Rolling element assemblies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9976353-B2
Application number	US-201514777586-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2015
Priority date	Jun 18, 2014
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

A drill bit includes a bit body having one or more blades extending therefrom and a plurality of cutters secured to the one or more blades. One or more rolling elements are positioned on the bit body, and each rolling element has a rotational axis and provides one or more cylindrical bearing portions rotatable about the rotational axis. Each rolling element is rotatably coupled to the bit body within a housing that defines one or more internal bearing surfaces that partially enclose the one or more cylindrical bearing portions but leaves a full length of the rolling element exposed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drill bit, comprising:
a bit body having one or more blades extending therefrom, each blade having an outer surface;
a plurality of cutters secured to the one or more blades; and
one or more rolling elements positioned on the bit body, each rolling element having a cylindrical bearing portion defining a rotational axis, wherein each rolling element is rotatably coupled to the bit body about its rotational axis within a housing that defines one or more internal bearing surfaces in engagement with the cylindrical bearing portion, the housing being coupled to the blade of the bit body at a rolling element location and partially encircling the cylindrical bearing portion while leaving a full length of the rolling element exposed, wherein the rotational axis is substantially parallel to a tangent of the outer surface at the rolling element location.

2. The drill bit of claim 1 , wherein the housing encircles more than 180° but less than 360° of a circumference of the cylindrical bearing portion while leaving the full length of the rolling element exposed.

3. The drill bit of claim 1 , wherein the rolling element is cylindrical and at least a portion of the rolling element comprises the cylindrical bearing portion.

4. The drill bit of claim 3 , wherein the cylindrical bearing portion is a continuous cylindrical bearing portion that extends the full length of the rolling element.

5. The drill bit of claim 1 , wherein the bit body comprises one or more pockets, and wherein the housing of each rolling element is secured to the bit body within a respective one of the one or more pockets.

6. The drill bit of claim 5 , wherein at least one of the one or more pockets comprises a cutter pocket and the housing is securable within the cutter pocket.

7. The drill bit of claim 1 , wherein the bit body defines at least a portion of the internal bearing surface.

8. The drill bit of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more rolling elements is oriented to exhibit a side rake angle ranging between 0° and 45°.

9. The drill bit of claim 1 , wherein one or more rolling elements is oriented to exhibit a side rake angle ranging between 45° and 90° and thereby operates as a depth of cut controller.

10. The drill bit of claim 1 , wherein the housing for at least one of the rolling elements is oriented to exhibit a back rake angle ranging between 0° and 45° , thereby allowing the at least one of the one or more rolling elements to operate as a cutter.

11. The drill bit of claim 1 , wherein the rotational axis of at least one of the one or more rolling elements lies on a plane that passes through a longitudinal axis of the bit body.

12. The drill bit of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the rolling elements comprises a polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) including at least one diamond table secured to a substrate.

13. The drill bit of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the rolling elements further comprises a first diamond table secured at a first end of the substrate and a second diamond table secured at a second end of the substrate.

14. The drill bit of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the rolling elements comprises three or more diamond tables and two or more substrates.

15. The drill bit of claim 14 , wherein a diameter of at least one of the diamond tables is greater than a diameter of all of the other diamond tables on that rolling element.

16. The drill bit of claim 1 , wherein the housing further comprises a first side member and a second side member, and the first and second side members cooperatively define a slot through which the rolling element protrudes to expose the full length of the rolling element.

17. The drill bit of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more internal bearing surfaces comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a matrix material comprising an ultra-hard material, polycrystalline diamond, thermally stable polycrystalline diamond, cubic boron nitride, impregnated diamond, nanocrystalline diamond, ultra-nanocrystalline diamond, and zirconia.

18. The drill bit of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the one or more rolling elements includes a body and one or more inserts that extend radially outward from the body.

19. The drill bit of claim 1 , wherein the housing is positioned within a pocket defined in the bit body, the drill bit further comprising:
at least one cavity cooperatively defined by a pocket groove formed within the pocket and a housing groove formed on an exterior of the housing; and
a locking element that extends into the cavity to secure the housing within the pocket.

20. The drill bit of claim 1 , further comprising:
a bearing cavity defined in a bottom of the housing; and
a bearing element positioned in the bearing cavity and including a bearing surface engageable with the rolling element during operation.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Hinz Brandon James
• Grosz Gregory Christopher
• Davies Brian
• Anderle Seth

Classifications

• E21B10/55

  with preformed cutting elements · CPC title

• E21B10/60

  characterised by conduits or nozzles for drilling fluids (for roller bits E21B10/18; for percussion drill bits E21B10/38) · CPC title

• E21B10/08

  Roller bits (E21B10/26 takes precedence; roller core bits E21B10/06; characterised by wear resisting parts E21B10/50) · CPC title

• E21B10/54 Primary

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

• E21B10/14 Primary

  combined with non-rolling cutters other than of leading-portion type · CPC title