CA1256856A

CA1256856A - Earth boring bit for soft to hard formations

Info

Publication number: CA1256856A
Application number: CA000533561A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Louis K. Bigelow; Richard H. Grappendorf; Alexander R. Meskin
Original assignee: Eastman Christensen Co
Current assignee: Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC
Priority date: 1987-04-01
Filing date: 1987-04-01
Publication date: 1989-07-04

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A drill bit having thermally stable PCD cutting elements includes a matrix body element having a plurality of spaced cutting elements supported in a body of matrix material such that a substantial portion of the cutter is above the body matrix and a minor portion is received within the body matrix. The cutters have side surfaces exposed and are so positioned that at least in some of the cutters more surface area of one side face is exposed as compared to the other side faces. The cutter support may include a small pad of matrix material to reduce the loading directly on the PCD. In a preferred form the PCD elements are mounted on pads or blades formed by spaced channels. The hydraulics are straight radial flow and improved hydraulic flow is achieved through the use of waterways which concentrate the fluid flow near the face of the cutters. In one form, improved hydraulics are obtained by having one fluid discharge port for each of the radially disposed fluid channels. Various forms and arrangements are disclosed.

Description

~ 35~

2 IMPROVED EARTH BORING BIT FOR SOFT TO HARD FORMATIONS

3 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the ~ield of earth 6 1 boring bits, and more particularly to an improved earth 7 ¦ boring bit having temperature stable polycrystalline diamond 8 ¦ elements as the cutting elements, and adapted to be used in 9 ¦ soft to medium hard formations and typically those which aree lO ¦ more abrasive than pure shale and pure mudstone, for 1l ¦ example.

13¦ 2. Description of the Prior Art The use of dlamonds in drilling and earth boring 16 products is well known. More recently, synthetic diamonds, 17 both single crystal diamonds (SCD) and polycrystalline 18 diamonds (PCD) have become commercially available from l9 various sources and have been used in such products, with recognized advantages. For example, natural diamond bits 21 effect drilling with a plowing action in comparison to 22 crushing in the case of a roller cone bit, whereas PCD
23 elements tend to cut by a shearing action. In the case of 24 rock formations, for example, it is believed that less energy is required to fail the rock in shear than in 26 compression.

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1 In addition to natural diamond, tungsten carbide (WC) 2 elements have been used as cutting elements in drill bits 3 for use in oil and gas drilling. Tungsten carbide, however,

4 does not possess the hardness nor the abrasion resistance of natural or synthetic diamond materials; the latter having a ¦ greater hardness and a noticeably grea~er abrasion 7 resistance than WC. Even though WC cutting elements may be 8 fabricated in various geometrical shapes, and may be less 9 expensive than natural or synthetic diamond material, the overall performance of the same may not be comparable to 11 natural or synthetic diamond material. A typical patent 12 showing the use o~ WC cutting elements is U.S. Patent 13 4,190,126 issued to Kabashirna. As illustrated in this 14 patent, the cutting element is essentially below the face of the bit, with little cutter exposure above the face; further 16 the matrix is soft in comparison to the WC cutter in order 17 to expose the same during use.
18 More recently, a variety of synthetic diamond products 19 has become available commercially, some of which are available as polycrystalline products. Single crystal 21 diamonds preferentially fracture on (111), (110) and (100) 22 planes, whereas PCD tends to be isotxopic and exhibits this 23 same cleavage but on a microscale and therefore reslsts 24 catastrophic large scale cleavage failure. The result is a retained sharpness which appears to resist polishing and 26 aids in cutting, provided the synthetic material is properly 27 mounted in a correct orientation in the body material. This :~5~85fi l proper orientation has not yet been discussed generally in 2 the prior art except that of the present assignee, as will 3 be discussed. Such synthetic diamond products are described, for example, in U.S. Patents 3,913,280; 3,745,623;
3,816,085; 4,104,344 and 4,224,380, to rnention only a few.
6 In general, the PCD products are fabricated from 7 synthetic and/or appropriately sized natural diamond 8 crystals under heat and pressure and in the presence of a 9 solvent/catalyst to form the polycrystalline structure. In one form of product, the polycrystalline structures include ll sintering aid material distributed essentially in the 12 interstices where ad~acent crystals have not bonded 13 together.
14 In another form, as described for example in U.S.
Patents 3,745,623; 3,816,085; 3,913,280; 4,104,223 and 16 4,224,380 the resulting diamond sintered product is porous, 17 porosity being achieved by dissolving or leaching out all or 18 part of the nondiamond material, as disclosed, for example l9 in U.S. Patents 4,104~344 and 4,224,380. For convenience, such a material may be described as porous PCD, as 21 referenced in U.S. 4,224,380. Porous PCD tends to be 22 temperature stable, as will be discussed, but temperature 23 stability as that term is used in this invention may be 24 achieved by other mechanisms as is known in the art, for example, by control of the type or amount of inclusions, 26 such that it is not necessary for the product to be porous 27 in order to be temperature stable.

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l Polycrystalline diamonds have been used in earth boring 2 products either as individual elements or as relatively thin 3 PCD tables supported on a cemented tungsten carbide (WC) 4 support backing. In one form, the PCD table is supported on a cylindrical tungsten carbide slug about 13.3 mm in 6 ~ diameter and about 3 mm long, with a PCD table of about 0.5 7 to 0.6 mm in cross-section on the face of the cutter. In 8 another version, a stud cutter, the PCD table is also 9 supported by a cylindrical substrate of tungsten carbide of about 3 mm by 13.3 mm in diameter, backed by a tungsten 1l carbide backing such that the entire length is about 26 mm, 12 and the backing and the substrate and the table are 13 essentially in axial alignment. The various forms of 14 supported PCD table faced cutters have been used in oil and gas drilling products intended for use in soft to medium 16 hard formations, see for example, U.S. Patents 4,200,159 and 17 4,244,432.
18 Individual PCD elements of various geometrical shapes l9 have been used in place of natural diamonds in certain applications in oil and gas, mining, and construction 21 drilling products, and mounted in much the same ~ashion as 22 natural diamond. However, certain problems arose with PCD
23 elements used as individual pieces of a given carat size or 24 weight. In general, natural diamond, available in a wide variety of shapes and grades, was placed in predetermined 26 locations in a mold, and production of the drilling tool was 27 completed by various conventional techniques. In one such ~ 35~

1 ~ technique, a relatively hard metal carbide matrix body is 2 1 formed which holds the diamond in place, the relatively hard 3 1 tungsten carbide matrix material being used because of its 4 ~ erosion resistance as compared to other softer matrix

5 I combinations or other materials, such as steel. This carbide

6 1 matrix, referred to as a crown, is attached to a steel blank 71 by a metallurgical and mechanical bond formed during the 81 formation of the matrix body. The matrix body may be formed 9¦ by infiltration or diffusion bonding of the matrix powder.
10¦ Natural diamond is sufficiently thermally stable to 11¦ withstand the heating process in matrix formation. However, 12¦ in most cases, the natural diamond is spherical in shape and 3¦ about 2/3 of the diamond is covered by the matrix in order 14¦ to secure the diamond in place.
15~ In this procedure as above described, the natural 16¦ diamond could either be surface set in a predetermined 17¦ orientation, or impregnated, i.e., diamond is distributed 18 throughout the matrix as a grit or fine particle form.
19 With the early PCD elements, problems arose in the production of earth boring products of the matrix body type 21 because PCD elements, especially PCD tables on carbide 22 backing, tended to be thermally unstable at the temperatures 23 and times used in furnaclng the metal matrix bit crown, 24 resulting in catastrophic failure of the PCD eleme~ts if the same procedures as were used with natural diamonds were used 26 with backed PCD tables. It was believed that the 27 catastrophic failure was due to thermal stress cracks from ~ t~

