Abstract: A cutter element for a drill bit, comprising: a substrate having a longitudinal axis; a first layer of polycrystalline diamond coupled to the substrate; and a second layer of polycrystalline diamond coupled to the first layer at a first coherent boundary; where the first layer is axially positioned between the substrate and the second layer.

Abstract: A hardmetal composition comprises tungsten carbide in an amount greater than 50 weight percent of the hardmetal composition. In addition, the hardmetal composition comprises a binder material consisting of at least 90 weight percent nickel, a binder flux between 3.5 to 10.0 weight percent chosen from the group consisting of boron and silicon, and less than 1.0 weight percent other components.

Abstract: A stator for a progressive cavity pump or motor comprises a tubular housing having a central axis. In addition, the stator comprises a stator insert coaxially disposed within the housing. The stator insert has a radially outer surface that engages the housing and a radially inner surface defining a helical-shaped through bore extending axially through the stator insert. The stator insert includes an insert body and an insert liner attached to the insert body. The insert body is radially positioned between the housing and the insert liner. The insert body comprises a reinforcement structure and a plurality of voids dispersed within the reinforcement structure.

Abstract: A method of laser hardening comprises irradiating a surface of a component with a laser beam to form a first band of irradiated material, irradiating the surface of the component with the laser beam to form a second band of irradiated material that overlaps the first band of irradiated material, where the first band and the second band have a pitch to width ratio of between about 0.5 and about 0.78.

Abstract: A hardmetal composition comprises tungsten carbide in an amount greater than 50 weight percent of the hardmetal composition. In addition, the hardmetal composition comprises a binder material consisting of at least 90 weight percent nickel, a binder flux between 3.5 to 10.0 weight percent chosen from the group consisting of boron and silicon, and less than 1.0 weight percent other components.

Abstract: A polycrystalline diamond compact formed in an in-situ boron-doped process. The in-situ boron-doped process includes consolidating a mixture of diamond crystals and boron-containing alloy via liquid diffusion of boron into diamond crystals at a pressure greater than 5 Gpa and at a temperature greater than the melting temperature of the boron-containing alloy, typically less than about 1450° C.

Abstract: A polycrystalline-diamond cutting element for a drill bit of a downhole tool. The cutting element includes a substrate and a diamond table bonded to the substrate. The diamond table includes a diamond filler with at least one leached polycrystalline diamond segment packed therein along at least one working surface thereof. The cutting element may be formed by positioning the diamond table on the substrate and bonding the diamond table onto the substrate such that the polycrystalline diamond segment is positioned along at least one working surface of the diamond table. A spark plasma sintering or double press operation may be used to bond the diamond table onto the substrate.

Abstract: A high thermal conductivity hardmetal composition comprising tungsten carbide in a nickel based matrix binder is disclosed. The hardmetal has at least 50 wt % tungsten carbide, the tungsten carbide being composed of at least 50 vol % of spherical particles. The binder material is composed of at least 98.5 wt % of components selected from the group consisting of nickel, boron, and silica, and the binder flux of boron plus silica content ranges from between 3.5 to 10.0 wt % of the binder material.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a drill bit with non-cutting erosion resistant inserts. In one illustrative embodiment, the apparatus comprises a matrix drill bit body comprising a plurality of blades, a plurality of cutting elements positioned on each of the blades, the cutting elements defining a plurality of web regions, and a plurality of spaced apart, non-cutting erosion resistant inserts positioned along a face of at least one of the blades, at least a portion of each of the non-cutting erosion resistant inserts being positioned in front of one of the web regions.

Abstract: A steel tooth particularly suited for use in a rolling cone bit includes a parent metal core having an inner gage facing surface, leading and trailing edges, a root region adjacent to the cone and an outer most edge spaced from the root region. A hardfacing layer that includes at least two hardfacing materials having differing wear characteristics is disposed over the parent metal core in an asymmetric arrangement of regions of the first and second materials. A first of the hardfacing materials has a higher low stress abrasive wear resistance than that of the second material. The second material has a high stress abrasion resistance that is greater than the first material. The first and second materials are applied in generally contiguous regions over the entire gage facing surface of the parent metal core so as to optimize regions of the tooth for the particular cutting duty experience by that region.

Abstract: The invention relates to a wear, erosion and corrosion resistant coating comprising a first layered zone deposited on a substrate which comprises at least one layer of a titanium nitrogen-containing layer with a nitrogen content varying from 0 to 35 atomic percent, a second layered zone deposited on the first layered zone and which comprises at least two layers of a titanium nitrogen-containing compound with a nitrogen content varying from 38 atomic percent to 54 atomic percent of nitrogen.

