Abstract: This disclosure relates to a striking tool for use in a high velocity, high impact energy comminution mill. The tool comprises an elongate body attachable at a first end to the comminution mill, and further comprises a wear resistant element for improving the wear resistance of the striking tool. The wear resistant element comprises a plurality of individual units.

Abstract: A polycrystalline super hard construction has a first region having a body of thermally stable polycrystalline super hard material having a plurality of intergrown grains of super hard material; a second region forming a substrate having a hard phase and a binder phase; and a third region interposed between the first and second regions. The third region includes a composite material having a first phase comprising a plurality of non-intergrown grains of super hard material, and a matrix material. A fourth region interposed between the second and third region has a major proportion having one or more components of the binder material of the second region, and one or more reaction products between the binder material of the second region and one or more components of the third region.

Abstract: A cutter element for an earth-boring tool, comprising a polycrystalline diamond (PCD) volume joined at an interface boundary to a cemented carbide substrate. The PCD volume includes a rake face opposite the interface boundary, an edge of the rake face being suitable as a cutting edge of the cutter element. The PCD volume comprises a plurality of strata directly joined to each other at inter-strata boundaries, in which each of a first plurality of the strata comprises PCD material having a first diamond content; each of a second plurality of the strata comprises PCD material having a second diamond content; the second diamond content being greater than the first diamond content; and the strata of the first and second pluralities disposed in an alternating arrangement with respect to each other.

Abstract: A sensor element for a cutting tool, the sensor element having a hard portion having a working surface and at least one diamond crystal at least partially embedded in the hard portion, the at least one diamond crystal being arranged to generate a piezoresistive signal in response to the working surface engaging external material in use.

Abstract: A method of processing a polycrystalline diamond (PCD) material having a non- diamond phase with a catalyst/solvent material includes leaching an amount of the catalyst/solvent from the PCD material by exposing at least a portion of the PCD material to a leaching mixture, the leaching mixture comprising hydrofluoric acid at a molar concentration of between 12 M to around 28 M, nitric acid at a molar concentration of between around 3 M to around 10 M, and water.

Abstract: A polycrystalline diamond construction has a body of polycrystalline diamond (PCD) material; and a cemented carbide substrate bonded to the body of polycrystalline material along an interface. The cemented carbide substrate has tungsten carbide particles bonded together by a binder material, the binder material comprising Co; and the tungsten carbide particles form at least around 70 weight percent and at most around 95 weight percent of the substrate. The cemented carbide substrate has a bulk volume, the bulk volume of the cemented carbide substrate having at least around 0.1 vol. % of inclusions of free carbon having a largest average size in any one or more dimensions of less than around 40 microns.

Abstract: A sensor element for a cutting tool has a hard portion having a first sensing surface, first and second electrodes, and first and second sets of thermocouple wires, and an electrically insulating portion. The second electrode has a second sensing surface, The hard portion comprises hard and/or super-hard material and the first and second electrodes comprise electrically conductive hard and/or super-hard material, the hard portion isolating the first sensing surface from the second sensing surface. The second electrode is attached to or forms part of an electrically conductive region of the hard portion or a region attached thereto. Electric current flows between the first and second electrodes through external material when the sensing surfaces contact the material in response to the cutting tool engaging the material. The first and second electrodes are operable to indicate any one or more of a temperature of the first and second electrodes, and conductivity between the electrodes.

Abstract: A polycrystalline diamond construction has a body of polycrystalline diamond (PCD) material; and a cemented carbide substrate bonded to the body of polycrystalline material along an interface. The cemented carbide substrate includes tungsten carbide particles bonded together by a binder material, the binder material comprising an alloy of Co, Ni and Cr; and the tungsten carbide particles form at least around 70 weight percent and at most around 95 weight percent of the substrate. The cemented carbide substrate has a bulk volume, the bulk volume of the cemented carbide substrate has at least around 0.1 vol. % of inclusions of free carbon having a largest average size in any one or more dimensions of less than around 40 microns.

Abstract: Polycrystalline cubic boron nitride, PCBN, material and methods of making PCBN. A method includes providing a matrix precursor powder comprising particles having an average particle size no greater than 250 nm, providing a cubic boron nitride, cBN, powder comprising particles of cBN having an average particle size of at least 0.2 intimately mixing the matrix precursor powder and the cBN powder, and sintering the intimately mixed powders at a temperature of at least 1100° C. and a pressure of at least 3.5 GPa to form the PCBN material comprising particles of cubic boron nitride, cBN dispersed in a matrix material.