1 the expansion of residual metal or alloys used as the 2 sintering aids or catalysts in the formation of the PCD
3 ¦ element.
4 ¦ Brazing techniques were used to secure the cylindrical 5 ¦ PCD table faced cutter into the matrix using PCD products of 6 I somewhat limited temperature stability. Brazing materials

7 ¦ and procedures were used to assure that the temperatures

8 ¦ during processing did not reach a level which would cause

9¦ thermal degradation of the PCD facing. The result was that

10¦ sometimes the PCD components separated from the matrix, thus

11¦ adversely affecting the performance of the earth boring

12¦ tool, unless special structures or procedures were used to

13 assure adequate securing of the cutter structure to the

14 matrix.
With the advent of thermally stable PCD elements, 16 typically porous PCD material or other types of thermally 17 stable non-porous PCD materials/ it was believed that such 18 elements could be surface set into the metal matrix much in 19 the same fashion as was used with natural diamonds, thus simplifying the manufacturing of the tool, and providing 21 better performance due to the fact that the PCD elements 22 were believed to have the advantages of less tendency to 23 polish and lacked the inherent weak cleavage planes of 24 natural diamond.
251 Significantly, the current literature relating to 26¦ temperature stable PCD elements suggests that the elements 271 be surface set in the matrix with less than 0.5mm exposure 2~

¦ Page 6 56~5~j above the adjacent surface of the matrix body. Thus, like the use of natural diamond, more of the PCD was buried in the matrix than was exposed as an effective cutting surface, i . 2 ., there was little available exposed surface to function as a cutting surface without ~he wearing away of a significant amount of adjacent matrix material.
The temperature stable PCD elements are said to be stable up to about 1,200 degrees C and are available in a variety of shapes and sizes. For example, triangular PCD
elements are available in sizes of 0.3 and one carat, and measure respectively 4mm on a side and 2.6mm thick, and 6mm on a side and 3.7mm thick. Cylindrical shapes are also available measuring ~mm in diameter and 6mm in length or 6mm by 8mm or 8mm by 1Omm, for example; the latter sometimes being cut into half cylinders or quarter cylinders, or other shapes formed from the cylinders, and used in oil and gas drilling tools. In addition, temperature stable products are available in cube and rectangular shapes having at least one side which measures 2.5 mm.
In the case of the cylindrical shaped products, cut in half or quarters and arranged radially with the surface of the bit or arranged generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the bit, one of the problems has been the use of such products in medium to hard formations. In the above ~, ~56~5~i l identifi.ed applications, the cutters are only minimally 2 supported to the rear of their cutting faces with the result 3 that there is vibration of the diamond cutting element, due 4 in part to the fact of the relatively large exposure above the surface of the face of the bit and the fact that the bit 6 was used in medium to hard formations. ~1hile such bits 7 operate satisfactorily in the softer formations, their use .8 in the medium to hard formations has led to the loss of 9 cutter due to the fracture of the PCD due to the nature of the formation and the relatively large exposure of the ll cutter above the face and the lack of adequate support to 12 the rear of the cutter to reduce the effects of vibration 13 during cutting of the formation.
14 :~t has also been noted in some of the prior designs that there has been a tendency to fracture the cutters 16 during use due to the axial loads on the cutters. Thus, for 17 example if the bit bounces during use, or is impacted 18 against the formation when lowered into the borehole, 19 fracture of the cutters may occur.
One of the other difficulties which has existed in the 21 prior art use of defined geometrically shaped PCD cutting 22 elements in the field of earth horing tools has been the 23 tendency to follow the art of the use of natural diamonds in 24 which the natural diamonds were surface set such that more of the diamond was below the matrix than was exposed above 26 the matrix. In the prior art almost 2/3 of the natural 27 diamond was below the matrix with only 1/3 exposure, with 2g ~ 85f~ii 1 ¦ the result that if greater exposure was desired for more 2 ¦ aggressive cutting action, larger sized and more expensive 3 1 natural diamonds had to be used to obtain increased 4 ¦ exposure.
5 ¦ The literature of one of the commercial suppliers of 6 ¦ synthetic PCD elements suggests that for the 0.3 carat 7 ¦ triangular PCD the exposure above the matrix should not 8 ¦ exceed 0.5mmO Other literature from that same supplier 9 ¦ suggests that even with such small exposure, there should be 10 ¦ a trailing support of matrix material behind the PCD which 11¦ has only minimal exposure above the matrix. As a general 12 ¦ rule, the prior art bits have been structured such that the 13¦ exposure of the cutters beyond the face of the matrix is 14¦ essentially uniform, except in the region of the transition

15 ¦ of the shoulder to the gage.

16¦ The difficulties with surface set PCD elements with

17¦ minimal exposure, whether backed or not are several and may

18¦ be understood by considering the dynamics of the drilling

19¦ operation. In the usual drilling operation, be it mining 201 coring or oil or gas drilling, a fluid such as water, air or 21 ¦ drilling mud is pumped through the center of the tool and 22 ¦ flows radially outwardly across the tool face, around the 231 outer surface (gage) and then back up the borehole. The 24 ¦ drilling fluid clears the tool face of cuttings and cools 25 ¦ the cutter elements. Where there is insufficient clearance 26¦ between the formation being cut and the bit face, the 271 cuttings may not be cleared from the face effectively and l Page 9 ~;~5~

1 sometimes the desired flow across the bit face is other than 2 the optimum for cooling. Other factors to be considered are 3 the weight on the bit, normally the weight of the drill 4 string and principally the weight of the drill collars, and the pressure effect on the fluid which tends to lift the bit 6 off the bottom of the hole. It has been reported, for 7 example, that the pressure beneath a diamond bit may be as 8 much as 1000 psi greater than the pressure above the bit, 9 resulting in hydraulic lift, and in some cases the hydraulic lift force exceeds 50% of the applied load while drilling.
11 The hydraulic lift may reduce the bite which the cutters 12 take of the formation with the result that pene-tration rates 13 are decreased, 14 One surprising observation made in earth bor:Lng hits having surface set PCD elements or elements fully positioned 16 below the adjacent body matrix, as has been the prior 17 practice, is that even after exposure of the cutting face 18 has been achieved by "run-in" to wear away the adjacent 19 matrix and expose the cutting element, the rate of penetration (ROP) often decreases. Examination of the bit 21 indicates unexpected polishing of the PCD elements. Usually 22 ROP rnay be increased by adding weight on the b.it but this is 23 generally avoided if possible because it increases wear and 24 stress on the drill rig. If the ROP is not acceptable, then it is necessary to trip out to replace the bit, an expensive 26 operation since the economics of drilling in normal cases 27 are expressed in cost per foot of penetration, a calculation 2~

Page l0 which takes into account the bit cost plus the rig cost incl~iding trip time and drilling time divided by the footage drilled.
sonding of diamond materials as cutters to the body matrix also presents other difficulties. If the PCD is supported on a WC support and the assembly is affixed to the body matrix by brazing, for example, the surface smoothness of the WC backing and that of the matrix material is a consideration. The rougher the surface, the more difficult it is to achieve a good braze bond. Thus, for example, U.S.
Patent 3,938,599 issued to Horn discloses a synthetic diamond materlal mounted on a sintered carbide blank which in turn is honded to the matrix body. It is known from V.S.
Patent ~,200,159 that attempting to form a braze bond between a smooth carbide backing of a diamond faced cutter and the body matrix is difficult unless special steps and arrangements are used, factors confirmed by field experience.
It is considered desirable to pxovide a drilling tool, especially an earth boring tool, having thermally stable PCD cutting elements in which the exposure of the cutting element above the body matrix and the exposed 1 surface area is at the maximum while still proving 2 sufficient anchoring of the cutting element such that it is 3 effectively retained in the tool and the resulting structure 4 is relatively stable with respect to impact loads.
It is also desirable to provide a drilling tool of the 61 type described in which the cutting elements are arranged 7 such that a large and exposed cutting face is provided which 8 ¦ extends an appreciable distance beyond the adjacent matrix 9 ~ material which forms the bit body and wherein adequate 10 ¦ provisions are made for support of the cutter to avoid the 11¦ vibration and impact damage.
12 ~nother desirable objective is to provide a drill bit 13 for use in earth borinc3 in which essentially all of the PCD
14 element is positionec1 beyond, that is, extending above the face of the bit and supported such that the bit is an 16 aggressive cutting tool for soft to medium hard formations 17 which are more abrasive than shale and mudstone.
1~ It is also desirable to provide a drill bit of the type 19 described with a significant exposure of PCD cutting

20 , elements located on pads formed between adjacent waterways

21 such the the cutting face of the cutting element is

22 I available for immediate cutting action without the necessity

23 ~ of run-in and is sufficiently supported to operate as an

24 effective cutting element for a relatively long period of time.
26 Still another desirable object is to provide a drill 27 bit, as described, in which cutting elements in the form of ~8 ~i6~

1 PCD cutters are mounted in the matrix during matrix 2 formation and supported in the matrix of a bit such that 3 those disposed along the nose of the bit are secured against 4 breakage, but are sufficiently exposed to be effective cutters, while the PCD elements located along the flank and 6 shoulder of the bit have maximum exposure for effective and 7 aggressive cutting action.
8 Another object is to provide a matrix body drill bit, 9 principally for use in oil and gas drilling, in which individual PCD cutting elements are secured in the body 11 matrix is such a manner that some of the cutting elements in 12 defined locations have a greater exposure than other cutting 13 elements located in other defined locations whereby the 14 cutting elements cooperate to provlde a drill bit which is aggressive in its cutting action and wherein the cutting 16 elements are firmly secured to the bit matrix face and 17 uniquely supported to reduce their fracture due to vibration 18 or impact damage during use.
19 Still a further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved hydraulic flow arrangement which is 21 radial in nature such that the chips formed during cutting 22 are effectively removed while effectively cooling the active 23 cutting face of the cutter.

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~i6 2 3. Brief Summary Of The Invention 3 In accordance with this invention an improved drilling 4 tool especially adapted for oil and gas drilling and the 5 1 like is provided in which there is maxirnum exposure of the 6 cutting elements which are preferably temperature stable PC3 7 I elements, as described, and which are located and fixed in 8 ¦ the body matri~ during formation of the body matrix.
9 ¦ The earth boring bit may be a mining bit or any of the 10 ¦ bits used in drilling for oil or gas, for example, and 11 1 includes a matrix body member having a curved surface 12 ¦ portion which includes a gage, shoulder, flank, nose, and 13 ¦ apex, the curved surface orming the cutting surface of the 14 ¦ bit. ~bove the shoulder is the usual gage. The matrix body 15 ¦ member may be a relatively thin surface layer on a suitable 16¦ backing support, as is know in the art, rather than the 17 ¦ thicker body matrix which is well known and usually used in 18¦ bits of the type to which the present invention relates.
19¦ The cutting surface of the bit includes a plurality of 201 channels which form spaced pad elements between the adjacent 21¦ channels. In a preferred form, the channels are arranged 22¦ radially from essentially the center of the bit such that 23 the flow of fluid is in a straight radial direction over the 24 nose, across the flank and along the shoulder to the gage.
This straight radial flow arrangement, in contrast to the 26 feeder-collector hydraulic flow arrangement of the prior 27 art, offers the advantage of effective cleaning and cooling l Page 14 1 of the bit face, and especially effective cooling of the 2 cutting elements which have a substantial portion of their 3 surface area exposed for direct cooling contact with the 4 flowing fluid. To assure optimum flow of fluid across the face of the tool, a crowfoot or double crowfoot arrangement 61 may be used, for example, in which the flow is into radially 7l disposed channels. Since the surface area to be cooled and 8 cleaned increases substantially as the flow exits from the source radially outwardly, there is a tendency for the fluid to become channeled with relatively high flow rates in only 11 selected areas which are radially arranged with the 12 principal fluid opening. Tests have indicated th~t initial 13 fluid velocity and momentum are the dominant factors in 14 effective hydraulics. In the case of relatively high velocity flow, it is difficult to cause the fluid to "turn 16 corners" or flow in the desired direction to function as a 17 cleaning and cooling fluid.
18 In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, 19 that portion of the radial flow channels radially outwardly from the principal flow opening are constructed to direct 21 the fluid to the face of the cutter by forcing a portion of 22 the flow away from the trailing edge of the adjacent leading 23 cutters. This is accomplished by a novel configuration of 24 radially arranged flow channels which effectively causes the fluid flow to be directed in the proper direction and to the 26 proper location in order to flow across the cutting face of L~,~6~5~

1 the cutters which are mounted on the pads between adjacent 2 channe~s.
3 sy i~ay of explanation, in cross-pad flow arrangements 4 the fluid courses are of an essentially constant dimension from the fluid outlet source opening to the gage, with 6 larger spaces between the adjacent pads. This type of 7 arrangement is acceptable where harder, more abrasive 8 formations are drilled because the chlps tend to be smaller 9 as compared to other softer formations. Not every fluid course has its own originating source of fluid with the 11 result that there is flow of Eluid across the pads.
12 tn radial ~low systems in accordance with one aspect of 13 the present invention, every fluid course has its own source 14 of fluid from the fluid exit ports and the fluid courses or channels are as described. This type of radial flow pattern 16 and structure, in accordance with this invention provides 17 more effective cooling, especially in softer formations in 18 which cleaning is more important because the cuttings are 19 more plastic when compared to harder formations. Another advantage of radial flow hydraulics is that junk slots need 21 not be present and thus the tendency to upset bit balance by 22 the junk slots is avoided.
23 Located in each pad are a plurality of spaced synthetic 24 PCD elements, as described, which are mounted in the matrix body during formation of the body. The cutting elements are 26 of a predetermined geometrical shape and are temperature 27 stable to at least about 1,200 degrees C. Thus, while the 1~56~5~i 1 PCD elements are temperature stable, as previously 2 described, there is the generation of relatively high local 3 heats during a drilling operation with possihle thermal 4 degradation of the cutting elements, especially in the harder formations. By this invention, the extensive exposure 6¦ of the surfaces of the cutting elements permits the drilling 7l fluid to contact the same over a substantial portion of the 8 exposed surface area in order to effect more efficient 9 cooling of the same during use. This is of practical importance since the heat conductivity through the PCD is 11 three to five times greater than the heat conductivity of 12 the matrix body material. Accordingly, while some of the 13 prior art designs have aclequate flow of fluid across the 14 matrix body components of the bit, the comparatively low heat conductivity of the matrix body material does not offer 16 a good heat sink for dissipation of heat in comparison to 17 direct contact with the PCD itself.
18 The cutting elements, of a geometry to be described, 19 include a front face which has a predetermined surface area and a longitudinal axis which is arranged generally parallel 21 to the axis of rotation of the bit. The cutting elements 22 include portions adjacent to the front face and generally to 23 the side thereof, as well a a rear portion. A minor portion 24 of the cutting elements is received in the matrix of the pad, with a substantial portion of the cutting element 26 exposed above the surface of the pad. Thus, the cutting 27 elements are so positioned in the matrix material of the pad 2~

~L~56~5~

1 ¦ such that the front face extends above the pad to form the 2 ¦ cutting face while the adjacent portions of the cutting 3 ~ element are disposed such that one is adjacent to the pad 41 and the other is spaced from the pad, with the adjacent 5~ cutters along the nose and flank being spaced from each 6 other such that there is some minor flow circumferentially 7 between adjacent cutters of each pad. By positioning the 8 cutting elements as described, those located in the flank 9 and shoulder have an exposed cutting face whose surface area is greater than a majority of the predetermined surface area 11 of the front face thereof. A large front cutting face is 12 thereby provided for cutting and which may be effectively 13 cooled. The side portions of the cutters are also exposed, 14 the side portion spaced from the pad being essentially fully exposed and being of a greater surface area than the portion 16 adjacent to the pad which is also partly exposed, with fluid 17 ¦ flowing between adjacent cutters as mentioned. The cutters 18 may be arranged with a five to twenty degree back rake and a 19 tilt of between about zero to five degrees from the vertical axis, depending upon the geometry of the cutter and the 21 location on the bit. In some cases, especially for drilling 22 in hard rock formations, the tilt angle may be ninety 23 degrees to the bit surface.
2~ Regardless of the location of the cutting element, more than 0.5mm of the cutting element is exposed above the 26 matrix of the pad a~d the rear portion of the cutting 27 element is supported by matrix material.

