POLYCRYSTALLINE DIAMOND COMPACTS, RELATED PRODUCTS, AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURE

• US 20130092451A1
• Filed: 10/18/2011
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: US Synthetic Corporation (ChampionX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: US Synthetic Corporation (ChampionX Corporation)
• Inventors: Mukhopadhyay, Debkumar, Gonzalez, Jair J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,272,392 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 175/428
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2203/062 Diamond
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2203/0655 Diamond
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2203/0685 Crystal sintering
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 3/062 characterised by the composition of the materials to be processed
• CPC Class Codes: B24D 18/0009 using moulds or presses
• CPC Class Codes: B24D 3/06 metallic or mixture of metals with ceramic materials, e.g. hard metals, "cermets", cements
• CPC Class Codes: B24D 99/005 Segments of abrasive wheels
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6567 Treatment time
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2237/123 based on iron group metals, e.g. steel
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2237/128 The active component for bonding being silicon
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2237/363 Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2237/401 Cermets
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2237/61 Joining two substrates of which at least one is porous by infiltrating the porous substrate with a liquid, such as a molten metal, causing bonding of the two substrates, e.g. joining two porous carbon substrates by infiltrating with molten silicon
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/645 Pressure sintering
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 37/026 consisting of metals or metal salts
• CPC Class Codes: C23F 1/02 Local etching
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/46 characterised by wear resisting parts, e.g. diamond inserts
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/56 Button-type inserts E21B10/52 takes precedence

Abstract

Embodiments relate to polycrystalline diamond compacts (“PDCs”) and methods of manufacturing such PDCs in which an at least partially leached polycrystalline diamond (“PCD”) table is infiltrated with a low viscosity cobalt-based alloy infiltrant. In an embodiment, a method includes forming a PCD table in the presence of a metal-solvent catalyst in a first high-pressure/high-temperature (“HPHT”) process. The method includes at least partially leaching the PCD table to remove at least a portion of the metal-solvent catalyst therefrom to form an at least partially leached PCD table. The method includes subjecting the at least partially leached PCD table and a substrate to a second HPHT process effective to at least partially infiltrate the at least partially leached PCD table with a cobalt-based alloy infiltrant having a composition at or near a eutectic composition of the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating a polycrystalline diamond compact, comprising:

forming a polycrystalline diamond table in the presence of a metal-solvent catalyst in a first high-pressure/high-temperature process, the polycrystalline diamond table including a plurality of bonded diamond grains defining a plurality of interstitial regions, at least a portion of the plurality of interstitial regions including the metal-solvent catalyst disposed therein;

at least partially leaching the polycrystalline diamond table to remove at least a portion of the metal-solvent catalyst therefrom to form an at least partially leached polycrystalline diamond table; and

subjecting the at least partially leached polycrystalline diamond table and a substrate to a second high-pressure/high-temperature process under diamond-stable temperature-pressure conditions effective to at least partially infiltrate the at least partially leached polycrystalline diamond table with a cobalt-based alloy infiltrant having a composition at or near a eutectic composition.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant comprises cobalt and at least one eutectic forming alloying element selected from the group consisting of carbon, silicon, boron, phosphorus, tantalum, tantalum carbide, niobium, molybdenum, antimony, and tin.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant comprises cobalt and at least one eutectic forming alloying element selected from the group consisting of silicon, boron, phosphorous, tantalum, and tantalum carbide.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one eutectic forming alloying element is present in an amount that is not more than the eutectic composition.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one eutectic forming alloying element is silicon, the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant is a cobalt-silicon alloy, and the silicon is present in an amount less than 12.5% by weight of the cobalt-silicon alloy.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one eutectic forming alloying element is silicon, the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant is a cobalt-silicon alloy, and the silicon is present in an amount less than about 2% by weight of the cobalt-silicon alloy.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one eutectic forming alloying element is carbon, the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant is a cobalt-carbon alloy, and the carbon is present in an amount less than 2.9% by weight of the cobalt-carbon alloy.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one eutectic forming alloying element is boron, the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant is a cobalt-boron alloy, and the boron is present in an amount less than 5.5% by weight of the cobalt-boron alloy.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one eutectic forming alloying element is phosphorus, the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant is a cobalt-phosphorus alloy, and the phosphorus is present in an amount less than 11.5% by weight of the cobalt-phosphorus alloy.

10. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one eutectic forming alloying element is tantalum, the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant is a cobalt-tantalum alloy, and the tantalum is present in an amount less than 32.4% by weight of the cobalt-tantalum alloy.

11. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one eutectic forming alloying element is tantalum and carbon.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the first high-pressure/high-temperature process performed at a cell pressure of at least about 7.5 GPa.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising leaching the at least partially infiltrated polycrystalline diamond table to form a region extending inwardly from an exterior working surface thereof that is substantially free of the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the composition of the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant is 0.4 to 1.5 times the eutectic composition.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the composition of the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant is 0.9 to 1.1 times the eutectic composition.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the infiltration of the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant is only partially complete so that the polycrystalline diamond table includes a first region adjacent to the substrate that includes the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant disposed in at least a portion of the interstitial regions thereof, a second region extending inwardly from an exterior working surface that is substantially free of the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant is provided from the substrate.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant is provided from an intermediate substrate positioned between the substrate and the at least partially leached polycrystalline diamond table.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the intermediate substrate is at least partially received in a recess of the substrate.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the polycrystalline diamond table exhibits a coercivity of about 115 Oe to about 250 Oe and a specific magnetic saturation greater than 0 G·

cm³/g to about 15 G·

cm³/g.

21. A polycrystalline diamond compact, comprising:

a cemented carbide substrate; and

a preformed polycrystalline diamond table attached to the substrate, the preformed polycrystalline diamond table including a plurality of bonded diamond grains defining a plurality of interstitial regions, at least a portion of the plurality of interstitial regions including a cobalt-based alloy disposed therein, wherein the cobalt-based alloy includes at least one eutectic forming alloying element in an amount at or near a eutectic composition for an alloy system of cobalt and the at least one eutectic forming alloying element.

22. The polycrystalline diamond compact of claim 21 wherein the at least one eutectic forming alloying element is selected from the group consisting of carbon, silicon, boron, phosphorus, tantalum, tantalum carbide, niobium, molybdenum, antimony, and tin.

23. The polycrystalline diamond compact of claim 21 wherein the at least one eutectic forming alloying element is selected from the group consisting of silicon, boron, phosphorus, tantalum, and tantalum carbide.

24. The polycrystalline diamond compact of claim 21 wherein the total amount of the at least one eutectic forming alloying element in the preformed polycrystalline diamond table is not more than the eutectic composition for a system of cobalt and the at least one eutectic forming alloying element.

25. The polycrystalline diamond compact of claim 21 wherein the composition of the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant is 0.4 to 1.5 times the eutectic composition.

26. The polycrystalline diamond compact of claim 21 wherein the composition of the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant is 0.9 to 1.1 times the eutectic composition.

27. The polycrystalline diamond compact of claim 21 wherein the at least one eutectic forming alloying element is silicon, and the silicon is present in the preformed polycrystalline diamond table in an amount less than 12.5% by weight of the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant.

28. The polycrystalline diamond compact of claim 21 wherein the at least one eutectic forming alloying element is silicon, and the silicon is present in the preformed polycrystalline diamond table in an amount less than about 2% by weight cobalt-based alloy infiltrant.

29. The polycrystalline diamond compact of claim 21 wherein the at least one eutectic forming alloying element is boron, and the boron is present in the preformed polycrystalline diamond table in an amount less than 5.5% by weight cobalt-based alloy infiltrant.

30. The polycrystalline diamond compact of claim 21 wherein the at least one eutectic forming alloying element is phosphorus, and the phosphorus is present in the preformed polycrystalline diamond table in an amount less than 11.5% by weight cobalt-based alloy infiltrant.

31. The polycrystalline diamond compact of claim 21 wherein the at least one eutectic forming alloying element is tantalum, and the tantalum is present in the preformed polycrystalline diamond table in an amount less than 32.4% by weight.

32. The polycrystalline diamond compact of claim 21 wherein the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant is provided from a cementing constituent of the cemented carbide substrate.

33. The polycrystalline diamond compact of claim 21 wherein the cemented carbide substrate comprises a first cemented carbide substrate portion that includes the cobalt-based alloy and is bonded to the preformed polycrystalline diamond table, and a second cemented carbide substrate portion that receives the first cemented carbide substrate portion.

34. The polycrystalline diamond compact of claim 21 wherein the cobalt-based alloy infiltrant comprises a cobalt solid solution phase and at least one additional phase including the at least one eutectic forming alloying element.

35. A rotary drill bit, comprising:

a bit body configured to engage a subterranean formation, the bit body including a plurality of blades; and

a plurality of polycrystalline diamond cutting elements attached to the plurality of blades, at least one of the plurality of polycrystalline diamond cutting elements including;

a cemented carbide substrate; and

a preformed polycrystalline diamond table attached to the substrate, the preformed polycrystalline diamond table including a plurality of bonded diamond grains defining a plurality of interstitial regions, at least a portion of the plurality of interstitial regions including a cobalt-based alloy disposed therein, wherein the cobalt-based alloy includes at least one eutectic forming alloying element in an amount at or near a eutectic composition for an alloy system of cobalt and the at least one eutectic forming alloying element.