Articles comprising metal, hard material, and an inoculant, and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10603765-B2
Application number	US-201715627014-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2017
Priority date	May 20, 2010
Publication date	Mar 31, 2020
Grant date	Mar 31, 2020

Abstract

Methods of forming at least a portion of an earth-boring tool include providing particulate matter including a hard material in a mold cavity, melting a metal and the hard material to form a molten composition comprising a eutectic or near-eutectic composition of the metal and the hard material, casting the molten composition to form the at least a portion of an earth-boring tool within the mold cavity, and providing an inoculant within the mold cavity. Methods of forming a roller cone of an earth-boring rotary drill bit include forming a molten composition, casting the molten composition within a mold cavity, solidifying the molten composition to form the roller cone, and controlling grain growth using an inoculant as the molten composition solidifies. Articles including components of earth-boring tools are fabricated using such methods.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A partially formed earth-boring tool, comprising:
a body comprising a generally homogenous solution cast within a mold, wherein the generally homogeneous solution comprises:
a metal comprising between about 75% and about 90% by weight of the generally homogeneous solution;
an inoculant, and
particulate matter comprising a hard material, the hard material comprising a material having a Vickers Hardness of at least about 1200.

2. The partially formed earth-boring tool of claim 1 , wherein the inoculant comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of transition metal aluminates, transition metal metasilicates, and transition metal oxides.

3. The partially formed earth-boring tool of claim 1 , wherein the inoculant comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of cobalt aluminate, cobalt metasilicate, and cobalt oxide.

4. The partially formed earth-borin tool of claim 1 , wherein the metal comprises cobalt or a cobalt-based alloy, and the hard material comprises tungsten carbide.

5. The partially formed earth-boring tool of claim 1 , wherein the partially formed earth-boring tool comprises at least a portion of partially formed earth-boring rotary drill bit.

6. The partially formed earth-boring tool of claim 1 , comprising at least one mixed metal carbide phase comprising at least one of an M 6 C phase and an M 12 C phase, wherein M is at least one metal element, and C is carbon.

7. The partially formed earth-borin tool of claim 1 , wherein the at least one mixed metal carbide phase comprises an eta phase of W x Co y C, wherein X is from about 0.5 to about 6 and y is from about 0.5 to about 6.

8. The partially formed earth-boring tool of claim 1 , wherein the metal comprises cobalt or a cobalt-based alloy, wherein the generally homogenous solution comprises from about 75% to about 90% by weight the cobalt or cobalt-based alloy and from about 0.5% to about 3.8% carbon by weight, and wherein a balance of the generally homogenous solution comprising the particulate matter is at least substantially comprised of tungsten.

9. A method of forming an earth-boring tool, comprising:
intermixing a metal comprising between about 75% and about 90% by weight of a generally homogenous solution, particulate matter comprising a hard material, the hard material comprising a material having a Vickers Hardness of at least about 1200, and an inoculant; and
forming a cast, molten body comprising the generally homogenous solution, the generally homogeneous solution comprising the metal, the particulate matter, and the inoculant.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising disposing the generally homogenous solution within a cavity defined by a mold.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein disposing the generally homogenous solution within a cavity comprises disposing the solution within a cavity defined by a mold comprising at least one material selected from the group consisting of graphite and ceramics.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising forming a solid comprising the metal, the hard material, and the inoculant by permitting the cast, molten body to solidify.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising forming a metal phase and a hard material phase.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein forming a metal phase and a hard material phase comprises forming a carbide phase.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising heating the metal phase and the hard material phase to a temperature between 800° C. and about 1225° C.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising subjecting the metal phase and the hard material phase to a vacuum.

17. The method of claim 13 , further comprising exposing the metal phase and the hard material phase to an atmosphere comprising hydrogen and methane.

18. The method of claim 10 , further comprising vibrating the mold after intermixing the metal, the particulate matter, and the inoculant, and before forming the generally homogenous solution.

19. The method of claim 10 , further comprising providing excess particulate matter over the cavity defined by the mold before forming the generally homogenous solution.

Assignees

• Baker Hughes A Ge Co Llc

Inventors

• Stevens John H

Classifications

• B22F2998/00

  Supplementary information concerning processes or compositions relating to powder metallurgy · CPC title

• B24D3/06 Primary

  metallic {or mixture of metals with ceramic materials, e.g. hard metals, "cermets", cements} · CPC title

• B22D19/14

  the objects being filamentary or particulate in form (making alloys containing fibres or filaments by contacting the fibres or filaments with molten metal C22C47/08) · CPC title

• C22F1/10

  of nickel or cobalt or alloys based thereon · CPC title

• C22C19/07

  based on cobalt · CPC title