¦ Page 18 ~ 56 1 In a preferred form, the drill bit of this invention 2 includes cutting elements, as described, whose side exposure 3 is somewhat unique. For example, all of the cutters, 4 regardless of position on the cutting face have at least the same minimal side exposure which is greater than 0.5mm. In 6 some cases, the side exposure of that side of the cutter 7 away from the pad is somewhat greater than the other side of 8 the same cutter, depending upon location of the cutters in 9 the bit face. The side exposure of those cutters at the nose is the same as the side exposure of one side of the cutters 11 located along the flank and shoulder, but tn either case, 12 the exposure i8 more than 0.5mm above the surfac~ of the 13 associated pad. Even with a somewhat lesser exposure, there 14 is adequate direct cooling because of the radial nature of the flow, i.e., the amount of fluid flow over the cutters is 16 greater per cutter along the nose than along the flank and 17 shoulder. However, the amount of total exposed surface area 18 per cutter, including the side surfaces, is greater at the 19¦ flank and shoulder than at the nose, as will be explained in 20¦ detail.
21¦ ~ Overall, the bit is a stepped bit in configuration with 22 ¦ blades or pads and the cutters arranged on the bit face in a 231 redundancy pattern such that the bottom of the hole ls 24 ¦ traversed by one and preferably at least four cutters. In

25 ¦ such a case the cutting action of the cutter elements is

26 ¦ that of a chisel, with a shearing action in cutting, with

27 ¦ some kerfing action, with the result that the torque is

28 l ¦ Page 19 1 somewhat lower than the prior art bits in certain 2 formations. The bit of the present invention is intended for 3 use in formations of shale with hard stringers and sandstone 4 or limestone with shale sections.
One further aspect of this invention is the nature of 6~ the cutting action in which that the portion of the 7!l formation between a preceding and trailing cutter is 81 relieved of the confining stress and as the cutters pass, 9¦ the confining stress is partially released and the formation tends to fracture even though not directly contacted by a 11 cutt.in~ surface.
12 ln a pre~err0d Eorm, th~ cutting fac~ of the cutter 13 element is located close to the junction of the pad and the 14 associated channel. This arrangement and the improved hydraulics operates to provide a significantly improved bit 16 structure, although the radial flow hydraulics may be used 17 with other cutter configurations.
18 Due to the relatively large surface area of the cutting 19 face, the bit of the present invention tends to perform well in soft formations as compared to some of the bits 21 previously discussed. More specifically, shale tends to ball 22 up less when cut by the bit of this invention and the 23 present bit cuts well in soft to hard sandstone formations 24 as well as some harder rock.
Another aspect of this invention is the provision of an ~6 improved mountin~ ~`or each o~ the cutters which reduces the 27 potential for cutter damage due to impact loads. From a view ~ ~6~5~

1 of dynamics of cutting, it is desired to have a sharp 2 exposed and pointed cutting edge. However, such an 3 arrangement is prone to impact damage due to high unit 4 impact forces. To reduce the tendency for damage due to impact loads, the cutter-matrix support is constructed to 6 ¦ provide a flat upper surface, i.e., the surface which faces 7 ¦I the formation, whose length is less than the length of the 8l supporting matrix to the rear of the the rear surface of the 9 cutter. The flat or planar top surface of the cutter-matrix assembly may be achieved through the use of a cutter having ll a broad upper exposed surface, such as a split cylinder, or 12 the use of a trianyular element set such that thexe is a l3 sho~t trail.~ng support wh.ich forms a short pad to the rear 14 o~ the cutting face. In this way, a large bearing surface is avoided since that tends to inhibit the cutter from biting 16 into the formation, but sufficient upper surface is provided 17 to distribute the impact shock loads over a greater surface 18 area, while providing sufficient support to the rear of the l9 cutter to prevent vibration and to provide back support during cutting.
21 The present invention possesses many other advantages 22 and has other objects which may be made more clearly 23 apparent from a consideration of several forms in which it 24 may be embodied. Such forms are illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification.
26 The forms described in detail are for the purpose of 27 illustrating the general principles of the present ~6~35~

1 invention; but it is to be understood that such detailed 2 description is not to be taken in a limiting sense.
3 ~
41 4~ Brief Description of the Drawings.

6 Referring to the drawings:
7 ! Figure 1 is a view in perspective of one form of 8 ~ mounting a PCD cutting element in accorc1ance with the 9 ¦ present invention;
10 I Figure 2 is a view in perspective of the mounting shown 11 ¦ in Figure 1 as seen from the front cutting Eace of the PCD;
12 ¦ Figure 3 is a view partly in section and partly in 13 ¦ elevation taken alon~ the llne 3-3 of Figure 1;
14 ¦ Figure 4 is a view partly in section and partly in ~' 15 ¦ elevation taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3;
16¦ Figure 5 is a view partly in section and partly in 17 ¦ elevation taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 3;
18~ Figure 6 is a view in perspective of another form of 19¦ mounting for the PCD in accordance with the present 20¦ invention;
21¦ Figure 7 is a view in perspective of the mounting 22 arrangement as shown in Figure 6 as viewed from the front of 23¦ the cutting face;
241 Figure 8 is a view in perspective of a mounting 25 I arrangement of a half-cylinder PCD cutting element in 26 ¦ accordance with the present invention;

28 l ~5~35~

1 Figure 9 is a view in perspective of the mounting 2 arrangement as shown in Figure 8 as viewed from the front of 3 the cutting face;
4 Figure 10 is a diagrammatic view of a portion of the mold used in fabricating bits in accordance with this 6 invention and illustrating the position of a rectangular PCD
7 element;
8 Figure 11 is a view similar to that of Figure 10 but 9 illustrating the position of a half-cylinder PCD elementi Figure 12 is a diagrammatic view of a drill bit in 11 accordance with the present invention il].ustratlng the 12 general orientation of the cutting elements;
13 Figure 13 :i5 a ~ragmen~,~ry somewhat enlargecl view .in 14 perspective of a portion of the bit of Figure 12 and illustrating the mounting of the PCD elements in accordance 16 with this invention;
17 Figure 13a is a view similar to that of Figure 13, 18 illustrating a modified form of mounting for the PCD
19 elements;
Figure 14 is a view in perspective of a drill bit in 21 accordance with the present invention illustrating the 22 radial arrangement of the waterways and the location of the 23 cutters;
24 Figure 15 is a view in perspective of a drill bit in accordance with the present invention illustrating the 26 general arrangement o~ the bit structure and the improved 27 radial waterways in accordance with the present invention;

l Page 23 ~S6~6 1 Figure 16 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of 2 the improved radial waterways in accordance with the present 3 invention;
4 Figure 17 is a sectional view taken along the line 17-5l 17 of Figure 16;
61 Figure 18 is a sectional view taken along the line 18-7 1 18 of Figure 16;
.8 ¦ Figure 19 is a sectional view taken along the line 19-9 ¦ 19 of Figure 16; and 10 ¦ Figure 20 is a fragmentary plan view of an improved 11 ¦ form of waterways and improved hydraulics in accordance with 12 ¦ the present invention.

16~ I.

