subsequent cryogenic tempering process.
A method of stress relieving earth boring tools having cutter elements made with superhard surface materials, comprising the steps of:
A method of stress relieving earth boring tools having PDC cutter elements with a diamond table bonded to a substrate, comprising the step of annealing the tool and cutter elements in situ by heat treating at a temperature in the range of about 500° F. to 900° F. for a selected time period of about 1 to 3 hours.
An earth boring tool comprising a tool body adapted for cutting rotation, in use, and having a working head portion with plural cutter elements, each of which has a wear surface of superhard material bonded to a substrate and being constructed and arranged for cutting and boring operations in earth formations, and wherein said superhard material and substrate have different thermal coefficient properties creating a stress condition therebetween during bonding, and wherein the cutter elements are stress relieved in situ on the tool body by heat treating at a selected low temperature for a preselected time period.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.