Cutting element assemblies comprising rotatable cutting elements, earth-boring tools including such cutting element assemblies, and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10458188-B2
Application number	US-201715795009-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 26, 2017
Priority date	Oct 26, 2017
Publication date	Oct 29, 2019
Grant date	Oct 29, 2019

Abstract

A cutting element assembly may include a support structure and a pin having a cylindrical exterior bearing surface. Retention elements may couple opposing ends of the pin to the support structure. The cutting element assembly also includes a rotatable cutting element including a table of polycrystalline hard material having an end cutting surface and a supporting substrate. The rotatable cutting element may have an interior sidewall defining a longitudinally extending through hole. The pin may be positioned within the through hole of the rotatable cutting element and may be supported on the opposing ends thereof by the support structure. Methods include drilling a subterranean formation including engaging a formation with one or more of the rotatable cutting elements.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cutting element assembly, comprising:
a support structure;
a pin having a cylindrical exterior bearing surface;
retention elements coupling opposing ends of the pin to the support structure; and
a rotatable cutting element comprising a table of polycrystalline hard material having an end cutting surface and a supporting substrate, the rotatable cutting element having an interior sidewall defining a longitudinally extending through hole, wherein the pin is positioned within the through hole of the rotatable cutting element.

2. The cutting element assembly of claim 1 , wherein the support structure comprises two opposing side support structures having a base therebetween, each of the two opposing side support structures extending generally transverse to the base.

3. The cutting element assembly of claim 2 , wherein at least a portion of the table of the rotatable cutting element is covered by one of the two opposing side support structures.

4. The cutting element assembly of claim 2 , wherein a surface of the base adjacent the rotatable cutting element has a concave shape.

5. The cutting element assembly of claim 2 , wherein the base of the support structure is asymmetric with respect to a longitudinal axis of the rotatable cutting element.

6. The cutting element assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pin functions as at least one of a journal bearing or a roller bearing between the rotatable cutting element and the support structure.

7. The cutting element assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pin is fixed relative to the support structure and the rotatable cutting element is configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis thereof relative to the pin and the support structure.

8. The cutting element assembly of claim 1 , wherein the retention elements comprise at least one of a braze material, a threaded elements, a weld material, adhesive, or a snap ring.

9. An earth-boring tool, comprising:
a body; and
at least one cutting element assembly, comprising:
a support structure;
a pin having a cylindrical exterior bearing surface;
retention elements coupling opposing ends of the pin to the support structure; and
a rotatable cutting element comprising a table of polycrystalline hard material having an end cutting surface and a supporting substrate, the rotatable cutting element having an interior sidewall defining a longitudinally extending through hole, wherein the pin is positioned within the through hole of the rotatable cutting element.

10. The earth-boring tool of claim 9 , wherein the body further comprises at least one cutting element pocket, the at least one cutting element assembly being located within the at least one cutting element pocket.

11. The earth-boring tool of claim 9 , wherein the through hole of the rotatable cutting element extends entirely through the rotatable cutting element from a bearing surface of the supporting substrate to the end cutting surface of the table.

12. The earth-boring tool of claim 11 , wherein:
a first end of the pin is supported by a first side support structure proximate the bearing surface of the supporting substrate; and
a second end of the pin is supported by a second side support structure proximate the end cutting surface of the table.

13. The earth-boring tool of claim 12 , further comprising a first retention element and a second retention element, the second retention element being different than the first retention element, the first end of the pin being coupled to the first side support structure by the first retention element, and the second end of the pin being coupled to the second side support structure by the second retention element.

14. The earth-boring tool of claim 13 , wherein the at least one cutting element assembly further comprises a spring and a port, the spring being located between a protruding portion on the first end of the pin and an interior surface of a respective cutting element pocket, and the port is located in the second side support structure such that at least a portion of the second end of the pin is retained within the second side support structure.

15. The earth-boring tool of claim 9 , wherein the earth-boring tool comprises an earth-boring rotary drill bit, wherein the body comprises a bit body having a face including a cone region, a nose region, a shoulder region, and a gage region, and wherein the at least one cutting element assembly is located in the shoulder region or the gage region of the bit body.

16. A method of drilling a subterranean formation, comprising:
applying weight-on-bit to an earth-boring tool disposed within a wellbore substantially along a longitudinal axis thereof and rotating the earth-boring tool;
engaging a formation with a plurality of rotatable cutting elements located on blades of the earth-boring tool, wherein the plurality of rotatable cutting elements are rotatably secured within pockets of the blades with pins extending through a through hole of each of the plurality of rotatable cutting elements, each of the pins being coupled on opposing ends thereof to a support structure located within a respective pocket of the blades; and
absorbing compressive forces imposed on the plurality of rotatable cutting elements with the support structure.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein engaging the formation with the plurality of rotatable cutting elements further comprises utilizing each of the pins as a journal bearing between a respective rotatable cutting element and the support structure.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein engaging the formation with the plurality of rotatable cutting elements comprises rotating at least some of the plurality of rotatable cutting elements about an axis of rotation thereof responsive to frictional forces acting between the plurality of rotatable cutting elements and the formation when the earth-boring tool moves relative to the formation.

19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising engaging the formation with the plurality of rotatable cutting elements and a plurality of fixed cutting elements, each of the plurality of rotatable cutting elements and the plurality of fixed cutting elements comprising a table of polycrystalline hard material having an end cutting surface and a supporting substrate.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein engaging the formation with the plurality of rotatable cutting elements comprises covering at least a portion of the table of polycrystalline hard material with a portion of the support structure.

Assignees

• Baker Hughes A Ge Co Llc

Inventors

• Bomidi John Abhishek Raj
• Schroder Jon David
• Lovelace Kegan L
• Moss Jr William A
• Boehm Alexander Rodney

Classifications

• E21B10/55

  with preformed cutting elements · CPC title

• E21B10/627

  with plural detachable cutting elements · CPC title

• E21B10/54

  the bit being of the rotary drag type, e.g. fork-type bits · CPC title

• E21B10/5735

  Interface between the substrate and the cutting element · CPC title

• E21B2010/545

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic