Abstract: An electrostatic transducer (100) comprises an electrically conductive backplane member (102) having an array of through apertures (112); a spacer member (104) disposed over the backplane member (102), the spacer member (104) having an array of holes (114) therethrough, the holes (114) each having a maximum lateral dimension less than twice a minimum lateral dimension; and a flexible electrically conductive membrane (106) disposed over the spacer member (104). The transducer (100) is arranged in use to apply an electrical potential which gives rise to an attractive electrostatic force between the backplane member (102) and the membrane (106) thereby moving portions of the membrane (106) spanning said holes in the spacer member (104) towards said backplane member (102).

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to polycrystalline diamond covalently bonded to a substrate by spark plasma sintering and methods of covalently bonding polycrystalline diamond and a substrate. Spark plasma sintering produces plasma from a reactant gas found in the pores in the polycrystalline diamond and, optionally, also the substrate. The plasma forms carbide structures in the pores, which covalently bond to the substrate.

Abstract: A mold transfer assembly includes a transfer housing providing an interior defined by one or more sidewalls and a top. The transfer housing is sized to receive and encapsulate a mold as the mold is moved between a furnace and a thermal heat sink. An arm is coupled to the transfer housing to move the transfer housing and the mold encapsulated within the transfer housing between the furnace and a thermal heat sink. The transfer housing exhibits one or more thermal properties to control a thermal profile of the mold.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to methods of laser-leaching polycrystalline diamond (PCD), devices for performing such methods, and to laser-leached PCD and elements and drill bits containing laser-leached PCD.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) including a gradient interfacial layer between a thermally stable diamond (TSP) table and a base, such as a substrate or an earth-boring drill bit body. The gradient interfacial layer has a gradient of coefficients of thermal expansion between that of the diamond and the base. The disclosure also relates to methods of forming a gradient interfacial layer and a PDC containing such a layer.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a sintering assembly and a polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) including a acid-labile leach-enhancing material, a PDC including cavities formed by removal of an acid-labile leach-enhancing material, and a method of forming a leached PDC using an acid-labile leach-enhancing material. The present disclosure further includes drill bits using PDCs formed suing an acid-labile leach-enhancing material.

Abstract: Provided are systems and methods for wellbore drilling and, more particularly, example embodiments may use of one or more cutting elements including a cutting face with one or more channels capable of steering chip cuttings into an intended direction off of the cutting face of the cutting element for drilling operations. A method may comprise rotating a drill bit to extend a wellbore into a subterranean formation, flowing a drilling fluid through the drill bit, and directing a plurality of formation cuttings away from one or more cutting elements of the drill bit by moving the cuttings along one or more channels on at least a portion of a cutting face of the one or more cutting elements.

Abstract: There is disclosed herein a method of designing a mold, the mold being at least part of a unitary body to be formed from a plurality of layers by 3D printing, the method including defining an inner surface of the mold corresponding to at least part of an outer surface of an object to be molded in the mold; selecting a first material from which at least part of the mold is to be printed; and selecting a second material from which at least another part of the mold is to be printed, the second material having a higher thermal and/or electrical conductivity than the first material, wherein at least one of the layers from which the mold is to be formed by 3D printing includes areas to be printed from each of the first and second materials.

Abstract: An electrostatic transducer (100) comprises an electrically conductive first member (102) having an array of through apertures (112) and one or more further members (104, 106). The one or more further members (104, 106) include a flexible electrically conductive second member (106) arranged in use to be displaced from an equilibrium position towards the first member (102) by an electrostatic force in response to an electrical potential applied to one or both of the first member (102) and the second member (106). At least one (104) of the one or more further members is resiliently deformable and is arranged in use to exert a resilient biasing force biasing said second member (106) back towards said equilibrium position when displaced therefrom by said electrical potential.

Abstract: A mold transfer assembly includes a transfer housing providing an interior defined by one or more sidewalls and a top. The transfer housing is sized to receive and encapsulate a mold as the mold is moved between a furnace and a thermal heat sink. An arm is coupled to the transfer housing to move the transfer housing and the mold encapsulated within the transfer housing between the furnace and a thermal heat sink. The transfer housing exhibits one or more thermal properties to control a thermal profile of the mold.

