1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices for drilling and boring through subterranean formations. More specifically, this invention relates to polycrystailine diamond compacts ("PDCs"), also known as cutting elements or diamond inserts, which are intended to be installed as the cutting element of a drill bit to be used for boring through rock for many applications, including oil, gas, mining, and/or geothermal exploration, that require drilling through geological formations. Still more specifically, this invention relates to polycrystalline diamond inserts which have a surface topography formed integral to an otherwise spherical, conical, or other uniform geometric shape, to increase stress at the insert/rock interface, thereby inducing the rock to fail with the expenditure of less overall energy while introducing little additional internal stresses to the insert.
2. Description of Related Art
Three types of drill bits are most commonly used in penetrating geologic formations. These are: (1) percussion bits; (2) rolling cone bits, also referred to as rock bits; and (3) drag bits, or fixed cutter rotary bits. Each of these types of bits may employ the polycrystalline diamond inserts of this invention as the primary cutting device.
In addition to the drill bits discussed above, polycrystalline diamond inserts may also be used with other down hole tools, including but not limited to: reamers, stabilizers, and tool joints. Similar devices used in the mining industry may also use this invention.
Percussion bits penetrate through subterranean geologic formations by an extremely rapid series of impacts. The impacts may be combined with simultaneous rotations of the bit. An exemplary percussion bit is shown in FIG. 1b. The reader is directed to the following list of related art patents for further discussion of percussion bits.
Rolling cone bits currently make up the largest number of bits used in drilling geologic formations. Rolling cone bits have as their primary advantage the ability to penetrate hard geologic formations while still being generally available at a relatively low cost. Typically, rolling cone bits operate by rotating three cones, each oriented substantially transverse to the bits axis and in a triangular arrangement, with the narrow end of each cone facing a point in the direct center of the bit. An exemplary rolling cone bit is shown in FIG. 1a.
A rolling cone bit cuts through rock by the crushing and scraping action of the abrasive inserts embedded in the surface of the rotating cone. These abrasive inserts are generally composed of cemented tungsten carbide, but may also include polycrystalline diamond coated cemented tungsten carbide insert of this invention, where increased wear performance is required.
The primary application of this PDC invention is currently believed to be in connection with percussion and rolling cone bits, although alternative embodiments of this invention may find application in connection with other drilling tools.
A third type of bit is the drag bit, known also as the fixed cutter bit. An example of a drag bit is shown in FIG. 2. The drag bit is designed to be rotated about its longitudinal axis. Most drag bits employ PDCs which are brazed into the cutting blade of the bit. The PDCs then shear the rock as the bit is rotated about its longitudinal axis.
It is expected that this invention will find primary application in percussion and rolling cone bits, although some use in drag bits may also be feasible.
A polycrystalline diamond compact ("PDC"), or cutting element, is typically fabricated by placing a cemented tungsten carbide substrate into a refractory metal container ("can") with a layer of diamond crystal powder placed into the can adjacent to one face of the substrate. The can is then covered. A number of such can assemblies are loaded into a high pressure cell made from a soft ductile solid material such as pyrophyllite or talc. The loaded high pressure cell is then placed in an ultra-high pressure press. The entire assembly is compressed under ultra-high pressure and ultra-high temperature conditions. This compression causes the metal binder from the cemented carbide substrate to become liquid and to "sweep" from the substrate face through the diamond grains and to act as a reactive liquid phase promoting the sintering of the diamond grains. Sintering of the diamond grains cause the formation of a polycrystalline diamond structure. As a result the diamond grains become mutually bonded together to form a diamond mass over the substrate face. The metal binder may remain in the diamond layer within the pores of the polycrystalline structure or, alternatively, it may be removed via acid leeching and optionally replaced by another material forming so-called thermally stable diamond ("TSD"). Variations of this general process exist and are described in the related art. This detail is provided so the reader may become familiar with the concept of sintering a diamond layer onto a substrate to form a PDC insert. For more information concerning this process, the reader is directed to U.S. Pat. No. 3,745,623, issued to Wentorf Jr. et al., on Jul. 7, 1973.
Many existing art PDCs exhibit durability problems in cutting through tough geologic formations, where the diamond working surface can experience high stress loads which may be transient in nature. Under such conditions, typical PDCs have a tendency to crack, spall, and break. Similarly, existing PDCs are relatively weak when placed under high loads from a variety of angles. These problems of existing PDCs are further exacerbated by the dynamic nature of both normal and torsional loading during the drilling process, during which the bit face moves into and out of contact with the uncut material forming the bottom of the well bore.
For optimal performance, the interface between the diamond layer and the tungsten carbide substrate must be capable of sustaining the high residual stresses that arise from the thermal expansion and bulk modulus mismatches between the two materials. These mismatches can create high residual stress at the interface as the materials are cooled from the high temperature and pressure process. Residual stress can be deleterious to the life of the PDC cutting elements, or inserts, during drilling operations, when high tensile stresses in the substrate or diamond layer may cause fracture, spalling, or complete delamination of the diamond layer from the substrate.
