Abstract: A roller cutter drill bit with mixed bearing types includes a bit body with at least one journal facet and a cavity facet. A cavity extends into the bit body from the cavity facet. The bit body is configured to rotate about a bit axis during drilling. A journal extends outward from the at least one journal facet. A first rotatable cutter that supports a first plurality of cutting structures has a journal portion received by the cavity. A second rotatable cutter that supports a second plurality of cutting structures has a cavity portion that is receives the journal.

Abstract: A shear claw drill bit includes a bit body and a plurality of pick receptacles fixedly attached to the bit body. Each pick receptacle has a pick cavity. The shear claw drill bit further includes a plurality of picks. Each pick has a cutter cavity. The shear claw drill bit also includes a plurality of polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutters. Each PDC cutter is disposed in the cutter cavity of a respective pick of the plurality of picks. A portion of each PDC cutter protrudes out of the cutter cavity of the respective pick.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods and techniques for determining wear abrasion resistance of superhard components, such as cutters used in down-hole drilling tools. The methods and techniques provided herein produce an efficiency ratio of a superhard component through data obtained from a vertical turret lathe test. The efficiency ratio is the ratio between the volume of a target cylinder removed by the superhard component during the vertical turret lathe test and the normal force applied onto the superhard component by the target cylinder. The efficiency ratio is indicative of the energy efficiency of the superhard component.

Abstract: A hybrid rotary cone drill bit includes a plurality of legs. A bearing shaft extends from each leg, and a rotary cone is rotationally coupled to each bearing shaft. At least one rotary cone includes a nose row of cutting structures, an inner row of cutting structures, and a gage row of cutting structures. The nose row and the inner row of cutting structures are formed of milled teeth. The gage row of cutting structures is formed of cutter inserts.

Abstract: A bit mold is milled using a turning stage which forms a base mold component and a base gagering component. Next, a blade milling stage is performed in which the base mold component and base gagering component are milled to define integral junkslot formers separated by blade regions. Lastly, a pocket milling stage is performed in which the blade regions and integral junkslot formers of the base mold component are milled to define a plurality of cutter pockets in primary and perhaps secondary rows. Each cutter pocket includes a seat portion and a face portion. The milling of the pocket milling stage provides, at one or more of the cutter pockets, a facet. This facet is provided in an area about the junkslot former associated with the face portion of the cutter pocket, the face portion having, due to the presence of the facet, a surface for matching a cutter core displacement end surface without voids of a size which would require the use of fill material.

Abstract: In a process, a thermally stable diamond table body and a substrate are stacked on each other at an interface which includes a layer of a imbibiting material interposed between a bottom surface of the body and an upper surface of the substrate. The stack is subjected to a suitable thermal cycle, constituted by heating, temperature maintenance and cooling, which brings at least some of the imbibiting material into the liquid state for migration into the thermally stable diamond table body and substrate at and about the interface so as to join the thermally stable diamond table body to the substrate. The substrate may be produced as a block of dense material constituted by hard particles dispersed in a binder phase, wherein the dense material has been enriched locally with binder phase by imbibition.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a rotary cone drill bit comprises: a body, a leg depending from the body, a bearing shaft extending from the leg and a cone mounted to the bearing shaft. The leg includes a leading transitional surface. A bottom surface of a hard material plate is attached to a substantially conforming surface of the leg in a position where the hard material plate is disposed on a floor surface formed in or by the leading transitional surface of the leg.

Abstract: A downhole tool and method for manufacturing such downhole tool. The downhole tool includes a bit body having a blank and a matrix bonded to and surrounding the blank, a shank having a threaded connection at one end, and a butt joint formed within a gap formed between the blank and the shank and coupling the blank to the shank. The blank includes a first planar surface while the shank includes a second planar surface opposite the one end. The butt joint is formed between the first and second planar surfaces when positioned adjacent to one another, wherein the first planar surface is positioned external to the matrix.

Abstract: A method of characterizing a quality of a polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutter includes obtaining a PDC cutter that includes a leached layer and an unleached layer. The unleached layer is positioned adjacent to the leached layer, and the leached layer has at least a portion of a catalyst material removed from therein. The method further includes measuring capacitance values of the PDC cutter at multiple frequencies of an electrical signal provided to the PDC cutter by a capacitance measuring device to measure the capacitance values of the PDC cutter. The method also includes characterizing a quality of the PDC cutter based on a lowest capacitance value from among the capacitance values. Each capacitance value of the capacitance values is measured at a respective frequency of the multiple frequencies of the electrical signal.

Abstract: A sealing system includes a first gland in a cone and a first ring mounted in the first gland. A second ring is mounted to a shaft region. A third ring is positioned between the first and second rings. The first and third rings present a pair of metal seal faces. A second gland is formed between the second and third rings, with an o-ring sealing member installed within the third gland and radially compressed in a sealing relationship between the second and third rings. The second gland is sized to permit axial movement of the o-ring sealing member within the second gland in response to pressure changes. An energizer is configured to exert an axial force against the third ring so as to keep the metal seal faces in sealing contact. The axial force is applied at a radial position corresponding to a radial center the metal seal faces.

Abstract: A cutting table includes a lattice structure and a catalyst material deposited within voids formed within the lattice structure. The catalyst material is deposited in the voids during a sintering process that forms the lattice structure. The catalyst material facilitates the growth of the lattice structure. The catalyst material has a coefficient of thermal expansion that is less than that of cobalt.