28 ~

~ 356 2 5. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments 3 The drill bit of this invention tends to perform better 4 than the prior art drilling bits in the formations 51 mentioned, especially in formations of mixed shale and 6¦ sandstone, limestone and which include portions of hard and abrasive stringers, major sections of sandstone, or mixed ~8 shale and sandstone. The drill bit of this invention is not 9 as effective in soft, sticky formations. Thus, referring to the drawings which illustrate preferred forms of the present 11 invention, Figures 1-5 illustrate one form of mounting a PCD
12 cutting element 10 (and 11) in a matrlx body support 13 generally designated 12. The matrix support is part of the 14 body matrix 14, both the body and support being formed by the procedures already mentioned, infiltration or diffusion 16 bonding, or the like, and the matrix is preferably of a 17 tungsten carbide type for erosion and abrasion resistance.
18 The PCD is mounted directly in the matrix, during matrix 19 formation, and is preferably a temperature stable PCD, as a]ready described.
21 In the form illustrated in Figure 1, the PCD element 10 22 is triangular in shape and may be of the dimensions 23 previously described and of the size already noted. Other 24 geometrical shapes may be used, as will be described. As shown, a minor portion 15, shown in dotted form, of the PCD
26 is below the surface 16 of the body matrix, while a majority 27 of the cutting element extends above the surface. As shown~

~;~5~i8t~,6 l I the PCD 10 includes a front face 10a, side portions adjacent 2 ¦ to the front face in the form of side faces 1Ob and a rear 3 ¦ portion 10c, with 10.d indicating the top of the PCD. In this 4 ~ form and in the other forms to be described, the front face 5 1 1Oa of the cutting element has a predetermined surface area, 6 I calculable from the illustrative dimensions already given, and a longitudinal axis 17. It is apparent from the 8 drawings, which are not to exact scale, that a major portion 9 of the surface area of the front face 1Oa, which forms the cutting face, is above the body matrix surface 16, i.e., the 1l exposure of the PCD above the surrounding body matrix is far 12 ~reater than 0.5mm, as will be explalned in detail later-13 To the rear of the rear portion 10c of the cutting 14 element 10 is a matrix backing 20 which slopes from the top 21 of a top pad element to the rear, joining with the body 16 matrix 14. The matrix backing 20 operates to provide a 17 backing support to support the cutter with respect to front 18 face loading during the cutting action. Since the cutters l9 have such a large exposed cutting face, the loads from the front to the rear of the cutting elements are significant.
21 Between the top 1Od of the cutting element 10 and the 22 sloping rear surface 22 of the backing is a top pad element 23 25, again of matrix material and which serves as a short pad 24 to absorb the axial shock and bouncing loads rather than allowing ~hese lo~ds to be absorbed directly on the top 26 surface 1~d of the of the PCD element 10. This pad, though 27 relatively small as measured from the front face of the ~2~

l cutting element, extends across the full width of the 2 I cutting element and is sufficient to impart significant 3 ¦ axial load resistance to the cutter 10 as compared to the 41 same structure without the pad 25. To assist retention of 5l the PCD 10 in the matrix support, the body matrix 14 6 includes a front portion 27, at essentially the same level 7 as surface 16, to lock in place the forward corner 27a of 8 front face 1Oa of the cutter 10. Preferably not more than 9 about one-third of the front face 1Oa of the PCD is positioned below the surface of the matrix material.
ll Referring now to Figures 1-5, the PCD cutters 10 and 12 1t, and many of the other PCD cutters which make ~Ip th~
13 drill bit, ar~ mounted on body pads 30 which are located 14 between adjacent spaced channels 32 through which fluid flows for the purposes of cooling the cutting face 10a and 16 ~ to remove cuttings. The channel includes a side wall 33 17 ! which intersects the body pad at 35, the PCD cutting 18 ~ elements being set adjacent to the intersection, but spaced l9 rearwardly therefrom by a distance which represents the 20 ~ circumferential dimension of the front portion 27, i.e., the 21 ¦ dimension from the junction 35 to the front face 1Oa of the 22 I cutter at the region where the cutter intersects the body 23 ¦ pad 30. This is apparent from cutter 11, shown in 241 perspective, which is offset with respect to cutter 10, the 251 latter being shown in section. In a preferred form, the rear 26 ¦ surface or wall 22 of the matrix support 12 is sloped as 27 ¦ shown and intersects the side wall of the channel.

~6~35~i l To improve the cutting efficiency of the cutters 10-11 2 and the other cutters, they are mounted in the support 12 3 I with a small back rake, ~ess than about 25 degrees and in 4 I the range of 5 degrees to 20 degrees with a preferred back I rake being 15 degrees, as seen in Figure 3.
61 As mentioned, a substantial portion of the front face 7 1Oa of each cutter is exposed above the surface 16 of the 8 body pad in which it is received, as seen in Figure 4, and 9¦ there is a significant portion of the front face which lO¦ extends above that surface. Further, a minor portion 15 of 11¦ the cutter is located in the body pad. In the case oP
2¦ triangular cutting elements, the rectangular Eace is the 13¦ cutting face and the setting is referred to as ~ tangential 14¦ setting. It has been discovered that a tangential setting 15¦ and the relatively large exposure of the front face enables l6¦ good performance in the softer formations. Thus, as seen in 17 Figure 4, assuming a one-third carat PCD cutter having 18 rectangular face of 4mm by 2.6mm, the front exposed face 1Oa l9 of the cutter extends far greater than 0.5mm above the surface l6 and may extend as much as between about 2.Omm and 21 2.5mm above the level of the front portion 27, i.e more than 22 50~ of the ~ront face is exposed. The exposed surface area 23 is between 5.27 sq.mm and 6.6 sq.mm. In the case of a one 24 carat PCD elements, the exposure above the level of the front portion 27 may be between 3.3mm to 4.5mm with an 26 exposed front face surface area of between 12.21 sq. mm to 27 16.65 sq. mm. Again, more than 50~ of the front face is ~6~5~

1 exposed. These relatively large exposed front faces, in 2 addition to providing a large surface area available for 3 cutting, also provides a large surface area which may be 4 cooled by the fluid. It is also clear from Figures 4 and 5 that the side portions 1Ob of the PCD cutters are fully 6 exposed. The advantage of full side exposure and large 7 surface area full face exposure is that there is better 8 ¦ overall cooling of the PCD cutters which tend to develop 9 ¦ localized high heats at the cutting regions of the PCD
10 ¦ cutting elements. In general, it is far better to cool the 11 ~ cutters directly than to cool the cutter by cooling the 12 ¦ matrix within which they are supported, especially since the 13 ¦ matrix material is not as good a conductor of heat as 14 ¦ compared to the PCD. The heat conductivity of the PCD may be 15 ¦ as much as 3 to 5 times that of the matrix, depending upon 16 ¦ matrix composition. The drill bits of the present invention 17 ¦ are more aggressive drilling bits, in that they cut more 18~ rock, faster and with less energy than the prior drill bits 19¦ already discussed. ~t is also true that the drill bits 20 ¦ according to the present invention are capable of 21 ¦ withstanding higher point loading per cutter than may have 22¦ been the case with prior art devices. ~igher point loading, 231 in effect, means better drilling performance, while 241 effective cooling tends to extend cutter life.
251 Figure ~ also shows that the top front sur~ace 34 of 26¦ the cutter is free of matrix material, in the preferred 271 form, so that there is no "run-in" required for the l Page 29 ~;~5~;~56 1 effective cutting surface to engage the formation at the 2 initial start of the use of the drill bit. In effect, the 3 bit may be lowered into the borehole and may start cutting 4 as soon as the cutters contact the opposed surface of the formation without the necessity to abracle away matrix 6 material to expose the cutting surface. This is apparent 7 from Figure 4, which is a view as one would see if it were 8 possible to look directly at the front face of a cutter 9 during drilling.
In the view seen in Figure 5, it is apparent that 11 ¦ the support body for the cutter preferably extends from the 12 ¦ junction 35 of one body pad and channel wall 33 to the 13¦ junction 35a of an adjacent body pad and channel wall of the 14 adjacent channel. It is to be understood that the PCD
15 cutting elements are mounted on a surface of the bit which 16 may be curved, as will be described. I
17 I In the form of mounting arrangement for the PCD cutting 18 ¦ element illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, in which the same 19 ¦ reference numerals have been applied to the same elements 20 ¦ previously illustrated, a prepad 40 which assists in 21 ¦ retention of the PCD includes a flat front face 43 located 22 ¦ along the intersection 35 of the channel wall 33 and surface 23 ¦ 16 and which extends along the full width of the front face 24 ¦ 1Oa of the PCD. The prepad 40 may be used where more 25 1 abrasive formations are contemplated to assure that the 2~ ¦ front support is not abraded away during drilling.