Diamond is used as a drilling material primarily because of its extreme hardness and abrasion resistance. However, diamond also has a major drawback. Diamond, as a cutting material, has very poor toughness, that is, it is very brittle. Therefore, anything that contributes to further reducing the toughness of the diamond, substantially degrades its durability.
A number of other approaches and applications of PDCs are well established in related art. The applicant includes the following references to related art patents for the reader's general familiarization with this technology.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,737 describes a rotary drill bit for rock drilling comprising a plurality of cutting elements mounted by interference-fit in recesses in the crown of the drill bit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,106 reveals a composite polycrystalline diamond compact comprising at least one layer of diamond crystals and precemented carbide pieces which have been pressed under sufficient heat and pressure to create composite polycrystalline material wherein polycrystalline diamond and the precemented carbide pieces are interspersed in one another.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,918 describes an insert that has a tungsten carbide body and at least two layers at the protruding drilling portion of the insert. The outermost layer contains polycrystalline diamond and the remaining layers adjacent to the polycrystalline diamond layer are transition layers containing a composite of diamond crystals and precemented tungsten carbide, the composite having a higher diamond crystal content adjacent to the polycrystalline diamond layer and a higher precemented tungsten carbide content adjacent to the tungsten carbide layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,707 describes a diamond insert for a rotary drag bit consists of an insert stud body that forms a first base end and a second cutter end.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,049 describes a tool insert having a cemented carbide substrate with a recess formed in one end of the substrate and having abrasive compacts located in the recesses and bonded to the substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,023 describes a process for polishing refractory materials, including natural and synthetic diamond, wherein the surfaces are successively softened to a predetermined depth by io implantation, followed by mechanical polishing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,245 relates to a rock bit insert of cemented carbide for percussive or rotary crushing rock drilling. The button insert is provided with one or more bodies of polycrystalline diamond in the surface produced by high pressure and high temperature in the diamond stable area. Each diamond body is completely surrounded by cemented carbide except the top surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,081 relates to a rock bit insert of cemented carbide provided with one or more bodies or layers of diamond and/or cubic boron nitride produced at high pressure and high temperature in the diamond or cubic boron nitride stable area. The body of cemented carbide has a multi-structure containing eta-phase surrounded by a surface zone of cemented carbide free of eta-phase and having a low content of cobalt in the surface and a higher content of cobalt next to the eta-phase zone.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,264,283 relates to buttons, inserts and bodies that comprise cemented carbide provided with bodies and/or layers of CVD- or PVD-fabricated diamond and then high pressure/high temperature treated in the diamond stable area.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,342 describes a sintered product useful for abrasion- and impact-resistant tools and the like, comprising an iron-group metal binder and refractory metal carbide particles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,738 relates to a button of cemented carbide. The button is provided with a layer of diamond produced at high pressure and high temperature in the diamond stable area. The cemented carbide has a multi-phase structure having a core that contains eta-phase surrounded by a surface zone of cemented carbide free of eta-phase.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,195 describes a drill bit having a means for connecting the bit to a drill string and a plurality of inserts at the other end for crushing the rock to be drilled, where the inserts have a cemented tungsten carbide body partially embedded in the drill bit and at least two layers at the protruding drilling portion of the insert. The outermost layer contains polycrystalline diamond and particles of carbide or carbonitride.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,854 discloses a cutting element which has a metal carbide stud with a plurality of ridges formed in a reduced or full diameter hemispherical outer end portion of said metal carbide stud. The ridges extend outwardly beyond the outer end portion of the metal carbide stud. A layer of polycrystalline material, resistant to corrosive and abrasive materials, is disposed over the ridges and the outer end portion of the metal carbide stud to form a hemispherical cap.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,208 describes a cutting element having a polished, low friction substantially planar cutting face with a surface finish roughness of 10 mu inch or less and preferably 0.5 mu inch or less.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,713 discloses a cutting element with a metal carbide stud that has a conic tip formed with a reduced diameter hemispherical outer tip end portion of said metal carbide stud. A corrosive and abrasive resistant polycrystalline material layer is also disposed over the outer end portion of the metal carbide stud to form a cap, and an alternate conic form has a flat tip face. A chisel insert has a transecting edge and opposing flat faces, which chisel insert is also covered with a polycrystalline diamond compact layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,068 describes buttons, inserts and bodies for rock drilling, rock cutting, metal cutting and wear part applications, where the buttons or inserts or bodies comprise cemented carbide provided with bodies and/or layers of CVD- or PVD-fabricated diamond and then HP/HT treated in a diamond stable area.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,300 describes a superhard cutting element having a polished, low friction substantially planar cutting face with a surface finish roughness of 10 mu inch or less and preferably 0.5 mu inch or less. A chamfered cutting edge and side surface of the superhard material table of the same surface finish roughness are also disclosed.
Each of the aforementioned patents and elements of related art is hereby incorporated by referenced in its entirety for the material disclosed therein.