PRECIPITATION HARDENED MATRIX DRILL BIT

摘要

Forming a precipitation hardened composite material having reinforcing particles and precipitated intermetallic particles dispersed in the binder material may involve heat treating the hard composite material at a temperature above a solvus line for the binder material and below a melting point of the binder material and quenching the hard composite material to a temperature below the solvus line of the binder material. At least some of the precipitated intermetallic particles in the precipitation hardened composite material may have at least one dimension less than 1 micron. Such precipitated intermetallic particles may optionally be grown to larger sizes by heat treating the precipitation hardened composite material at a temperature below the solvus line of the binder material.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
heat treating a hard composite material at a temperature above a solvus line for the binder material and below a melting point of the binder material, the hard composite material having reinforcing particles dispersed in a binder material; and quenching the hard composite material to a temperature below the solvus line of the binder material to form a precipitation hardened composite material having reinforcing particles and precipitated intermetallic particles dispersed in the binder material, wherein at least some of the precipitated intermetallic particles have at least one dimension less than 1 micron.