Abstract: A front face of a diamond table mounted to a substrate is processed, for example through an acid leach, to remove interstitial catalyst binder and form a thermal channel. A material is then introduced to the front face of the diamond table, the introduced material backfilling the front face of the diamond table to fill interstitial voids left by removal of the catalyst binder in the thermal channel to a desired depth. The material is selected to be less thermally expandable than the catalyst binder and/or more thermally conductive than the catalyst binder and/or having a lower heat capacity than the catalyst binder.

Abstract: A sealing system is provided for a drill bit including a bit head and a rotating bit cone. The sealing system includes a seal gland and a seal retained within the seal gland. The seal gland is defined by a radial cone surface and is further defined by a head sealing surface and an opposed cone sealing surface. At least one of the head sealing surface and opposed cone sealing surface is not cylindrical (i.e., the surface is conical and not parallel to an axis of rotation for the cone). Additionally, the radial cone surface may be conical (i.e., the surface does not extend perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the cone). The seal is radially compressed between the head sealing surface and the opposed cone sealing surface. The use of one or more conical surfaces in the gland is provided to bias the compressed seal into a preferred dynamic sealing zone.

Abstract: A sealing system is provided for a drill bit including a bit head and a rotating bit cone. The sealing system includes a seal gland and a seal retained within the seal gland. The seal gland is defined by a radial cone surface and is further defined by a head sealing surface and an opposed cone sealing surface. At least one of the head sealing surface and opposed cone sealing surface is not cylindrical (i.e., the surface is conical and not parallel to an axis of rotation for the cone). Additionally, the radial cone surface may be conical (i.e., the surface does not extend perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the cone). The seal is radially compressed between the head sealing surface and the opposed cone sealing surface. The use of one or more conical surfaces in the gland is provided to bias the compressed seal into a preferred dynamic sealing zone.

Abstract: A method of identifying one or more rock properties and/or one or more abnormalities occurring within a subterranean formation. The method includes obtaining a plurality of drilling parameters, which include at least the rate of penetration, the weight on bit, and the bit revolutions per minute, and then normalizing these plurality of drilling parameters by calculating a depth of cut and an intrinsic drilling impedance. Typically, the intrinsic drilling impedance is specific to the type of bit used to drill the wellbore and includes using a plurality of drill bit constants. From this intrinsic drilling impedance, the porosity and/or the rock strength may be determined which is then compared to the actual values to identify the specific type of the one or more abnormalities occurring. Additionally, the intrinsic drilling impedance may be compared to other logging parameters to also identify the specific type of the one or more abnormalities occurring.

Abstract: A drill bit has cutting elements with multiple cutting surface geometries that are positioned so that their cutting profiles overlap, but do not completely contain or engulf one another. The different cutting surface geometries and the specific overlap create a zone of high density in the middle regions of the cutting profiles and low density in the periphery, resulting in a cutting profile that becomes sharper with increasing wear. Such an arrangement is more effective and stable as the drill bit encounters hard and abrasive formation materials. Moreover, cutting elements with larger axial volumes may be combined with cutting elements having smaller axial volumes, resulting in an even more effective drill bit in terms of durability and ability to drill efficiently in hard and abrasive formations.

Abstract: A drill bit includes a bit head and a rotating bit cone. A sealing system for the drill bit includes a seal gland and a seal retained within the seal gland. The seal gland is defined by a radial cone surface, a head sealing surface and an opposed cone sealing surface. At least one of the head sealing surface and opposed cone sealing surface is not cylindrical (i.e., the surface is conical and not parallel to an axis of rotation for the cone). Additionally, the radial cone surface may be conical (i.e., the surface does not extend perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the cone). The seal is radially compressed between the head sealing surface and the opposed cone sealing surface. The use of one or more conical surfaces in the gland is provided to bias the compressed seal into a preferred dynamic sealing zone.

Abstract: A drill bit has cutting elements with multiple cutting surface geometries that are positioned so that their cutting profiles overlap, but do not completely contain or engulf one another. The different cutting surface geometries and the specific overlap create a zone of high density in the middle regions of the cutting profiles and low density in the periphery, resulting in a cutting profile that becomes sharper with increasing wear. Such an arrangement is more effective and stable as the drill bit encounters hard and abrasive formation materials. Moreover, cutting elements with larger axial volumes may be combined with cutting elements having smaller axial volumes, resulting in an even more effective drill bit in terms of durability and ability to drill efficiently in hard and abrasive formations.

Abstract: A force balanced asymmetric drilling reamer comprising a plurality of blades, each blade having at least one cutter section and a gage section. The cutter section is designed to have a plurality of cutting devices for cutting through swelling formations and cutting free sloughing formations. The gage section has a full bore diameter with gage elements flushly coupled to gage section's outer surface. The blades may be curve/concave shaped or boomerang/chevron shaped, which thereby agitate the cutting beds. At least a portion of the drilling reamer's diameter is incrementally force balanced, starting from the outermost diameter, so that the net radial force is less than 10% of weight on bit with respect to the center of rotation. This balancing allows a greater cutter longevity and provides for a better wellbore condition. Optionally, at least a portion of the drilling reamer's surface may be treated by nitriding for repelling the cuttings.

