Abstract: A method for making polycrystalline diamond material comprises providing a plurality of diamond particles or grains, coating the diamond particles or grains with a binder material comprising a non-metallic catalyst material for diamond, consolidating the coated diamond particles or grains to form a green body, and subjecting the green body to a temperature and pressure at which diamond is thermodynamically stable, sintering and forming polycrystalline diamond material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for manufacture of diamond, the method including the steps of providing a first coating of solvent metal or solvent metal alloy on a diamond seed to create a coated diamond seed, situating the coated diamond seed adjacent a catalyst system comprising a solvent metal and/or a source of carbon, and subjecting the coated diamond seed and catalyst system to increased temperature wherein the melting point of the first coating is at least 20 deg C. below that of the catalyst system. The invention further relates to a compact comprising a plurality of diamond seeds wherein at least one seed includes a first coating comprising a solvent metal and/or solvent metal based alloy, the compact further comprising a catalyst system comprising a solvent metal and/or a source of carbon wherein the melting point of the first coating is at least 20 deg C. below that of the catalyst system.

Abstract: A free standing PCD body comprises a PCD material formed of combination of intergrown diamond grains forming a diamond network and an interpenetrating metallic network, the PCD body not being attached to a second body or substrate formed of a different material. The diamond network is formed of diamond grains having a plurality of grain sizes, and comprises a grain size distribution having an average diamond grain size, wherein the largest component of the diamond grain size distribution is no greater than three times the average diamond grain size. The PCD material forming the free standing PCD body is homogeneous, such that the PCD body is spatially constant and invariant with respect to diamond network to metallic network volume ratio. The homogeneity is measured at a scale greater than ten times the average grain size and spans the dimension of the PCD body. The PCD material is also macroscopically residual stress free at said scale.

Abstract: A method of producing a free standing PCD comprises forming a mass of combined diamond particles and precursor compound(s) for the metals of the metallic network by suspending the diamond particles in a liquid, and crystallising and/or precipitating the precursor compounds in the liquid. The mass is then removed from suspension by sedimentation and/or evaporation to form a dry powder of combined diamond particles and precursor compound(s). The powder is subjected to a heat treatment to dissociate and reduce the precursor compound(s) to form metal particles smaller in size than the diamond particles to provide a homogeneous mass. This is then consolidated using isostatic compaction to form a homogeneous cohesive green body of a pre-selected size and 3-dimensional shape.

Abstract: A method of producing a PCD body includes the step of providing a region of coarser diamond particles between a source of binder phase and a region of fine grained diamond particles having a particle size less than 2 ?m. The binder phase is caused to infiltrate the diamond mass through the region of coarser diamond particles under elevated temperature and pressure conditions suitable to produce PCD. The invention further provides for a PCD diamond composite manufactured by the method of the invention wherein the PCD body is substantially free of abnormal diamond growth.

Abstract: The invention provides for an ultra hard or hard composite material comprising a primary ultra hard or hard particulate material and at least one secondary ultra hard or hard particulate material dispersed in a matrix material. The primary ultra hard or hard particulate material has a thermal expansion coefficient lower than that of the matrix material and the at least one secondary ultra hard or hard particulate material has a thermal expansion coefficient greater than that of the matrix material.

Abstract: Abrasive compacts, in particular ultrahard polycrystalline abrasive compacts, are made under high pressure/high temperature conditions and are characterized in that they include a coarser grained fraction of ultrahard particles distributed non-percolatively throughout a finer grained fraction of ultrahard particles, which may be regarded as a finer grained ultrahard particle matrix, in such a way that the individual coarser grains are largely isolated from one another. It therefore performs as a matrix of highly wear resistant finer grained material interspersed with larger grains, offering a structure that has advantageous wear and impact performance over the behaviours of the two components individually or otherwise combined.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing polycrystalline abrasive elements consisting of micron, sub-micron or nano-sized ultrahard abrasives dispersed in micron, sub-micron or nano-sized matrix materials. A plurality of ultrahard abrasive particles having vitreophilic surfaces are coated with a matrix precursor material in a refined colloidal process and then treated to render them suitable for sintering. The matrix precursor material can be converted to an oxide, nitride, carbide, oxynitride, oxycarbide, or carbonitride, or an elemental form thereof. The coated ultrahard abrasive particles are consolidated and sintered at a pressure and temperature at which they are crystallographically or thermodynamically stable.

Abstract: A superhard structure comprises a body of polycrystalline superhard material comprising a first region and a second region, the second region being adjacent an exposed surface of the superhard structure, the second region comprising a diamond material or cubic boron nitride, the density of the second region being greater than 3.4×103 kilograms per cubic metre when the second region comprises diamond material. The material(s) forming the first and second regions have a difference in coefficient of thermal expansion, the first and second regions being arranged such that this difference induces compression in the second region adjacent the exposed surface. The fir further region has the highest coefficient of thermal expansion of the polycrystalline body and is separated from a peripheral free surface of the body of polycrystalline superhard material by the second region or one or more further regions formed of a material or materials of a lower coefficient of thermal expansion.

