Abstract: A pick tool (100) comprising a strike member (110) non-moveably attached to a pick body (120), the strike member comprising a strike structure. The strike structure comprises super-hard material and defines a planar strike surface (112), the strike surface defining a cutting edge (114) that includes an apex (115) in the plane of the strike surface (112). The thickness of at least a proximate volume (107) of the strike structure adjacent the cutting edge (114) is at least about 2 millimetres.

Abstract: A method for making a treated super-hard structure, the method including providing a super-hard structure comprising super-hard material selected from polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) material or thermally stable polycrystalline diamond (PCD) material; subjecting the super-hard structure to heat treatment at a treatment temperature of greater than 700 degrees centigrade at a treatment pressure at which the super-hard material is not thermodynamically stable, for a treatment period of at least about 5 minutes to produce the treated super-hard structure.

Abstract: A strike tip (100) for a pick tool, comprising a strike structure (120) joined to a substrate (110) at an interface boundary (115), the strike structure (120) comprising or consisting or super-hard material and the substrate (110) comprising or consisting of carbide material; the strike tip having a proximate strike end (117) coterminous with the super-hard material and a distal end (118) defined by the substrate (110), a side connecting the strike and distal ends; the strike end (117) including a flat apex area (150) and an outer area extending from the apex to the side. The apex area (150) is substantially less than the outer area, and is at least 1 square millimetre and at most 25 square millimetres.

Abstract: A pick assembly (100) comprising a pick tool (200), a pick holder (300) and a rotatable drive means (400); in which the pick holder is attached to the rotatable drive means and the pick tool comprises a base (220) and a strike element (210) capable of being attached to the base, the strike element comprising a strike tip (212) defining a strike tip axis (213) and the base capable of being attached to the pick holder; the pick holder and pick tool being configured in relation to the drive means operative to the strike tip axis being oriented to within a strike angle of at most 5 degrees with a strike plane on which the strike tip will travel when driven by the drive means.

Abstract: A pick tool for pavement degradation or mining, comprising an insert and a holder, the insert comprising a super-hard strike tip joined to a proximate end of an insertion shaft. The insertion shaft is secured by an interference fit within a bore provided in the holder, the insertion shaft having a longitudinal axis and a distal end of the insertion shaft positioned at an insertion depth within the bore. A wear limit marker is provided on an external surface of the holder and positioned to correspond to an axial distance along the insertion shaft from the distal end, the distance being at least 20 percent and at most 35 percent of the insertion depth.

Abstract: A pick tool comprising an insert and a steel holder for the insert, the insert comprising a superhard tip joined to a cemented carbide support body having an insertion shank; the steel holder comprising a shaft for connection to a tool carrier and provided with a bore configured for receiving the insertion shank; the volume of the cemented carbide support body being at least 6 cm3.

Abstract: A pick tool comprising an insert and a steel holder for the insert, the insert comprising a superhard tip joined to a cemented carbide support body having an insertion shank; the steel holder comprising a shaft for connection to a tool carrier and provided with a bore configured for receiving the insertion shank; the volume of the cemented carbide support body being at least 6 cm3.

Abstract: Polycrystalline material comprising a plurality of nano-grains of a crystalline phase of an iron group element and a plurality of crystalline grains of material including carbon (C) or nitrogen (N); each nano-grain having a mean size less than 10 nanometres.

Abstract: The invention relates to a wear part or tool comprising a body containing an iron-group metal or alloy, a wear-resistant layer metallurgically bonded to a surface of the body through an intermediate layer, characterized in that the wear-resistant layer comprises at least 13 vol. % of grains of metal carbide selected from the group consisting of WC, TiC, VC, ZrC, NbC, Mo2C, HfC and TaC and grains of (Cr,Me)xCy and a metal based phase comprising of a solid solution of 0.5 to 20% Cr, 0.2 to 15% Si, and 0.2 to 20% carbon, where Me is Fe, Co and/or Ni; and the intermediate layer has a thickness of 0.05 to 1 mm and comprises Si in amount of 0.1 to 0.7 of that in the wear-resistant layer, chromium in amount of 0.1 to 0.6 of that in the wear-resistant layer and the metal of the metal carbide in amount of 0.2 to 0.6 of that in the wear-resistant layer and to a method of producing such a wear part.

Abstract: A method for making a treated super-hard structure, the method including providing a super-hard structure comprising super-hard material selected from polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) material or thermally stable polycrystalline diamond (PCD) material; subjecting the super-hard structure to heat treatment at a treatment temperature of greater than 700 degrees centigrade at a treatment pressure at which the super-hard material is not thermodynamically stable, for a treatment period of at least about 5 minutes to produce the treated super-hard structure.