l Page 30 ~5~

1 Figures 8 and 9 illustrate the use of a thermally 2 stable PCD element of the type previously described in the 3 form of a half cylinder 50. In this particular instance, the 4 cutting element includes a rather broad upper surface 52 and is thus better able to withstand high axial loads since the 6I point loads are distributed over a larger surface area as 71 compared to a triangular cutting element. Nonetheless, it is 81 preferred to use a top surface pad 25a, as shown, and which 9 extends the full width of the cutting face. The advantage of this type of cutter is that there is a greater a~ount of 11 depth of PCD at the top of the cutting element. Ac3ain the 12 PCD cutting element includes a lon~itudinal axis 5~ and a 13 relatively lar~e surface area front faca 55. The rear 14 portion 57 is cylindrical and the exposed side face 55a is of a relatively small dimension due to the curvature.
16¦ Again there is a prepad 40a which may also be of the 17~ type shown in Figures 6 and 7. The matrix support 12 is 18¦ sloped as described, while the cutter 50 and the matrix 19¦ support are positioned with respect to the channels 32 as 20¦ already described. As noted, the half cylinder cutters may 21¦ be of various si~es. In each case however, the amount of 22 front face exposure above the matrix adjacent to the cutter 23 is more than the portion which is received in the matrix. As 24 shown only a minor portion 58 is received within the matrix body pad 14 and below its surface 16, such that the cutter 26 extends more than a. 5mm above the surface of the body pad.

~age 31 ~ 856 1 The half cylinders may be formed by cutting cylindrical 2 elements in half along the long axis thereof. A 4mm by 6mm 3 cylinder provides two PCD elements having a flat front 4 cutting face which is 4mm by 6mm, and a 6mm by 8mm provides two half cylinders of a flat front cutting face dimension of 6~ 6mm by 8mm. Other sizes may be used but in each case the 7 half cylinder is mounted such that more that about 50% is 81 exposed above the body pad surface. In some instances, one 9¦ end of the cylinder is in the form of a cone. In that 10¦ instance the point of the cone may be irnbeded in the makrix 11¦ or may be the upper surface. It is preEerred to use th~ ~lat 12¦ end face as the upper exposed cutting face. With this 13¦ geometry of cutter it has been noted that the tilt may be 141 eliminated, if desired. It is preferred that there be a back 15¦ rake in the amount indicated.
16 ¦ To facilitate understanding of the manner in which the 17 ¦ PCD is mounted, reference is made to Figure 10 which 18 ¦ illustrates diagrammatically a portion 60 of the mold used 19 ~ to form the bit. For purposes of explanation, reference will 20 ¦ be made to a one carat PCD of the dimensions previously 21¦ described. The mold includes a cavity 62 having a sloped 22 wall 63 which corresponds to the sloped wall 22 of the back 23 support. The angle of the wall 63, as indicated at 64 is 31 24 degrees, although angles between 15 and fourt degrees may be used. This angle is measured between wall 63 and surface 65, 26 the latter corresponding in position to the surface height 27 of surface 16. Wall 68 is angled in an amount of 15 degrees, ~ 85~

l as indicated at 69, for example, and represents the back 2 rake angle of the front face 1Oa of the cutter~ Angles 64 3 and 69 may be other than that as shown for purposes of 4 illustration. The mold also includes a lower flat surface 70 which forms the top surface pad 25. From Figure 10, it can 6i be seen that a substantial portion of the PCD is above the 71 surface 16, the portion above that surface being represented 81 by the portion of the PCD 10 which is below the surface 65 9¦ of the mold. In the form shown, the dimension at 71 is about lO¦ 3.81mm and thus the exposure of the front face is slightly ll¦ greater than that dimension. In processing, the mold is 2¦ filled with matri~ powde~ such that the cavity 62 is filled l3¦ as well as that portlon above surface 65, and processed, 14¦ with the result that the finished product is as illustrated 15~ in Figures 1 and 2.
16 The mold portion 75 illustrated in Figure 11 is used to 17 ; produce the mounting of the PCD as illustrated in Figures 8 18 I and 9. Again, the mold includes a cavity 76 having bottom l9¦ wall portions 77 and 78. Wall portion 77 forms the top surface pad 25a and is angled at 15 degrees as indicated at 21 81 while wall portion 78 forms the rear surface 22 and is 22 angled at 30 degrees, as indicated at 82. The dimension of 23 the wall portion 77 is about 4.42mm, assuming a half-24 cylinder whose radius is 3mm. The axial length of the half-cylinder is 6mm thereby providing a front face exposure of 26 slightly greater than 3.125mm. Surface 85 of the mold is 27 inclined at about 15 degrees to provide a back rake, the ~S6~35~

l front flat face of the half-cylinder being positioned in 2 facing relation with surface 85. After processinq, the 3 resulting mounting is as shown in Figures 8 and 9.
4 Figure 12 illustrates in somewhat cliagrammatic form the position of the cutting elements and the relative tilt and 6 general orientation of the cutters with respect to the 7 center axis of the bit. Thus a plurality of cutters are 8 shown located in the cone generally designated 90, the nose ,~ generally designated 92, the flank generally designated 95 and the shoulder generally designated 97. The gage 99 is ll vertically above the shoulder 97. As will be seen from this 12 illustratio~, the cutters are arranged such that t:heir 13 longitudinal axes are in general allgnment with the axis of 14 rotation 100 of the bit. Some of the cutters are provided with a tilt, for example cutters 102a near the shoulder 97 16 and cutters 102b from the flank 95 and along the flank all 17 have a tilt of about 5 degrees. The cutters 102c in the area 18 between the flank and the nose have a tilt of about 3 l9 degrees, while those 102d in the nose have no tilt. In the transition from the nose to the cone, the cutters 102e have 21 a tilt of negative 3 degrees while those 102f in the cone 22 have a tilt of 5 negative degrees. The different tilts of 23 from 5 degrees to a negative 5 degrees of the cutters 24 located in different portions of the bit are used to provide a smooth transition across the bit face and to reduce high 26 side loads.

