Abstract: A drill steel-chuck assembly which includes a drill steel which has a plurality of faces and opposite ends. The drill steel has one portion adjacent one of the opposite ends thereof and a mediate portion spaced apart from the one portion. The drill steel further has one transition portion between the one portion and the mediate portion so as to join the one portion and the mediate portion. The one portion of the drill steel presents a first orientation of the faces. The mediate portion of the drill steel presents a second orientation of the faces. The one transition portion of the drill steel presents a twisted orientation of the faces comprising a generally constant twist of the faces from the first orientation of the one portion to the second orientation of the mediate portion. There is a chuck for attachment to the drill steel through engagement with the transition portion of the drill steel.

Abstract: A hard member for use as a wear part or a hard insert for a point attack style of tool or a rotary style of tool. The hard member having a composition of between about 5 volume percent and about 40 volume percent binder alloy, and between about 60 volume percent and about 95 volume percent tungsten carbide. The tungsten carbide has an average grain size between about 1 micrometer and about 30 micrometers. The binder alloy comprises an alloy of nickel and chromium wherein the nickel ranges between about 70 weight percent and less than 93 weight percent and the chromium ranges between greater than 7 weight percent and about 30 weight percent.

Abstract: A polycrystalline diamond member and a method for making the same. The member includes a backing and a layer of polycrystalline diamond on the backing wherein the layer of polycrystalline diamond has a rake surface and a flank surface. The layer of polycrystalline diamond has an interior region adjacent to the backing and an exterior region adjacent to the interior region wherein the exterior region terminates at the rake surface. The interior region includes interior diamond particles and a catalyst with the interior diamond particles being bridged together so as to form interstices therebetween. The catalyst is at the interstices of the interior diamond particles. The exterior region includes exterior diamond particles bridged together so as to form interstices therebetween with the exterior region being essentially free of the catalyst. A chemical vapor deposition-applied hard material essentially surrounds the exterior diamond particles.

Abstract: An excavation cutting tool holder includes a cutting tool holder having a holder body portion and a holder shank, the holder shank having a press fit portion and a shank bottom end, the shank press fit portion having a shank press fit dimension and the shank bottom end having a tool holder locator. The excavation cutting tool holder assembly further includes a support block having a block body, the block body having a block bore, the block bore having a block bore press fit portion and a block engagor, the block bore press fit portion having a block bore press fit dimension less than the shank press fit dimension such that the shank press fit portion press fits with the block bore press fit portion while the block engagor engages the tool holder locator so as to orient the cutting tool holder relative to the support block.

Abstract: A rotatable cutting bit for penetrating an earth formation wherein the rotatable cutting bit includes an elongate bit body having a forward end and a rearward end. The bit body further defines a peripheral surface. The bit body has a first cutting insert affixed thereto at the axially forward end thereof. The first cutting insert has a first leading cutting edge and a first side clearance cutting edge. The first cutting insert is attached to the bit body so that the first side clearance cutting edge radially extends past the peripheral surface of the bit body so as to engage the earth formation.

Abstract: A drill used for dry drilling, characterized by the asymmetry of those cutting edge parts only whose faces are in the drill core area, in particular its entire chisel edge. This asymmetry can result from the fact that the individual chisel edges have different lengths.

Abstract: A screwing plate or thread cutting bit comprising at least one cutting tip whose contour matches the desired shape of the threading. The cutting tip is configured as a chip forming element which is shaped in the form of a spur located between both sides of the cutting faces. The chip forming element rises above the cutting faces more or less in the form of a table mountain. The flanks of the spur, which are slanted in the form of inclined walls, are spaced at different distances from the adjacent cutting edges so as to form cutting faces with differing widths.

Abstract: A process for making a diamond-coated tool and the tool made thereby. The process includes a sintering step. In that step, the tool substrate is sintered in an atmosphere and for a time and at a temperature so that superficial, exaggerated grain growth is promoted that imparts a surface roughness which may serve as anchoring sites during a subsequent diamond coating step which is performed by a vapor deposition technique. The diamond-coated tool prepared by the process includes a large grain substrate surface, and an high bond strength between the diamond coating and the substrate surface.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for releasable holding a toolholder shank having a lockable surface and a releasable surface utilizing an actuating bolt. The actuating bolt is reciprocally movable along an axis to engage one side of the shank for locking the toolholder within the support member and an opposing side of the shank for releasing the toolholder from the tool support member.

Abstract: An indexable cutting insert for use with a cutting tool includes an insert body having a first surface and a side relief surface defining a cutting edge adjacent the intersection of the first surface and the side relief surface. A chip breaking structure is interposed between the first surface and the cutting edge. The chip breaking structure includes first and second series of wedges. Each series of wedges is disposed inwardly from the cutting edge and the wedge series are disposed in orthogonal or normal relation to one another. In a preferred arrangement, the narrow edges of the first and second series of wedges are aligned with one another.