Abstract: Surface texturing is employed to modify the topography of one or more surfaces (radial or cylindrical) of the sealing system for a roller cone rock bit. The surface texturing results in a dimpled surface which retains additional lubricant helpful in reducing friction in the boundary and mixed lubrication regimes. Shot peening is disclosed as one method for texturing the desired surface.

Abstract: Surface texturing is employed to modify the topography of one or more surfaces (radial or cylindrical) of the bearing system for a roller cone rock bit. The surface texturing results in a dimpled surface which retains additional lubricant helpful in reducing friction in the boundary and mixed lubrication regimes. Shot peening is disclosed as one method for texturing the desired surface.

Abstract: A sectorial force balanced drill bit, including conventional and bi-center drill bits, having the true center of rotation the same as, or about the same as, the bit mass axis. The bit mass axis is a longitudinal axis located off-center to the geometric axis of the bit and comprises the center of mass point. This balancing allows a greater longevity for the cutters. Additionally, a method for sectorially force balancing drill bits is provided. The method includes dividing the drill bit into one or more sections, calculating the magnitude and direction of the resultant radial imbalance force for the cutters of each section, adjusting the cutters and/or blades until the magnitude of the resultant radial imbalance force is about the same for each section and the direction of the resultant radial imbalance force for each section is about 2?/n, where n is the number of sections, from the adjacent section.

Abstract: A drill bit includes a plurality of continuous segments impregnated with diamond that are each mounted to form a corresponding blade. The regions between the blades define a plurality of fluid passages on the bit face. The blades extend radially outwardly to the gage. The continuous segments may be either straight or spiral in design. Furthermore, the design of the segments supports varying one or more of: diamond content, width, back rake angle and/or relief angle along a length of the segment.

Abstract: A rock bit includes a shaft and a cone mounted for rotation about the shaft at a journal bearing. A seal gland for the rock bit is defined at least by the shaft and the cone. A compressible seal ring is positioned within the seal gland. A thermal insulating ring is installed within the seal gland and positioned between the compressible seal ring itself and the journal bearing to insulate the compressible seal ring from heat radiating from the journal bearing.

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: 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: A cutter is configured with a diamond table made from a thin hard facing material layer of polycrystalline diamond bonded to a backing layer made from cemented tungsten carbide. The face of the diamond table includes a concavity formed with a curved shape wherein at least a portion of the face in a center of the cutter is recessed with respect to at least some portion of the face about the perimeter of the cutter. This concave curved shape is formed in the diamond table itself such that the diamond table has a varying thickness depending on the implemented concavity. Alternatively, the concave curved shape is formed in the backing layer and a substantially constant thickness diamond table layer is attached thereto.

Abstract: A process is presented which produces at least one block of dense material constituted by hard particles dispersed in a binder phase, it being possible for the dense material to be enriched locally with binder phase by imbibition. The process includes bringing at least one imbibition area of a surface of the block, preferably coated with a coating material, into contact with an imbibiting material which locally enriches the block with binder phase. The block in contact with the imbibiting material is then subjected to a suitable thermal cycle constituted by heating, temperature maintenance and cooling. This serves to bring some or all of the imbibiting material and the binder phase of the block into the liquid state in such a manner that the enrichment with binder phase takes place solely through the imbibition area. The block is used in connection with the building of a drill bit or tool.

Abstract: A drill bit includes a drill bit body and first and second blades formed on the drill bit body. The first blade has first cutting elements defining a first profile length and an adjacent first gauge section having a first gauge length. The second blade has second cutting elements defining a second profile length and an adjacent second gauge section having a second gauge length which is shorter than the first gauge length of the first blade. Certain ones of the second cutting elements on the second blade rotationally overlap with a portion of the first gauge section on the first blade.

Abstract: Drill bit with multiple stages of durability and ROP characteristics is disclosed. The drill bit has multiple layers of cutters established by deploying the cutters on blades of different heights or maintaining the blades at the same height and deploying the cutters to have different heights on one or more blades. Each layer provides independent bottom hole coverage and has independent stabilization, ROP, and durability characteristics so as to effectively drill through different subsurface formations. Cutters deployed on the different layers have their respective centers at substantially different radial positions. Due to the different radial positions, cutters in different layers cut different swaths in the subsurface formation. Cutters in different layers may also have different initial peripheral portions or shear lengths, resulting in different impact resistance characteristics for the different layers.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, a method for manufacturing tungsten carbide components is provided. The method includes forming a composite material out of tungsten carbide powder and binder powder, pressing the composite material into a plurality of components, heating the plurality of components, optionally under pressure, to liquefy the binder, cooling the plurality of components until the binder solidifies, optionally grinding each of the plurality of components to a desired size, and cascading the plurality of components in a cascading machine under high energy conditions.