Abstract: A pick tool comprising a super-hard strike tip, a base and a unitary cemented carbide support body comprising a head portion including an overhang portion, and an insertion shaft extending from the head portion, a surface of the overhang portion extending laterally from the insertion shaft; the strike tip is attached to the head portion of the support body and the base is provided with a bore into which the insertion shaft is shrink fitted; the base has an external surface adjacent the bore and overhang portion of the head portion is configured to extend over at least an area of the external surface operative to shield the area from wear when in use.

Abstract: A strike tip for a pick tool, comprising a strike structure joined to a substrate at an interface boundary, the strike structure comprising super-hard material and the substrate comprising carbide material. The strike structure has a strike end opposite the interface boundary, the strike end including a rounded apex having a radius of curvature in a longitudinal plane of at least 3.2 mm and at most 6 mm.

Abstract: A polycrystalline diamond composite compact element comprises a body of polycrystalline diamond material and a cemented carbide substrate bonded to the body of polycrystalline material. The cemented carbide substrate has tungsten carbide particles bonded together by a binder material comprising an alloy of Co, Ni and Cr. The tungsten carbide particles form between 70 weight percent and 95 weight percent of the substrate. The binder material comprises between about 10 to 50 wt. % Ni, between about 0.1 to 10 wt. % Cr, and the remainder weight percent comprising Co. The size distribution of the tungsten carbide particles in the substrate has fewer than 17 percent of the carbide particles with a grain size of equal to or less than about 0.3 microns, between about 20 to 28 percent of the tungsten carbide particles having a grain size of between about 0.3 to 0.5 microns; between about 42 to 56 percent of the tungsten carbide particles having a grain size of between about 0.

Abstract: The invention relates to a wear part or tool comprising a body containing an iron-group metal or alloy, a wear-resistant layer metallurgically bonded to a surface of the body through an intermediate layer, characterised in that the wear-resistant layer comprises at least 13 vol. % of grains of metal carbide selected from the group consisting of WC, TiC, VC, ZrC, NbC, Mo2C, HfC and TaC and grains of (CrlMe)xCy and a metal based phase comprising of a solid solution of 0.5 to 20% Cr, 0.2 to 15% Sil and 0.2 to 20% carbon, where Me is Fe, Co and/or Ni; and the intermediate layer has a thickness of 0.05 to 1 mm and comprises Si in amount of 0.1 to 0.7 of that in the wear-resistant layer, chromium in amount of 0.1 to 0.6 of that in the wear-resistant layer and the metal of the metal carbide in amount of 0.2 to 0.6 of that in the wear-resistant layer and to a method of producing such a wear part.

Abstract: A pick tool assembly comprising a working tip, a base and at least one wear protector element. The working tip is attached to the base and the base comprises an attachment member for coupling the base to a driving mechanism. The working tip comprises super-hard material, the base comprises a first material and the wear protector element comprises a second material having greater abrasive wear resistance than the first material. The base and wear protector element are cooperatively configured so that wear protector element is mechanically securable to the base.

Abstract: A method for making a treated super-hard structure, the method including providing a super-hard structure comprising super-hard material selected from polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) material or thermally stable polycrystalline diamond (PCD) material; subjecting the super-hard structure to heat treatment at a treatment temperature of greater than 700 degrees centigrade at a treatment pressure at which the super-hard material is not thermodynamically stable, for a treatment period of at least about 5 minutes to produce the treated super-hard structure.

Abstract: A body, such as a pick tool for cutting coal, includes a steel substrate and a hard face structure fused to the steel substrate. The hard face structure includes at least 1 weight percent Si, at least 5 weight percent Cr and at least 40 weight percent W. Substantially the balance of the hard face structure includes carbon and an iron group metal M selected from Fe, Co, Ni and alloy combinations of these elements. The hard face structure includes a plurality of elongate or platelike micro-structures having a mean length of at least 1 micron, a plurality of nano-particles having a mean size of less than 200 nanometers, and a binder material.

Abstract: The invention relates to hard-metal body comprising a hard-metal, the hard-metal comprising tungsten carbide grains and metal binder comprising cobalt having a concentration of tungsten dissolved therein, the body comprising a surface region adjacent a surface and a core region remote from the surface, the surface region and the core region being contiguous with each other; the mean binder fraction of the core region being greater than that of the surface region; the mean carbon concentration within the binder being higher in the surface region than in the core region; to tools comprising same and methods of making same.