Abstract: A cutting bit has a bit body which has a forward end and a rearward end. The bit body contains a seat at the forward end thereof. The bit body contains a bore intersecting the seat wherein a bore wall defines the bore. A cutting insert is received by the seat wherein the cutting insert presents a side surface facing the bore. A wedge has a generally longitudinal seating surface. The wedge has a support surface opposite to the longitudinal seating surface. The wedge is received within the bore so that the longitudinal seating surface of the wedge contacts the side surface of the cutting insert and for at least a portion of the length of the wedge the entire support surface contacts the bore wall so as to frictionally retain the cutting insert in the seat.

Abstract: A mechanism and method for adjusting the position of a cutting insert relative to the body of a cutting tool is disclosed. The mechanism of the invention comprises a pair of flexible cantilevered walls each defining a wall of cutting insert pocket in the body of a boring bar. A boring bar of the invention comprises a bar body having at least one pocket for receiving a cutting insert and a position-adjusting mechanism including a pair of flexible cantilevered walls each defining a wall of the pocket. In the method of the invention, a boring bar is provided having a plurality of pockets each defined by a pair of cantilevered walls adapted to be flexed by a wedge mechanism. Next, a cutting insert is installed into each pocket. The position of the cutting edge of each cutting insert is then determined. In the last step of the method, the radially inwardmost insert is adjusted outward by using the wedge mechanism to flex the cantilevered walls.

Abstract: A cutting tool assembly includes a support block having a concealable outer surface portion, first and second bores, and first and second fluid passages. The first fluid passage is in fluid communication with the first bore and the second fluid passage. The second fluid passage has an axis and extends between the concealable outer surface portion and the second bore. Furthermore, the second bore and the second fluid passage are configured such that the axis may be extended through the second bore and beyond the support block without intersecting the support block. The cutting tool assembly also includes a replaceable spray nozzle having a body that extends into the first bore such that the spray nozzle is in fluid communication with the first fluid passage.

Abstract: A toolholder for securing a cutting tool used for mining and construction applications whereby the holder has a recessed groove to provide access to the underside of a flange on the cutting bit to promote removal of the cutting tool from the toolholder.

Abstract: An anti-rotation mounting mechanism is provided between an indexable insert and an insert-receiving pocket in the body of a machine tool, such as a milling cutter. The mechanism includes a plurality of curved stop surfaces uniformly disposed around the side surface of the insert, a portion of which is obliquely oriented with respect to the side surface of the insert, and at least one anti-rotation surface in the pocket of the tool body having a shape substantially complementary to that of the stop surfaces for forming an interference joint between the pocket and the insert. Both the stop surfaces and the anti-rotation surface are substantially defined by partial radius curves such that either a broad, line-type or lenticular contact between the anti-rotation surface and the obliquely oriented portion of one of the stop surfaces is achieved. The mechanism effectively prevents rotation between the insert and pocket without the formation of point-type, localized stresses which can chip or break the insert.

Abstract: An excavation cutting tool holder retention assembly includes a support block having a tool holder bore, the tool holder bore having a bore interior surface. The excavation cutting tool holder retention assembly also includes a cutting tool holder having a shank portion, the shank portion having a shank engagement surface. The excavation cutting tool holder retention assembly further includes a locking member forced between the bore interior surface and the shank engagement surface so as to frictionally retain the shank portion of the cutting tool holder within the tool holder bore.

Abstract: This invention relates to an excavation cutting tool holder retention system. The excavation cutting tool holder retention system includes a support block having a tool holder bore. The excavation cutting tool holder retention system also includes a tool holder having an effective shank, the effective shank being expandably adjustable within the tool holder bore so as to retain the effective shank within the tool holder bore.

Abstract: A cutting insert which comprises a rake face and a flank face wherein there is a cutting edge at the juncture of the rake face and the flank face. The cutting insert has a coating and a substrate wherein the coating is adherently bonded to the substrate. The substrate is a tungsten carbide-based cemented carbide wherein there is a zone of non-stratified cobalt enrichment beginning near and extending inwardly from a peripheral surface of the substrate. The bulk substrate has a porosity of greater than C00 and less than or equal to C04.

Abstract: A ceramic composition produced by the consolidation of a blend of starting components. The composition comprises a matrix with one or more of the carbides, nitrides and carbonitrides of hafnium, molybdenum, zirconium, tantalum, niobium, vanadium and tungsten, titanium nitride, and titanium carbonitride in an amount that is greater than 50 volume percent of the matrix. The matrix comprises between 60 and 99.8 volume percent of the composition. Ceramic whiskers are uniformly dispersed throughout the matrix wherein the ceramic whiskers comprises between 0.2 and 40 volume percent of the composition.

Abstract: A clamping apparatus for detachably connecting a tool unit to a tool supporter with increased holding force is provided. The clamping apparatus includes a housing, a pair of opposing locking spheres within the housing, a cylindrical canister member mounted within the housing that is matable with an insert-supporting tool unit and which has a pair of opposing apertures in its sidewalls for conducting the locking spheres from a locking to an unlocking position, and a lock rod reciprocally movable within the interior of the canister member along an axis A and having opposing cam portions for radially moving the locking spheres through the canister apertures into wedging engagement with opposing angled walls of sphere receiving openings in the tool unit.