Earth-boring tools comprising eutectic or near-eutectic compositions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9790745-B2
Application number	US-201414551554-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 24, 2014
Priority date	May 20, 2010
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

Articles comprising at least a portion of an earth-boring tool include at least one insert and a solidified eutectic or near-eutectic composition including a metal phase and a hard material phase. Other articles include a solidified eutectic or near-eutectic composition including a metal phase, a hard material phase and a coating material in contact with the solidified eutectic or near-eutectic composition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An article comprising at least a portion of an earth-boring tool, the article comprising:
at least one insert; and
a solidified eutectic or near-eutectic composition including a metal phase, a hard material phase, and an inoculant selected from the group consisting of a transition metal aluminate, a transition metal metasilicate, and a transition metal oxide.

2. The article of claim 1 , wherein the at least one insert comprises a particle-matrix composite material exhibiting a wear-resistance greater than a wear resistance of the solidified eutectic or near-eutectic composition.

3. The article of claim 1 , wherein the at least one insert is at least partially embedded in the eutectic or near-eutectic composition.

4. An article comprising at least a portion of an earth-boring tool, the article comprising:
at least one insert; and
a solidified eutectic or near-eutectic composition including a metal phase, a hard material phase, and an inoculant, wherein the metal phase comprises at least one of cobalt, iron, nickel, and alloys thereof.

5. An article comprising at least a portion of an earth-boring tool, the article comprising:
at least one insert; and
a solidified eutectic or near-eutectic composition including a metal phase, a hard material phase, and an inoculant, wherein the hard material phase comprises a ceramic compound selected from the group consisting of carbides, borides, nitrides, and mixtures thereof.

6. The article of claim 5 , wherein the hard material phase comprises a metal carbide phase including at least one of an MC phase and an M 2 C phase, wherein M is at least one metal element and C is carbon.

7. An article comprising at least a portion of an earth-boring tool, the article comprising:
at least one insert; and
a solidified eutectic or near-eutectic composition including a metal phase, a hard material phase, and an inoculant, the composition having a composite microstructure that includes regions of the metal phase and the hard material phase.

8. An article comprising at least a portion of an earth-boring tool, the article comprising:
at least one insert at least partially defining at least one of a cutting surface and a bearing surface of the at least a portion of an earth-boring tool; and
a solidified eutectic or near-eutectic composition including a metal phase, a hard material phase, and an inoculant.

9. An article comprising at least a portion of an earth-boring tool, the article comprising:
a solidified eutectic or near-eutectic composition including a metal phase, a hard material phase, and an inoculant selected from the group consisting of a transition metal aluminate, a transition metal metasilicate, and a transition metal oxide; and
a coating material in contact with the solidified eutectic or near-eutectic composition.

10. The article of claim 9 , wherein the hard material phase comprises a metal carbide phase including at least one of an MC phase and an M 2 C phase, wherein M is at least one metal element and C is carbon.

11. The article of claim 9 , wherein the coating material is substantially free of carbon.

12. The article of claim 9 , wherein the coating material comprises a ceramic oxide material.

13. The article of claim 9 , wherein the coating material comprises zirconium oxide, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, or yttrium oxide.

14. The article of claim 9 , wherein the coating material comprises a multilayer coating.

15. The article of claim 14 , wherein the multilayer coating comprises at least one layer having a first composition and at least another layer having a second composition differing from the first composition.

16. An earth-boring tool, comprising:
a bit body carrying at least one cutter assembly, the at least one cutter assembly comprising a solidified eutectic or near-eutectic composition including a metal phase, a hard material phase, and an inoculant selected from the group consisting of a transition metal aluminate, a transition metal metasilicate, and a transition metal oxide; and
at least one insert secured to the at least one cutter assembly.

17. The earth-boring tool of claim 16 , wherein the at least one insert comprises a particle-matrix composite material exhibiting a wear-resistance greater than a wear resistance of the solidified eutectic or near-eutectic composition.

Assignees

• Baker Hughes Inc

Inventors

• Stevens John H
• Eason Jimmy W

Classifications

• C22C1/1068

  Making hard metals based on borides, carbides, nitrides, oxides or silicides · CPC title

• C22F1/10

  of nickel or cobalt or alloys based thereon · CPC title

• Y10T428/24942

  including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree · CPC title

• B22D19/06 Primary

  for manufacturing or repairing tools · CPC title

• C22C32/0047

  with carbides, nitrides, borides or silicides as the main non-metallic constituents · CPC title