~S6~5~;

l It is also apparent from thls Figure that side exposure 2 of the cutters is at least that of the cutters 102d, with 3 side exposure of one side of the cutters increasing as will 4 be described.
5 I As will be described further belowl the cutters are set 61 in a redundant pattern so that at least two or more cutters 7~l traverse the formation. In the view in Figure 12, the second 8 set of cutters 103a, 103b, 103c, 103d, 103e and 103f have a 91 tilt as described for the series 102 cutters. It is to be noted, however, that the side exposure of some of the ll cutters varies, depending upon the location of the cutter.
12 Thus, in each case the cutters 102a, 102b and 102c each 13 include one si~le face 105 whose exposure, measurecl axlally 14 from the matrix surface 106, is less than that of the 15 opposite side face 107, i.e., the radially outward face has 16 I a greater exposure than the face of the corresponding cutter 17 adjacent to the matrix body 106. The same is true of the 18 corresponding 103 series cutters. The side faces of cutters l9 102d and those of the 103d cutters have essentially the same 20 side face exposure on each cutter. In the case of the 21 cutters 102e and 102f and the corresponding 103 cutters, the 22 situation is the reverse, in that the radially inward face 23 114 has a greater exposure than the radially outward face.
24 As can be seen from Figure 12, the general appearance 25 of the bit is that oE a stepped bit, which is of importance 26 with respect to the nature of the cutting action. For the 27 cutters along the shoulder and flank, the radially outward ~l~5~5~i 1 region 120 is the primary cutting region. For those cutters 2 in the cone and the transition from the nose to the cone, 3 the primary cutting region is the radially inward region 4~ 122. The principal cutting action, according to theory, is 5 ~ that of a kerfing-like cuttlng action, as may be understood 6 I with respect to the following illustration. The portion of 7 I the formation between the side face 107 of cutter 102b and vertically above the cutting region 120 and that portion of 9 ~ the formation along the top exposed surface of the cutter 10 ¦ 103a is effectively unsupported. Thus as the pairs of 11 ¦ cutters pass, the formation between two cutting regions is 12 ¦ relaxcd. As the trailing cutters contact the relaxed 13 ¦ ~ormation, it is easier for the trailing cutters to cut the 14 ¦ relaxed formation. This type of cutting action tends to 15 1 cause the unsupported portion of the formation to crumble or 16 ~ weaken such that during the pass of subsequent cutters, the 17 formation is more easily cut. This cutting theory is in 18 ¦ accord with actual field experience which has demonstrated 19 ¦ that the more irregular and sharper the cutting profile, the faster the cutting action. Moreover, assuming uniform wear 21 on the cutters, they should be operative until the cutters 22 are worn to the line "A" of Figure 12..
23 In the form illustrated in Figure 12, the flank angle, 24 as measured between lines F and F1 is between 35 and S0 degrees, while the cone angle is between 110 and 130 26 degrees, as indicated at C which shows half of the cone 27 a~gle.

! Page 36 s~

1¦ As seen in Figure 12, the flank angle and tilt and 21 relative position on the cutter face have an effect on the 3¦ amount of change in the side exposure of the PCD cutters 41 from the nose to the general area of the gage.
5 ¦1 As seen in Figure 13, (wherein the same reference 6 1¦ numerals have been used where applicable) and with respect 7 to the cutters in the flank area and the region from the 8 nose to the flank, a greater amount of the side face 1Ob is 9 exposed than is the case with the side face 1Od and a minor portion of the front face 1Oa is below the matrix body, As 11 one proceeds towards the gage, essentially the entire side 12 ~ace may be exposed, ~ee cutter 106 o~ Fi~ure ~2, :Eor 13 example. In the case o~ the cutters located at the nose, -the 14 side exposure is essentially the same on each side and is in the amount previously specified. Accordingly, there is at ~¦ least one side of each cutter that has the same side face ~7 ¦¦ exposure while the remaining side faces of the remaining 18~ cutters have either the same exposure or a greater exposure, 19 ¦ as is seen in Figure 12.
20 1 Figure 13 also illustrates the fact that the prepad 40c 21 ~ and the back support surface 22 may include portions 40d and 22 1 22a whicha are at the same level as the body pad 30 while 23 portions 40e and 22b are positioned above the body pad 24 portion 30a. In the view of Figure 13, the width of the tooth is essentially equal to the width of the pad. The form 26 illustrated in Figure 13a is similar to that of Figure 13, 27 except that the width of the pad 30 is wider than the width l Page 37 ~5~85~

l of the tooth, the latter including a cureved rear surface 2 22d.
3 In Figure 1~, it can be seen that the drill bit 150 4 includes the usual shank 151 with an appropriate connection for mounting on the drill string or downhole motor or 6 1¦ turbine. The body 153 is of matrix body material as 7 ~ described, and includes the usual gage section 156 in which 8 natural or synthetic diamonds may be used as the gage 9 stones. The bit may include a plurality of junk slots, one 159 being shown. The curved face of the bit includes a ll plurality of spaced radially disposed channels 162, which 12 approximate the curved contour of the bit Eace. The spaced 13 channels form a plurality of spa~ed pad elements 165 between 14 and separated by the adjacent channels, the cutting elements 170 being mounted on the pad elements 165 as already 16 described. For ease of illustration, not all of the cutting 17 1¦ elements are shown, it being understood that each pad 18 ¦ includes cutting elements whose density of distribution may l9 vary, as needed. The cone region 172 of the bit is provided with one or more openings 175 for flow of fluid to the 21 channels 162 for cleaning the cuttings and for cooling the 22 cutters, as described..
23 From Figure 1~, it is apparent that the flow of fluid 24 is radial, i.e., from the cone, radially outwardly along the waterways and radially along the bit face. It is also noted 26 ¦ that the cutting face 180 of the cutters is preferably 27 closer to the channel forward of the cutter with respect to ~L~5~5~

l the direction of bit rotation rather than being centered in 2 the channel, in order to remove the cuttings and to effect 3 more efficient cutting. While the general flow pattern is 4 radial, there is also some minor flow oE fluid between 5l adjacent cutters in the space between adjacent cutters. In 61 this form, all of the channels 162 except 185 comm`unicate 7 1l directly with the opening 175 through which fluid flows.

8 From the views illustrated in Figures 12-14, it is 9 easier to understand the nature of the cutting action and the orientation of each of the cutters. Thus, it can be seen ll from Figure 19 that the exposure of at least one of the side 12 surfaces of th~ cutkin~ element is not the same in -the 13 shoulder and flank regions as it is in the cone area. It is 14 also apparent that not all of the PCD cutter is below the surface of the pad, although the amount of cutter received 16 within the pad may vary depending upon the curvature of the 17 bit face. As a general rule, a portion of the PCD cutter 18 opposite the face 190 is received in the pad matrix while l9 side 190 is completely out of the body pad matrix and is 20 I supported by the cutter pad which is between the body pad 21 ¦ and the PCD cutter. This can also be seen in Figure 12 in 22 ¦ which the dotted line 193 represents the PCD cutter. In 23 ¦ general, and other than those cutters in the nose, it is the 24 radially outward surface or side portion which is fully 251 exposed and out of the body pad, except in the case of the 26 ¦ cutters in the cone section in which the radially inward 27 l 2~1 ¦ Page 39 l side tends ~o be out of the matrix due to the reverse in the 2 bit face curvature.
3 One aspect of the present invention is the improvement 4 in the hydraulic flow of fluid across the bit face, which as 5 I noted, is preferably radial. Due to the nature of the 6l~ geometry in radial flow, it is necessary for the fluid 7 ! emanating from the opening 175 to change direction somewhat 8 I in order to achieve a pure radial flow pattern. Since the 9 ¦ flow rates used in drill bits is quite high, in terms of l0 ~ surface feet per minute, there are problems in directing ll ¦ radial flow in orc1er to change the direction of this high 12 velocity flow if that is necessary in order to achieve 13 optimum ~low conditlo~s or cleaning and cooling. rrhus, for 14 example, there have been instances in which the majority of the flow out of the opening 175 tends to be concentrated in 16 an arc with regions of reduced flow on each side of the arc.
17 It is believed that this condltion exists due to the l~ ¦ difficulty of effecting a fanning out of the flow, having in l9 ¦ mind that the channel tends to get wider and deeper from the 20 I center of the bit radially outwardly and along the curved 21 ¦ surface towards the gage.
22 ¦ In accordance with this invention, as seen in Figures 23~ 15-19, an improved system of waterways 200 is provided in 2~ which a portion of the waterway includes a partially raised rib 202 in at least a portion of the waterway. As seen in 26 Figures 16-19, the waterway 200 is generally narrowest at 27 205 which is the region closest to the cone area 215 IFigure 2~

