Enhanced gage protection for milled tooth rock bits
AssigneeSmith International, Inc.
InventorAnthony Griffo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A drill bit including a bit body having at least one roller cone rotatably coupled to the bit body with a plurality of milled teeth formed on the at least one roller cone is disclosed. At least one milled tooth is arranged so as to form a gage row milled tooth, and the gage row milled tooth includes hardfacing thereon. A cutting element insert is mounted in a gage face of the gage row milled tooth. A method of forming a drill bit structure, the method including machining at least one hole in a preselected location on a gage surface of at least one milled tooth, positioning a plug in the at least one hole, applying a hardfacing material to the at least one milled tooth, removing the plug from the at least one hole, and positioning a drilling insert in the at least one hole is also disclosed.
Claims23
A method of forming a drill bit structure, the method comprising:
- machining at least one hole in a preselected location on a gage surface of at least one milled tooth;
- positioning a plug in the at least one hole;
- applying a hardfacing material to the at least one milled tooth;
- removing the plug from the at least one hole;
- and
- positioning a drilling insert in the at least one hole.
A method of forming a drill bit structure, the method comprising:
- affixing a plurality of plugs to the drill bit structure at preselected locations on a gage surface of at least one milled tooth;
- applying a hardfacing material to the at least one milled tooth;
- removing the plurality of plugs;
- machining holes in the at least one milled tooth proximate the preselected locations;
- and
- positioning drilling inserts in each hole.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.