BACKGROUND

Various types of tools are used to form wellbores in subterranean formations for recovering hydrocarbons such as oil and gas lying beneath the surface. Examples of such tools include rotary drill bits, hole openers, reamers, and coring bits. One common type of rotary drill bit used to drill wellbores is known as a fixed-cutter drill bit. Generally, fixed-cutter drill bits include polycrystalline diamond (“PDC”) cutters fixed to leading faces of the fix-cutter drill bit.

In conventional wellbore drilling, a fixed-cutter drill bit is mounted on the end of a drill string, which may be several miles long. At the surface of the wellbore, a rotary table or top drive may turn the drill string, including the drill bit arranged at the bottom of the hole to penetrate the subterranean formation. As the fixed-cutter drill bit rotates, the PDC cutters shear the subterranean formation. Over time, the working surface or cutting edge of each PDC cutter that continuously contacts the formation eventually wears down and/or fails. The fixed cutter drill bit may include one or more depth of cut controllers (DOCCs) to control the amount that the PDC cutters cut into the subterranean formation (e.g., depth of cut).

