Earth-boring tools including cutting elements with alignment features and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9481033-B2
Application number	US-201314063780-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2013
Priority date	Oct 25, 2013
Publication date	Nov 1, 2016
Grant date	Nov 1, 2016

Abstract

An earth-boring tool may comprise a body having at least one blade, and at least one cutting element recess may be formed in a surface of the at least one blade. At least one cutting element may be affixed within the at least one cutting element recess. The at least one cutting element may comprise a substantially cylindrical lateral side surface configured to allow the at least one cutting element to rotate about a longitudinal axis within the at least one cutting element recess when the at least one cutting element is partially inserted into the at least one cutting element recess. The at least one cutting element may also comprise a back face comprising alignment features configured to abut complementary alignment features disposed on a back surface of the at least one cutting element recess. Methods of forming earth-boring tool bodies.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An earth-boring tool, comprising:
a body having at least one blade, at least one cutting element recess formed in a surface of the at least one blade, the body comprising at least one complementary alignment feature on a back surface of the body defining a back portion of at least one cutting element recess; and
at least one cutting element affixed within the at least one cutting element recess, the at least one cutting element comprising:
a substantially cylindrical lateral side surface configured to allow the at least one cutting element to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the at least one cutting element within the at least one cutting element recess when the at least one cutting element is partially inserted into the at least one cutting element recess; and
a back face opposite a cutting face along the longitudinal axis of the at least one cutting element, the back face comprising at least one alignment feature configured to abut the at least one complementary alignment feature of the body and preclude rotation of the at least one cutting element about the longitudinal axis when the at least one cutting element is fully inserted into the at least one cutting element recess.

2. The earth-boring tool of claim 1 , wherein the cutting face of the at least one cutting element is asymmetrical with respect to the longitudinal axis of the at least one cutting element.

3. The earth-boring tool of claim 2 , wherein the cutting face comprises a superabrasive material table covering less than the entire cutting face.

4. The earth-boring tool of claim 2 , wherein the cutting face of the at least one cutting element comprises a planar cutting surface oriented at an acute angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the at least one cutting element.

5. The earth-boring tool of claim 4 , wherein the cutting face further comprises a second planar surface oriented at an acute angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the at least one cutting element.

6. The earth-boring tool of claim 5 , wherein the at least one cutting element comprises a superabrasive material table extending only over the planar cutting surface.

7. The earth-boring tool of claim 5 , wherein the at least one cutting element comprises a superabrasive material table extending over the planar cutting surface and the second planar surface.

8. The earth-boring tool of claim 5 , wherein the planar cutting surface and the second planar surface abut to form an apex on the cutting face.

9. The earth-boring tool of claim 8 , wherein the apex intersects the longitudinal axis of the at least one cutting element.

10. The earth-boring tool of claim 8 , wherein the apex intersects a point separated from the longitudinal axis of the at least one cutting element by a distance greater than about 5 percent (5%) of a diameter of the at least one cutting element.

11. The earth-boring tool of claim 1 , wherein the at least one alignment feature of the back face of the at least one cutting element and the at least one complementary alignment feature of the recess each comprise one or more beveled surfaces.

12. The earth-boring tool of claim 11 , wherein the at least one alignment feature of the back face and the at least one complementary alignment feature of the recess each comprise two beveled surfaces.

13. A method of affixing a cutting element to the earth-boring tool of claim 1 , comprising:
partially inserting the at least one cutting element into the at least one cutting element recess formed in the earth-boring tool;
applying a molten braze material to a clearance between a lateral side of the at least one cutting element and a lateral side of the at least one cutting element recess;
rotating the at least one cutting element about the longitudinal axis of the at least one cutting element within the at least one cutting element recess; and
fully inserting the at least one cutting element within the at least one cutting element recess until alignment features of the back face of the at least one cutting element abut complementary alignment features of the back surface of the body and rotationally align the at least one cutting element about the longitudinal axis within the at least one cutting element recess to a predetermined rotational orientation.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein fully inserting the at least one cutting element within the at least one cutting element recess comprises rotating the at least one cutting element to a position within about forty-five (45) degrees or less away from the predetermined rotational orientation and applying a force substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the at least one cutting element to seat the at least one cutting element within the at least one cutting element recess.

15. A method of forming the body of the earth-boring tool of claim 1 , comprising:
forming a mold having a mold cavity including a shape corresponding to a shape of the body of the earth-boring tool to be formed;
inserting a first portion of at least one displacement into at least one recess extending into the mold within the mold cavity, a second portion of the at least one displacement projecting into the mold cavity and having a generally cylindrical shape corresponding to a generally cylindrical shape of at least a portion of the at least one cutting element to be attached to the body of the earth-boring tool to be formed;
aligning the at least one displacement with respect to the mold by rotating the at least one displacement about a longitudinal axis of the at least one displacement; and
affixing the aligned at least one displacement within the at least one recess.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one displacement comprises at least one alignment feature on the first portion configured to rotationally align the at least one displacement with respect to the mold.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein aligning the at least one displacement comprises inserting an alignment pin through a hole in the first portion of the at least one displacement and into a hole formed in the mold.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the second portion of the at least one displacement comprises at least one feature configured to form at least one alignment feature in the at least one cutting element recess in the earth-boring tool body formed within the mold cavity.

19. An earth-boring tool, comprising:
a body having at least one blade, at least one cutting element recess formed in a surface of the at least one blade; and
at least one cutting element affixed within the at least one cutting element recess, the at least one cutting element comprising:
a substantially cylindrical lateral side surface configured to allow the at least one cutting element to rotate about a longitudinal axis within the at least one cutting element recess when the at least one cutting element is partially inserted into the at least one cutting element recess; and
a back face opposite a cutting face along the longitudinal axis of the at least one cutting element, the back face comprising at least one alignment feature configured to abut at east one complementary alignment feature of a back surface of the body defining a back portion of the at least one cutting element recess and preclude rotation of the at least one cutting element about the longitudinal axis when the at least one cutting element is full inserted into the at least one cutting element recess, wherein the at least one alignment feature of the back face of the at least one cutting element and the

Assignees

• Baker Hughes Inc

Inventors

• Heuser William H

Classifications

• B22D19/00 Primary

  Casting in, on, or around objects which form part of the product (B22D23/04 takes precedence; alumino-thermic welding B23K23/00; coating by casting molten material on the substrate C23C6/00) · CPC title

• E21B10/567

  with preformed cutting elements mounted on a distinct support, e.g. polycrystalline inserts · CPC title

• B23K1/0008 Primary

  specially adapted for particular articles or work · CPC title

• E21B10/633

  independently detachable · CPC title

• B23K31/025

  Connecting cutting edges or the like to tools; Attaching reinforcements to workpieces, e.g. wear-resisting zones to tableware · CPC title