Method of making an earth-boring particle-matrix rotary drill bit

Abstract

A method of making an earth-boring rotary drill bit including a bit body configured to carry one or more cutters for engaging a subterranean earth formation. The method includes providing a plurality of hard particles in a mold to define a particle precursor of the bit body. The method also includes infiltrating the particle precursor of the bit body with a molten matrix material comprising a shape memory alloy forming a hard particle-molten matrix material mixture, wherein the hard particles are randomly dispersed within the molten matrix material. The method further includes cooling the molten matrix material to solidify a matrix material and form the bit body comprising a particle-matrix composite material having the plurality of hard particles randomly dispersed throughout the matrix material.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.