Polycrystalline diamond constructions having optimized material composition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10173299-B2
Application number	US-201414247224-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2014
Priority date	Nov 24, 2010
Publication date	Jan 8, 2019
Grant date	Jan 8, 2019

Abstract

Diamond bonded constructions include a diamond body comprising intercrystalline bonded diamond and interstitial regions. The body has a working surface and an interface surface, and may be joined to a metallic substrate. The body has a gradient diamond volume content greater about 1.5 percent, wherein the diamond content at the interface surface is less than 94 percent, and increases moving toward the working surface. The body may include a region that is substantially free of a catalyst material otherwise disposed within the body and present in a gradient amount. An additional material may be included within the body and be present in a changing amount. The body may be formed by high-pressure HPHT processing, e.g., from 6,200 MPa to 10,000 MPa, to produce a sintered body having a characteristic diamond volume fraction v. average grain size relationship distinguishable from that of diamond bonded constructions form by conventional-pressure HPHT processing.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method for making a diamond construction comprising the steps of:
subjecting a volume of diamond grains combined with an additional material selected from the group consisting of carbides, nitrides, borides, oxides and combinations thereof to a high pressure-high temperature condition in the presence of a catalyst material to form a sintered diamond body comprising a matrix phase of intercrystalline bonded diamond and interstitial regions dispersed within the matrix phase, wherein the catalyst material and the additional material is disposed within the interstitial regions and the volume content of the catalyst material changes within the body in a gradient fashion moving from a working surface to an interface surface with a metallic substrate, wherein the volume content of the additional material decreases in a gradient fashion moving from working surface to the interface surface;
wherein the high pressure-high temperature condition is at greater than about 6,200 MPa; and
wherein the diamond volume content at the working surface is greater than about 94 percent and the diamond body has a diamond volume content difference of greater than about 1.5 percent from the interface to the working surface.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the diamond body has a diamond volume content that changes in a gradient manner from the interface to the working surface.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein before the step of subjecting, the diamond volume is mixed with a volume of catalyst powder, and wherein the amount of the catalyst powder changes moving from the working to the interface surface.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the diamond body has a diamond volume content difference in the range of from about 2 to 6 percent.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein before the step of subjecting, placing the diamond volume adjacent the metallic substrate, wherein the substrate comprises the catalyst material as a constituent, and wherein during the step of subjecting the substrate is attached to the diamond body.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein after the step of subjecting, the diamond grain size and diamond volume content at the working surface meets one of the following criteria:
has a sintered average diamond grain size within the range of 2-4 microns, and a has diamond volume fraction greater than 93%; or
has a sintered average diamond grain size within the range of 4-6 microns, and has a diamond volume fraction greater than 94%; or
has a sintered average diamond grain size within the range of 6-8 microns, and has a diamond volume fraction greater than 95%; or
has a sintered average diamond grain size within the range of 8-10 microns, and a has diamond volume fraction greater than 95.5%; or
has a sintered average diamond grain size within the range of 10-12 microns, and has a diamond volume fraction greater than 96%.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein after the step of subjecting, the diamond body has a diamond volume content at the working surface according to one of the following criteria:
the diamond volume fraction is greater than (0.9077)·(the average diamond grain size 0.0221 ); or
the diamond volume fraction is greater than (0.9187)·(the average diamond grain size 0.0183 ); or
the diamond volume fraction is greater than (0.9291)·(the average diamond grain size 0.0148 ), wherein the average diamond grain size is provided micrometers.

8. A method for making a polycrystalline diamond construction comprising the steps of:
combining a volume of diamond grains with a carbide material to form a mixture and wherein volume of carbide material in the mixture decreases moving away from what will be a working surface of the construction;
placing a substrate material adjacent the mixture at a surface other than the mixture working surface, the mixture and substrate forming an assembly; and
subjecting the assembly to high pressure-high temperature conditions, wherein during the step of subjecting the diamond grains undergo intercrystalline bonding with one another in the presence of a catalyst material to form a polycrystalline diamond body, the polycrystalline diamond body comprising a plurality of interstitial regions dispersed among bonded together diamond crystals, wherein the carbide material and the catalyst material is disposed within the plurality of interstitial regions, wherein the polycrystalline diamond body has a catalyst content of less than about 6 percent at the working surface and increasing moving toward the substrate, wherein during the step of subjecting the substrate is attached to the diamond body, and wherein the diamond body has a gradient diamond volume content difference of greater than about 1.5 percent increasing from an interface with the substrate to the working surface.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein diamond body has a gradient volume content of catalyst material.

10. The method as recited in claim 9 wherein the volume content of catalyst material increases moving from the working surface to the substrate.

11. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein during the step of combining, the catalyst material is added to the volume of diamond grains.

12. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein during the step of subjecting, the catalyst material infiltrates into the diamond grain volume from the substrate.

13. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein the volume of carbide material within the diamond body is in the range of from about 10 to 70 percent.

14. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein during the step of subjecting, at least a portion of the assembly is exposed pressures of greater than about 6,200 MPa.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein during the step of subjecting, at least a portion of the assembly is exposed to pressures of less than about 6,200 MPa.

16. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein after the step of subjecting, the diamond grain size and diamond volume content at the working surface meets one of the following criteria:
has a sintered average diamond grain size within the range of 2-4 microns, and a has diamond volume fraction greater than 93%; or
has a sintered average diamond grain size within the range of 4-6 microns, and has a diamond volume fraction greater than 94%; or
has a sintered average diamond grain size within the range of 6-8 microns, and has a diamond volume fraction greater than 95%; or
has a sintered average diamond grain size within the range of 8-10 microns, and a has diamond volume fraction greater than 95.5%; or
has a sintered average diamond grain size within the range of 10-12 microns, and has a diamond volume fraction greater than 96%.

17. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein after the step of subjecting, the diamond body has a diamond volume content at the working surface according to one of the following criteria:
the diamond volume fraction is greater than (0.9077)·(the average diamond grain size 0.0221 ); or
the diamond volume fraction is greater than (0.9187)·(the average diamond grain size 0.0183 ); or
the diamond volume fraction is greater than (0.9291)·(the average diamond grain size 0.0148 ), wherein the average diamond grain size is provided micrometers.

18. A method for making a polycrystalline diamond construction comprising the steps of:
subjecting a volume of diamond grains combined with an additional material selected from the group consisting of carbides, nitrides, borides, oxides and combinations thereof to a high pressure-high temperature condition

Assignees

• Smith International

Inventors

• Belnap J Daniel
• Voronin Georgiy
• Yu Feng
• Cariveau Peter

Classifications

• B24D18/0009 Primary

  using moulds or presses · CPC title

• C22C2204/00

  End product comprising different layers, coatings or parts of cermet · CPC title

• C22C2026/007

  with additional metal compounds being nitrides · CPC title

• C22C2026/006

  with additional metal compounds being carbides · CPC title

• Y10T428/30

  Self-sustaining carbon mass or layer with impregnant or other layer · CPC title