Abstract: A sealing system includes a first gland in a cone and a second gland in a shaft region. A first ring is mounted in the first gland, a second ring is mounted in the second gland and a third ring is positioned between the first and second rings. The first and third rings present a pair of opposed metal seal faces. A biasing spring is configured to exert an axial force against the third ring so as to keep the metal seal faces in sealing contact. A third gland is formed between the second and third rings, with an o-ring sealing member installed within the third gland and compressed in a sealing relationship between the second and third rings. The third ring includes a sealing region supporting the metal seal face and a body region supporting the third gland, with the sealing region pivotally coupled to the body region.

Abstract: A sealing system includes a first gland in a cone and a second gland in a shaft region. A first ring is mounted in the first gland, a second ring is mounted in the second gland and a third ring is positioned between the first and second rings. The first and third rings present a pair of metal seal faces. A third ring is mounted to the second ring through a set of mounting pins which permit axial movement of the third ring. A biasing spring is mounting in the second ring and configured to exert an axial force against the third ring so as to keep the metal seal faces in sealing contact. A third gland is formed between the second and third rings, with an o-ring sealing member installed within the third gland and compressed in a sealing relationship between the second and third rings.

Abstract: A drill tool includes a bit body, at least one bearing shaft extending from the bit body and a cone mounted for rotation on the bearing shaft. A mechanical seal is disposed between the bearing shaft and the cone in a seal gland. The mechanical seal includes a rigid seal ring having a dynamic sealing surface with the cone and another non-sealing surface exposed to an aperture in the seal gland. The mechanical seal further includes at least one cooling channel formed in the another non-sealing surface of the rigid seal ring, the cooling channel having an open end in fluid communication with the aperture in the seal gland.

Abstract: A cutter pocket, a downhole tool formed with at least one cutter pocket, and a method for coupling a cutter to the cutter pocket is described herein. The cutter pocket is formed within at least one blade of the downhole tool and includes a pocket back fabricated from a first material, a first pocket side extending from one end of the pocket back to a leading edge of the downhole tool, and a second pocket side extending from an opposing end of the pocket back to the leading edge. The pocket back and the pocket sides define a cavity. A cutter is positioned and coupled at least partially within the cavity. The height of an upper surface of the first material of the pocket back ranges between thirty percent to sixty-five percent of the cutter girth.

Abstract: A drill tool includes a cone mounted for rotation on a bearing shaft that extends from a bit head. The cone has a first planar base surface opposed to a second planar base surface of the bit head. A first annular groove is formed in the first planar base surface, and a second annular groove is formed in the second planar base surface. The first and second annular grooves are at least partially aligned with each other. The combination of the first and second annular grooves form a first annular gland. A protector ring is inserted into the first annular gland, and functions to divide a fluid path between the bearing shaft of the drill tool and an external environment into a plurality of parallel fluid paths that pass around the protector ring. Each parallel fluid path includes a convolution defined by a plurality of fluid direction changing corners.

Abstract: A repaired polycrystalline diamond cutter and method for fabricating the same. The cutter includes a damaged substrate that includes at least one void therein, a polycrystalline diamond table coupled to the damaged substrate, and a paste compound disposed within the voids formed about the damaged substrate. The damaged substrate and the paste compound collectively form a full circumference. The method includes obtaining a damaged cutter that includes a polycrystalline diamond table coupled to a damaged substrate having at least one void formed therein, applying a paste compound within the at least one void, melting the paste compound via induction heating, bonding the paste compound to the substrate and forming a processed PDC cutter, and grinding at least a portion of the paste compound from the processed PDC cutter to form the repaired cutter.

Abstract: A drill tool comprises includes a bit body, at least one bearing shaft extending from the bit body and a cone mounted for rotation on the bearing shaft. The bearing system for the tool includes a radial thrust bearing from which cone pumping pressure pulsation originates. A lubricant sealing system including an annular seal gland and a seal ring retained within the annular seal gland functions to retain lubricant in the bearing system. The tool further includes a lubricant cone pumping pressure restrictor system formed by an annular gland (separate from the annular seal gland) and a pressure restricting ring retained within the annular gland. The lubricant cone pumping pressure restrictor system is positioned between the radial thrust bearing system and the lubricant sealing system and is adapted to attenuate cone pumping lubricant pressure pulsation from acting on the seal ring retained within the annular seal gland.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for manufacturing a downhole tool that reduces failures occurring along a bondline between a cemented matrix coupled around a blank. The cemented matrix material is formed from a tungsten carbide powder, a shoulder powder, and a binder material, wherein at least one of the tungsten carbide powder or the shoulder powder is absent of any free tungsten. The blank, which optionally may be coated, is substantially cylindrically shaped and defines a channel extending from a top portion and through a bottom portion of the blank. The absence of free tungsten from at least one of the tungsten carbide powder or the shoulder powder reduces the reaction with iron from the blank, thereby allowing the control and reduction of intermetallic compounds thickness within the bondline.

Abstract: A method for hardfacing a drill bit includes applying a hardfacing material to a matrix metal forming the substrate of the drill bit. The hardfacing material is applied using a plasma arc welding process. A metallurgical bond is formed between the matrix metal and the hardfacing material. The matrix metal may include tungsten carbide and a braze filler metal.