Abstract: A new family of chromium boride coatings having excellent adhesive wear and corrosion resistance is disclosed. The coatings comprise hard, ultrafine, chromium boride particles dispersed in a metal matrix, the particles having an average particle size of less than one micron and constituting less than about 30 volume percent of the coating, the balance being metal matrix. The metal matrix may be composed of nickel or a nickel base alloy containing a metal selected from the group consisting of chromium, silicon and iron. The coatings may be prepared by a process which comprises depositing a mechanically blended powder mixture of chromium metal or a chromium alloy or mixture of both, and a boron-containing alloy onto a substrate and then heat treating the as-deposited coating. The heat treatment effects a diffusion reaction between the deposited elements resulting in the formation of ultrafine particles of chromium boride dispersed in a metal matrix.

Abstract: A new family of transition metal boride coatings having excellent wear and corrosion resistance is disclosed. The coatings comprise hard, ultrafine, transition metal boride particles dispersed in a metal matrix, the particles constituting from about 30 to about 90 volume percent of the coating, the balance being metal matrix. The average size of the particles ranges from about 0.5 to about 3.0 microns. The metal matrix contains at least one metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt and iron. The coatings may be prepared by a process which comprises depositing a mechanically blended powder mixture of a transition metal and a boron-containing alloy onto a substrate and then heat treating the as-deposited coating. The heat treatment effects a diffusion reaction between the deposited elements resulting in the formation of ultrafine particles of a transition metal boride dispersed in the metal matrix. The coating can be deposited onto the substrate using any of the known deposition techniques.

Abstract: A new family of titanium carbide/tungsten boride coatings having excellent wear and corrosion resistance is disclosed. The coatings comprise hard, ultrafine, titanium carbide particles and tungsten boride precipitates dispersed in a metal matrix, the two phases constituting from about 30 to about 80 volume percent of the coating, the balance being metal matrix. The metal matrix contains at least one metal selected from a group consisting of nickel, cobalt and iron. The coatings may be prepared by a process which comprises depositing a mechanically blended powder mixture composed of separate components including a first component containing tungsten carbide and a second component containing boron and at least one metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt and iron, the powder mixture including titanium in the first or second component or in a separate third component, at least one of the first, second or third components having a melting point below about 1200.degree. C.

Abstract: A hardfacing material for shirttail and gage surfaces of a rock bit cone and a gage row of rock bit teeth comprises steel in the range of from 20 to 40 percent by weight, and tungsten carbide particles in the range of from 60 to 80 percent by weight which contains single crystal monotungsten carbide particles having a particle size primarily less than about 200 mesh with a preferred average particle size in the range of from 30 to 70 microns. According to further embodiments, carburized tungsten carbide particles and/or spherical cast carbide particles are mixed with the single crystal monotungsten carbide in the hardfacing. The carburized tungsten carbide particles have a particle size in the range of from about 10 to 50 microns. The spherical cast tungsten carbide particles have a particle size in the range of from about 20 to 150 microns. The particle size distributions of the tungsten carbide particles are bimodal or trimodal for improved weldability and wear resistance in the hardfacing.

Abstract: An improved hardfacing for teeth and other surfaces of milled tooth rock bits comprises a hard phase of carbide particles embedded in a toughened steel matrix containing no more than 10 percent by volume of combined eta phase and oxide particle components. Eta phase and oxide particle formation is minimized during oxyacetylene welding by positioning the weld rod in a preferred region of the torch flame while welding the hardfacing to the rock bit. The matrix is strengthened by uniformly dispersing ultra-fine carbide or boride particles in the steel alloy. The hardfacing is further toughened by selecting tough carbide particles for the hard phase. Accordingly, the hard phase comprises spherical cast carbide and spherical cemented carbide particles having particle sizes in the range of from 75 .mu.m to 590 .mu.m.

Abstract: A TiB.sub.2 -M coating which consists of greater than 50 vol % TiB.sub.2 hard phase particles in a metal or metal alloy (M) matrix that is produced by a thermal spray process using sintered TiB.sub.2 -M powders. The TiB.sub.2 -M powders were fabricated by sintering TiB.sub.2 powders and elemental metals or metal alloys which were selected to form a desired matrix for the TiB.sub.2 particles.

Abstract: An improved hardfacing for teeth and other surfaces of milled tooth rock bits includes steel in the range of from 20 to 50 percent by weight, and filler in the range of from 50 to 80 percent by weight. The filler includes spherical cast tungsten carbide particles alone or in a mixture of other tungsten carbide particles such as crushed cast spherical or crushed cemented tungsten carbide, macrocrystalline tungsten carbide, or the like. The single crystal monotungsten tungsten carbide particles have a particle size in the range of from 16 to 40 mesh and/or in the range of from 80 to 200 mesh.