Methods of making and attaching TSP material for forming cutting elements, cutting elements having such TSP material and bits incorporating such cutting elements

A method for forming TSP material comprising:

• placing a layer of diamond particles and tungsten carbide pellets in an enclosure, wherein said pellets are mixed in the diamond particles;
• high pressure and high temperature sintering said enclosure forming a layer of polycrystalline diamond with tungsten carbide pellets embedded therein, wherein during said sintering process a catalyst from said tungsten carbide pellets infiltrates interstitial spaces defined between said diamond particles;
• and
• removing at least a substantial portion of said catalyst from at least a portion of said polycrystalline diamond layer with embedded tungsten carbide pellets forming said TSP material layer.

A method of forming a TSP material compact comprising;

• placing at least one of a pre-sintered tungsten carbide powder, pre-cemented tungsten carbide powder, tungsten carbide powder including an infiltrant, or partially sintered tungsten carbide and at least a pre-sintered TSP material layer in an enclosure, wherein the at least one of a pre-sintered tungsten carbide powder, pre-cemented tungsten carbide powder, tungsten carbide powder including an infiltrant, or partially sintered tungsten carbide substrates encapsulates the at least a TSP material layer;
• exposing the enclosure to a high temperature high pressure process forming at least a layer of re-processed TSP material bonded to a layer of tungsten carbide;
• and
• attaching said layer of tungsten carbide to a substrate forming said TSP material compact.

A method of forming TSP compacts comprising:

• placing a plurality of sintered TSP material layers in an enclosure one sintered TSP material layer over another and surrounding each sintered TSP material layer with at least one of a pre-sintered tungsten carbide powder, pre-cemented tungsten carbide powder, tungsten carbide powder including an infiltrant, or partially sintered tungsten carbide substrates;
• exposing said enclosure to a high temperature high pressure sintering process wherein said at least one of a pre-sintered tungsten carbide powder, pre-cemented tungsten carbide powder, tungsten carbide powder, or partially sintered tungsten carbide substrates bonds to said TSP material layers forming a stack of re-processed TSP material layers comprising said re-processed TSP material layers one over the other with tungsten carbide bonded to each of said re-processed TSP material layers and surrounding each of said re-processed TSP material layers;
• removing said stack from said enclosure;
• cutting said stack forming a plurality of said re-processed TSP material layers, each of said plurality of re-processed TSP material layers having a tungsten carbide material layer formed from said at least one of a pre-sintered tungsten carbide powder, pre-cemented tungsten carbide powder, tungsten carbide powder, or partially sintered tungsten carbide substrates bonded to one surface thereof;
• and
• attaching said tungsten carbide layer bonded to one of said plurality of re-processed TSP material layers to a tungsten carbide substrate forming said TSP compact.