Incorporation of bulk metal foils to increase toughness of polycrystalline diamond

摘要

A cutting element include a substrate and a diamond compact including at least two polycrystalline diamond portions separated by at least one metal carbide foil portion. The cutting element is made by placing diamond powder in a reaction container, placing a thin metal layer in the reaction container above or around the diamond powder and binder, placing additional diamond powder in the reaction container above or around the thin metal layer, and placing a pre-sintered substrate containing binder into the reaction container above all diamond powder and thin metal layer components. The assembled reaction container is put into a reactor and is subjected to a high-temperature high-pressure sintering process. The binder in the pre-sintered substrate sweeps through to sinter the first diamond portion, and then reacts with the thin metal layer to form a metal carbide, and then the binder continues to sweep through to sinter the second diamond portion.

主权项

1. A method of making a cutting element comprising:
placing a first diamond powder in a reaction container; placing a thin metal layer in the reaction container in a first direction from or around the first diamond powder; placing a second diamond powder in the reaction container in the first direction from or around the thin metal layer, wherein the thin metal layer separates the first diamond powder from the second diamond powder; placing a pre-sintered substrate containing binder into the reaction container in the first direction from the first diamond powder and the second diamond powder and thin metal layer components; and putting the reaction container into a reactor and subjecting the reaction container to a high-temperature high-pressure (HTHP) sintering process in which the second diamond powder forms a first polycrystalline diamond portion and the first diamond powder forms a second polycrystalline diamond portion,wherein the thin metal layer forms a cup that separates the first diamond powder from the second diamond powder and surrounds the first diamond powder.