Abstract: The microstructure of braze joints in polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutters may be tailored to increase the shear strength of the braze joint, for example, by increasing the amount of a dispersed particulate microstructure therein. A method for forming a dispersed particulate microstructure may include brazing a polycrystalline diamond table to a hard composite substrate with a braze alloy at a braze temperature between 5° C. above a solidus temperature of the braze alloy and 200° C. above a liquidus temperature of the braze alloy; and forming a braze joint between the polycrystalline diamond table and the hard composite substrate that comprises at least 40% by volume of the dispersed particulate microstructure composed of a particulate inter-metallic phase having a diameter of 0.5 ?m to 2.0 ?m and an aspect ratio of 1 to 5 dispersed in a ductile matrix.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for a rotating superhard cutting element. The rotating cutting element includes a substrate comprising a rotating portion and a stable portion. The stable portion has a cavity and is configured to be fixed to a blade of a drill bit. The rotating cutting element further includes a retainer that rotatably secures the rotating portion of the substrate in the cavity of the stable portion of the substrate, and a cutting layer on the rotating portion of the substrate. The cutting layer has a plurality of cutting surfaces. One of the plurality of cutting surfaces has a property different from another one of the plurality of cutting surfaces. The cutting layer is configured to rotate with respect to the stable portion of the substrate and use one of the plurality of cutting surfaces based on a characteristic of a formation to be cut.

Abstract: A mold transfer assembly includes a transfer housing providing an interior defined by one or more sidewalls and a top. The transfer housing is sized to receive and encapsulate a mold as the mold is moved between a furnace and a thermal heat sink. An arm is coupled to the transfer housing to move the transfer housing and the mold encapsulated within the transfer housing between the furnace and a thermal heat sink. The transfer housing exhibits one or more thermal properties to control a thermal profile of the mold.

Abstract: Cutting elements and other hardfacing components of a drill bit or other downhole equipment are provided that include a thermally stable polycrystalline material anodically bonded to a substrate. Methods and systems for making such elements and components are also provided.

Abstract: An example rolling cutter assembly includes a rolling cutter disposable within a cutter pocket defined in a drill bit, the cutter pocket including a receiving end, a bottom end, and a sidewall extending between the receiving and bottom ends. The rolling cutter provides a substrate having a first end with a diamond table disposed thereon and a second end arrangeable within the cutter pocket at or near the bottom end. A bearing element is disposable within the cutter pocket at the bottom end and engageable with the second end of the rolling cutter as the rolling cutter rotates about a central axis.

Abstract: An example polycrystalline diamond compact includes a substrate and a diamond table attached to the substrate. A multilayer joint interposes the substrate and the diamond table and comprises at least two component parts selected from the group consisting of a base layer, one or more intermediate layers, and a braze layer. The at least two component parts are formed via a thin film deposition process.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates a spark plasma sintered polycrystalline diamond and methods of spark plasma sintering leached polycrystalline diamond. Spark plasma sintering produces plasma from a reactant gas found in the pores left by catalyst removal from leached polycrystalline diamond. The plasma forms diamond bonds and/or carbide structures in the pores, which may produce polycrystalline diamond that is has a higher impact strength than the leached polycrystalline diamond or other improved properties.

Abstract: A PCD cutter formed by a reactive/exothermic bond formed between the diamond table and the substrate. The bond is formed by applying a small pulse of localized energy to a bonding agent containing exothermic reactive materials which is disposed at the interface of the diamond table and the substrate. The bonding agent may be formed by depositing a plurality of alternating layers of exothermic foils at the interface between the polycrystalline diamond table and the substrate. Additional layers may also be deposited between the polycrystalline diamond table and the plurality of layers of exothermic foils and between the foils and the substrate. One or more refractory layers may also be disposed between the layers of exothermic material and a masking or non-wetting material may be applied to one or more sides of the substrate and diamond table.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to polycrystalline diamond covalently bonded to a substrate by spark plasma sintering and methods of covalently bonding polycrystalline diamond and a substrate. Spark plasma sintering produces plasma from a reactant gas found in the pores in the polycrystalline diamond and, optionally, also the substrate. The plasma forms carbide structures in the pores, which covalently bond to the substrate.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates a method of purifying diamond by removing carbon contaminants from diamond grains in the diamond by a plasma cleaning process at a temperature at which metal inclusion contaminants in the diamond grains crack the diamond grains from within, and removing metal contaminants from the diamond in a chemical or electrochemical cleaning process.