Abstract: A superhard structure comprises a body of polycrystalline superhard material comprising a first region and a second region. The second region is adjacent an exposed surface of the superhard structure and comprises a diamond material or cubic boron nitride with a density greater than 3.4×103 kilograms per cubic metre when the second region comprises diamond material. The material(s) forming the first and second regions have a difference in coefficient of thermal expansion, the first and second regions being arranged such that this difference induces compression in the second region adjacent the exposed surface. The first/a further region has the highest coefficient of thermal expansion of the polycrystalline body and is separated in part from a peripheral free surface of the body by the second region or one or more further regions formed of a material(s) of a lower coefficient of thermal expansion. The regions comprise a plurality of grains of polycrystalline superhard material.

Abstract: A method for making polycrystalline diamond material comprises providing a plurality of diamond particles or grains, coating the diamond particles or grains with a binder material comprising a non-metallic catalyst material for diamond, consolidating the coated diamond particles or grains to form a green body, and subjecting the green body to a temperature and pressure at which diamond is thermodynamically stable, sintering and forming polycrystalline diamond material.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing polycrystalline abrasive elements consisting of micron, sub-micron or nano-sized ultrahard abrasives dispersed in micron, sub-micron or nano-sized matrix materials. A plurality of ultrahard abrasive particles having vitreophilic surfaces are coated with a matrix precursor material in a refined colloidal process and then treated to render them suitable for sintering. The matrix precursor material can be converted to an oxide, nitride, carbide, oxynitride, oxycarbide, or carbonitride, or an elemental form thereof. The coated ultrahard abrasive particles are consolidated and sintered at a pressure and temperature at which they are crystallographically or thermodynamically stable.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing polycrystalline abrasive elements consisting of micron, sub-micron or nano-sized ultrahard abrasives dispersed in micron, sub-micron or nano-sized matrix materials. A plurality of ultrahard abrasive particles having vitreophilic surfaces are coated with a matrix precursor material in a refined colloidal process and then treated to render them suitable for sintering. The matrix precursor material can be converted to an oxide, nitride, carbide, oxynitride, oxycarbide, or carbonitride, or an elemental form thereof. The coated ultrahard abrasive particles are consolidated and sintered at a pressure and temperature at which they are crystallographically or thermodynamically stable.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing polycrystalline abrasive elements consisting of micron, sub-micron or nano-sized ultrahard abrasives dispersed in micron, sub-micron or nano-sized matrix materials. A plurality of ultrahard abrasive particles having vitreophilic surfaces are coated with a matrix precursor material in a refined colloidal process and then treated to render them suitable for sintering. The matrix precursor material can be converted to an oxide, nitride, carbide, oxynitride, oxycarbide, or carbonitride, or an elemental form thereof. The coated ultrahard abrasive particles are consolidated and sintered at a pressure and temperature at which they are crystallographically or thermodynamically stable.

Abstract: A method of producing a boron suboxide composite material having improved fracture toughness.

Abstract: A method of coating ultrahard abrasive particles having vitreophilic surfaces, or treated to render their surfaces vitreophilic, are coated with an oxide precursor material, which is then heat treated to dry and purify the coats. The heat treated, coated ultrahard abrasive particles are further treated to convert the coats to an oxide, nitride, carbide, oxynitride, oxycarbide, or carbonitride thereof, or an elemental form thereof, or a glass.

Abstract: The invention relates to method of depositing refractory metal carbide onto part of a surface of a body comprising diamond, the method including adhering directly onto part of the surface a refractory precursor material comprising a compound including oxygen and at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta and W; the refractory precursor material being reducible in the presence of carbon on the application of heat to form at least one compound comprising metal carbide or mixed metal carbide; and reducing the refractory precursor material by the application of heat. The invention further relates to a body comprising diamond, part of the surface of the body having directly adhered thereto a metal carbide and part of the surface of the body having directly adhered thereto a metallic material and the content of diamond being greater than 80 volume percent of a volume of the body.

Abstract: The present invention relates to polycrystalline diamond (PCD) comprising diamond in granular form, the diamond grains forming a bonded skeletal mass having a network of internal surfaces, the internal surfaces defining interstices or interstitial regions within the skeletal mass, wherein part of the internal surfaces is bonded to a refractory material, part of the internal surfaces is not bonded to refractory material and part of the internal surfaces is bonded to a sintering aid material as well as to a method of making such PCD.

Abstract: The invention provides for an ultra hard or hard composite material comprising a primary ultra hard or hard particulate material and at least one secondary ultra hard or hard particulate material dispersed in a matrix material. The primary ultra hard or hard particulate material has a thermal expansion coefficient lower than that of the matrix material and the at least one secondary ultra hard or hard particulate material has a thermal expansion coefficient greater than that of the matrix material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a PCD composite compact element comprising a PCD structure integrally bonded at an interface to a cemented carbide substrate; the PCD structure comprising coherently bonded diamond grains having a mean size no greater than 15 microns; the cemented carbide substrate comprising carbide particles dispersed in a metallic binder, the carbide particles comprising a carbide compound of a metal; wherein the ratio of the amount of metallic binder to the amount of the metal at points in the substrate deviates from a mean value by at most 20 percent of the mean value.