IMPROVED METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING DIAMOND COMPACT BODY FOR DRILLING ROCK

摘要

An improvement in the manufacture of diamond compacts is disclosed in which a cylindrical mass of polycrystalline diamond is surrounded by and bonded to an outer mass of metal which provides support for the diamond. The improvement comprises the use of seed diamond to grow the polycrystalline mass under high pressure-high temperature (HP/HT) conditions from non-diamond carbon, utilizing a catalyst metal contained in the outer metal annulus. Preferably, this improved process is carried out using a cup-shaped metal mass having a stable carbide content of at least 10% and a coefficient of thermal expansion slightly higher than diamond. It is also preferred to heat the sample (the outer metal mass and the inner graphite mass) directly by passing an electric current through the outer metal mass in the HP/HT process during which the polycrystalline compact is formed.