Intermetallic bonded diamond composite composition and methods of forming articles from same

An intermetallic bonded diamond composite composition comprising a high-temperature intermetallic binder and diamond particles dispersed within the high-temperature intermetallic binder, wherein the high-temperature intermetallic binder has a processing temperature of at least about 1,200° C., and a coefficient of thermal expansion that is substantially different from the coefficient of thermal expansion for the diamond particles, which provides for contraction of the binder surrounding the diamond particles, and wherein the diamond particles consist of intact diamond particles having a size greater than 10 microns up to about 700 microns.

An intermetallic bonded diamond composite comprising a high-temperature intermetallic binder and diamond particles consisting of intact diamond particles having a size greater than 10 microns up to about 700 microns, the composite formed by a process of:

• milling the high-temperature intermetallic binder and diamond particles,
• pressing the high-temperature intermetallic binder and diamond particles, and
• sintering the high-temperature intermetallic binder and diamond particles to form the intermetallic-bonded diamond composite, wherein the high-temperature intermetallic binder has a processing temperature of at least about 1,200° C., and has a coefficient of thermal expansion that is substantially different from the coefficient of thermal expansion of the diamond particles, which provides for contraction of the binder surrounding the diamond particles.

An intermetallic bonded diamond composite comprising diamond particles consisting of intact diamond particles having a size greater than 10 microns up to about 700 microns, disposed within a nickel aluminide (Ni3Al) binder, the diamond particles and the binder each defining a coefficient of thermal expansion, wherein the nickel aluminide (Ni3Al) binder has coefficient of thermal expansion that is substantially different from the coefficient of thermal expansion of the diamond particles, which provides for contraction of the binder surrounding the diamond particles.

An intermetallic composite composition comprising diamond particles consisting of a size greater than 10 microns up to about 700 microns, the intermetallic composite composition being formed using a high-temperature intermetallic binder having a coefficient of thermal expansion that is substantially greater than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the diamond particles, by a high-temperature process having temperatures of at least about 1,200° C., wherein the substantially greater coefficient of thermal expansion of the binder provides for contraction of the binder surrounding the diamond particles, such that the diamond particles remain intact and are not converted to graphite or vaporized by the high-temperature process.