Earth-boring tools having particle-matrix composite bodies and methods for welding particle-matrix composite bodies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10493550-B2
Application number	US-201715606539-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 26, 2017
Priority date	Aug 3, 2007
Publication date	Dec 3, 2019
Grant date	Dec 3, 2019

Abstract

Methods for welding a particle-matrix composite body to another body and repairing particle-matrix composite bodies are disclosed. Additionally, earth-boring tools having a joint that includes an overlapping root portion and a weld groove having a face portion with a first bevel portion and a second bevel portion are disclosed. In some embodiments, a particle-matrix bit body of an earth-boring tool may be repaired by removing a damaged portion, heating the particle-matrix composite bit body, and forming a built-up metallic structure thereon. In other embodiments, a particle-matrix composite body may be welded to a metallic body by forming a joint, heating the particle-matrix composite body, melting a metallic filler material forming a weld bead and cooling the welded particle-matrix composite body, metallic filler material and metallic body at a controlled rate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An earth-boring tool comprising:
a joint between a particle-matrix composite body of the earth-boring tool and a metallic body of the earth-boring tool, the joint comprising:
a generally v-shaped weld groove having a face portion on at least one side thereof, the face portion having a first bevel portion proximate a radially innermost root portion of the weld groove and having a first bevel angle with respect to a reference line perpendicular to a major axis of the particle-composite body and a second, contiguous bevel portion having a second, smaller bevel angle with respect to the reference line; and
an interface portion at least proximate the root portion wherein a portion of the particle-matrix body and a portion of the metallic body axially overlap.

2. The earth-boring tool of claim 1 , wherein the first bevel angle is about 30 degrees and wherein the second bevel angle is about 15 degrees.

3. The earth-boring tool of claim 1 , wherein the particle-matrix composite body comprises a sintered particle-matrix composite material.

4. The earth-boring tool of claim 3 , wherein the sintered particle-matrix composite material comprises hard particles selected from the group consisting of diamond, boron carbide, boron nitride, aluminum nitride, carbides of the group consisting of W, Ti, Mo, Nb, V, Hf, Zr, Si, Ta, and Cr, and borides of the group consisting of W, Ti, Mo, Nb, V, Hf, Zr, Si, Ta, and Cr, and matrix material selected from the group consisting of iron-based alloys, nickel-based alloys, cobalt-based alloys, titanium-based alloys, aluminum-based alloys, iron- and nickel-based alloys, iron- and cobalt-based alloys, and nickel- and cobalt-based alloys.

5. The earth-boring tool of claim 1 , wherein the first bevel portion has a bevel angle between about 25 and about 35 degrees and the second bevel portion has a bevel angle between about 10 and about 20 degrees.

6. The earth-boring tool of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the particle-matrix composite body overlaps the portion of metallic body proximate the root portion of the groove and an adjacent surface of the metallic body forms a bottom surface of the weld groove at the root portion.

7. The earth-boring tool of claim 1 , further comprising a metallic filler material located within the weld groove and welded to opposing surfaces of the weld groove, including the face portion of the weld groove.

8. The earth-boring tool of claim 7 , wherein the metallic filler material comprises nickel.

9. The earth-boring tool of claim 8 , wherein the metallic filler material comprises a combined weight percentage of at least 90% of iron and nickel or a combined weight percentage of at least 90% of nickel and cobalt.

10. The earth-boring tool of claim 1 , wherein:
the portion overlapping interface comprises a portion of the particle-matrix composite body overlapping a portion of the metallic body in a male-to-female coupling relationship, wherein a protrusion on the metallic body fits within a cavity in the particle-matrix composite body.

11. The earth-boring tool of claim 1 , further comprising:
a root weld bead located within the weld groove proximate the root portion; and
at least one oscillating weld bead formed over the root weld bead.

12. The earth-boring tool of claim 1 , further comprising a face portion on both opposing sides of the weld groove.

13. The earth-boring tool of claim 12 , wherein the weld groove comprises a generally symmetric geometry and the first and second bevel angles of each face portion are generally symmetric.

14. The earth-boring tool of claim 12 , wherein the first bevel angle is about 30 degrees and wherein the second bevel angle is about 15 degrees.

15. The earth-boring tool of claim 12 , wherein the particle-matrix composite body comprises a sintered particle-matrix composite material.

16. The earth-boring tool of claim 12 , wherein the first bevel portion has a bevel angle between about 25 and about 35 degrees and the second bevel portion has a bevel angle between about 10 and about 20 degrees.

17. The earth-boring tool of claim 12 , wherein the portion of the particle-matrix composite body overlaps the portion of metallic body proximate the root portion of the groove and an adjacent surface of the metallic body forms a bottom surface of the weld groove at the root portion.

18. The earth-boring tool of claim 12 , further comprising a metallic filler material comprising nickel located within the weld groove and welded to opposing surfaces of the weld groove, including the face portion of the weld groove.

19. The earth-boring tool of claim 18 , wherein the metallic filler material comprises a combined weight percentage of at least 90% of iron and nickel or a combined weight percentage of at least 90% of nickel and cobalt.

Assignees

• Baker Hughes A Ge Co Llc

Inventors

• Stevens John H
• Smith Redd H
• Oxford James Andy
• Ramirez Jose
• Ames Nathan David
• Khurana Shuchi

Classifications

• B23K35/24

  Selection of soldering or welding materials proper (B23K35/34 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B23K35/3601

  with inorganic compounds as principal constituents · CPC title

• B23K2103/50

  Inorganic materials other than metals or composite materials · CPC title

• B23K26/32

  taking account of the properties of the material involved · CPC title

• B23K9/235

  Preliminary treatment · CPC title