Abstract: A sensor element for a cutting tool (100) has a hard portion (110) having a sensing surface (112), first and second electrodes (120, 130), first and second sets of thermocouple wires (122, 132) and an electrically insulating portion. The first and second electrodes (120, 130) are arranged to allow electric current to flow when the sensing surface (112) contacts external material in response to the cutting tool engaging the external material. A first thermocouple junction (124) is operable to indicate a temperature of the first electrode and a second thermocouple junction (134) is operable to measure temperature of the second electrode.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a disk cutter (18) comprising a cutter body, a plurality of tool holders (24) and a plurality of cutting elements (22) mounted to the tool holders. The tool holders and cutting elements are provided in at least one set about the cutter body, each set comprising two or more tool holders and two or more cutting elements arranged in a p re-determined sequence of configurations.

Abstract: A cutting element (1) for a tool with an electrically conductive track (6) formed at a surface region. The cutting element (1) comprises a HPHT produced polycrystalline diamond body. The conductive track (6) comprises graphite such that the electrically conductive track (6) has an electrical resistance substantially lower than that of the surface region.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a cutting assembly for mining or extraction. The cutting assembly comprises a circular disk cutter (18). Cutting elements are arranged around a circumferential surface of the disk cutter, each seated in a tool holder (24). The orientation of the seat is such that the cutting element (22) points tangentially in or towards the intended direction of rotation.

Abstract: A super hard polycrystalline construction is disclosed as comprising a body of super hard material having a first fraction of super hard grains in a matrix of a second fraction of super hard grains. The average grain size of the first fraction is between around 1.5 to around 10 times the average grain size of the second fraction and the first fraction comprises around 5 vol % to around 30 vol % of the grains of super hard material in the body.

Abstract: A super hard polycrystalline construction is disclosed as comprising a body of super hard material bonded to a substrate. The body of super hard material comprises an outer peripheral region formed of interbonded grains of super hard material extending peripherally around one or more inner regions, the outer peripheral region having a radial thickness proportional to the square of the ratio of the fracture toughness of the material forming said outer peripheral region to the transverse rupture strength of the material forming said outer peripheral region (KIC/TRS)2 where TRS is the transverse rupture strength and KIC is the fracture toughness.

Abstract: A diamond powder comprising diamond particles having an average particle size of no more than 20 ?m and a vacancy or impurity-vacancy point defect concentration of at least 1 ppm. At least 70% of the volume of diamond in the powder is formed from a single crystal growth sector. This leads to a substantially uniform concentration of vacancies or impurity-vacancy point defects in the diamond particles because the rate of impurity take-up during growth is heavily dependent on the growth sector, which in turn leads to a more uniform fluorescent response. There is also described a method for making such a powder.

Abstract: This application describes a method of making a super-hard article that includes a super-hard structure bonded to a substrate. The super-hard structure generally includes a sintered plurality of super-hard grains made from cubic boron nitride. The method generally includes providing raw material powder suitable for sintering the super-hard structure; combining the raw material powder with an organic binder material in a liquid medium to form a paste; providing a substrate assembly having a formation surface area configured for forming a boundary of the super-hard structure, the substrate having a recess coterminous with the formation surface area; extruding the paste into contact with the formation surface area to provide a paste assembly; and heat treating and/or sintering the paste assembly to remove the binder material and provide a pre-sinter assembly.

Abstract: A bearing element for a bearing assembly has a body of polycrystalline diamond (PCD) material having a bearing contact surface, and a substrate bonded to the body of PCD material along an interface and having a free end surface. The substrate has a through-bore extending longitudinally therethrough, the body of PCD material having a portion extending through the through-bore in the substrate to at least the free end surface thereof, the substrate extending around the peripheral side edge of the portion of PCD material extending therethrough.

Abstract: A high-pressure high-temperature, HPHT, diamond tool piece and a method of producing an HPHT diamond tool piece. At least a portion of the HPHT diamond tool piece comprises an aggregated nitrogen centre to C-nitrogen centre ratio of greater than 30%. The method includes irradiating an HPHT diamond material to introduce vacancies in the diamond crystal lattice, annealing the HPHT diamond material such that at least a portion of the HPHT diamond material comprises an aggregated nitrogen centre to C-nitrogen centre ratio of greater than 30%, and processing the HPHT diamond material to form an HPHT diamond tool piece.

Abstract: A cutting element for an earth-boring tool, the cutting element has a substrate; and a body of superhard polycrystalline material bonded to the substrate along an interface. Any one or both of the substrate or the body of superhard polycrystalline material has one or more sealed channels or regions therein, one or more of the regions or channels being arranged to retain a tracer element to provide data relating to a condition of the cutting element.