~ ~5~i~5~

l 15) of the bit. In that region, the rib 202a is of its 2 smallest transverse and vertical dimension with respect to 3 the waterway 200a. As one proceeds along the length of the 4 I waterway it widens and becomes deeper, as indicated at 200b, 5l while the rib becomes progressively wider and of greater 6 ¦I vertical height as compared to portion 202a of the rib.
7!1 Still further along the waterway, the latter is wider and 8 deeper still as indicated at 200c and the rib is likewise 9 wider and deeper as indicated at 202c~ In effect the lO vertical dimension of the rib increases from a minimum ll adjacent the center region of the bit to a maximum at a 12 region spaced from the center of the bit.
13 ~s seen in Figure 15, the rib 202 is located in the 14 channel such that it is closer to the rear 209 oE the cutter 15 to its left, as seen in Figure 15, than it is to the face 16 210 of the cutter to its right, again as seen in this 17 drawing. In effect the rib forms a contoured damn forcing 18 the flow against the front face of the cutter which is l9 positioned on surface 215 and away from the rear face of the 20 cutter which is located on surface 216, as seen in Figure 21 17. Due to the geometry of bits in general and the nature 22 of radial flow configurations of waterways, the quantum of 23 flow tends to decrease from the center of the bit radially 24 outwardly. The result may be that there are cutting faces 25 which are not adequ~tely eooled or wherein cuttings are not 26 effectively removed. Thus the waterways, in accordance with 27 one aspect of this invention, are configured to direct the ~5~i85~

l flow of fluid into the relatively deep portion 220 of the 2 channel by using a smooth configured rib 202 which has a 3 high region 225 spaced from the front face of the trailing 4 cutter. Radial flow is now achieved in a form in which the 51 major flow is adjacent to the cutting face in those 61 instances in which it is difficult to channel the flow 7 towards the cutter faces due to bit or cutter or channel 8 ¦ geometry. The use of channels with the ribs, as discussed is 9 I a highly effective and relatively simple structure to 10 ¦ achieve the desired radial flow in this particular ll ¦ configuration of bit as well as bits of other configurations 12 ¦ in which good xadial flow is desired as opposed to ;Eeeder-13 ¦ collector flow systems.
14 ¦ Another aspect of the improved hydraulics of this 15¦ invention is the fact that each channel 202 communicates 16¦ directly with a fluid opening in the bit body. To accomplish 17¦ this, a double crowfoot 215 is used in which there are a 18¦ plurality of inner openings 215a, 215b, 215c and 215d, each lg¦ f which communicates with one of the channels. Radially 20¦ outwardly of the inner openings are a second plurality of ~1¦ openings 215e, 215f, 215g and 215h. Each of the openings 22~ 215e-h are arranged t:o communicate with more than one 231 channel as can be seen with reference to 215e which 241 communicates with adjacent channels 220a, 220b and 220c, 25 i.e., the openings 215e-h are single openings each of which 26 communicates with more than one fluid channel. In this way, ~ s~

l each of the channels has its own source of fluid and the 2 desired radial flow in achieved.
3 I The form of bit 300 illustrated in Figure 20 is a 4~ variant of that shown in Figure 15, but incorporates the ~! feature of a separate fluid opening for each channel. In 6~ this particular form, the total flow area has been reduced 71I while the hydraulic horsepower per square inch has been 8 I increased and a larger pressure drop across the bit face has 9 ¦ been achieved, with the effect that there has been an increase in fluid velocity. This particular form of ll hydraulics is of advantage in softer formations in which 12 higher velocities tend to improve the cleaning. A secondary 13 advantage is that is possible in to increase somewhat the 14 number of cutters in the cone area.
In the form illustrated in Figure 20, there are a 16 plurality of channels 302 with lands or blades 305 on which 17 cutters 310 are mounted, as already described. Some of the 18 ¦ cutters are natural diamonds, as at 311 and 312. The fluid l9 ¦ openings are in the form of a cruciform center opening 325 having a plurality of legs 326, the latter branching into 21 ~ two further legs 327 and 328. Each of the legs 327 and 328 22 ¦ feed directly to a channel as shown. Between spaced legs 326 23 there are curved openings 330, one being shown but four 24 being used. Each of the curved openings includes spaced legs 330a and 330b, each of which feeds an associated channel.
26 I Located between legs 330a and 330b are two blades with a 27 ~ channel therebetween, the channel being fed by opening 340.

~;~5~85~

1 From Figure 20, it can be seen that there are six 2 blades between two adjacent legs of the cruciform opening, 3 I the latter including two further legs such that there are 4 ~ four blades between the facing further legs. Curved opening 5 ¦ 330 has two blades between the legs, the two blades in turn 6 1 having a channel which is fed by opening 340. In this way, 71~ the improved hydraulics is achieved and which has special 8 advantages if the bit is used in the softer formations.
9 The bit of this invention has demonstrated good performance in mixed formations such as shale with hard 11 stringers and sandstone or limestone with shale sections.
12 The large area of the Eront cutting face, to some extent, 13 acts as a chisel ln cuttin~. In ~eneral, it is preferred to 14 use triangular PCD elements of one carat size for resistance to balling in shale type formations, although any 16 predetermined geometrical shape may be used. While reference 17 has been made to drill bits, it is understood that within 18 that term is included core bits and the like.
19 In crab orchard sandstone with a point loading of 50 lbs per cutter and at 150 RPM, the ROP was bet-ter than some 21 of the prior art bits and about 24 feet per hour. As point 22 loading per cutter was increased to 75 lbs, the ROP
23 increased in the same formation and at the same RPM to 38 24 feet per hourO
It ~ill a~so be apparent that even though the 26 invention has been described principally with reference to 1l drill bits, the presen-t invention may also be used in core 2 bits and the like.
3 It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that 4 many modifications and alterati.ons may be made in accordance 5 ~ with the above disclosure which is for purposes of 6 1¦ illustration and is not to be viewed as a limitation on the I present invention. The illustrated embodiments described in 8 detail are for the purposes of example and should be 9 considered as exemplary of the invention whose scope is defined in the followin~ claims.
11 We cla.im:

! Page 45

Claims

- 46 -

1. A bit for use in earth boring and rotatable along an axis comprising:
a body member having a metal matrix curved surface which includes portions which include a flank, a shoulder and a nose which form a cutting surface, and including a gage, said cutting surface including a plurality of channels forming pad means of matrix material between adjacent channels, each said pad including a plurality of spaced synthetic polycrystalline diamond cutting elements mounted directly in the matrix during matrix formation, each of said cutting elements being of a predetermined geometrical shape and being temperature stable to at least about 1,200 degrees C., each of said cutting elements including a front face having a predetermined surface area and portions adjacent to said front face, at least some of the said cutting elements including a minor portion received within the matrix material of said pad and being so positioned that said one front face extends above the surface of said pad to form an exposed cutting face of said cutting element while at least two adjacent side portions are disposed such that one is adjacent to said pad and the other is spaced from said pad, said two adjacent side portions also having an exposed surface area, said exposed cutting face of at least those cutting elements, located in the flank and shoulder of said body, having an exposed surface area of said front face which is greater than one half of said predetermined surface area of said one front face, each of the said cutting elements including a surface portion generally to the rear of said cutting face, matrix material contacting at least a portion of the said surface portion to the rear of said cutting face to form a matrix backing to support said cutting element, said exposed surface area of the side portion of the cutting elements, which are located in said shoulder and flank and which is spaced from said pad, being greater than the surface area of the portion of said corresponding cutting element which is adjacent to said pad, and the exposed portion of each of said cutting elements extending more than 0.5 mm above the surface of said pad, all of said exposed surfaces of said element being thermally cooled by hydraulics, each of said plurality of cutting elements being spaced apart from adjacent ones of said cutting elements to allow free hydraulic access to all of said exposed surfaces, said plurality of cutting elements being arranged and configured in at least two radially distributed sequences, namely a first plurality of said cutting elements disposed in a first series of radially spaced-apart positions, and a second plurality of said cutting elements disposed in a second series of radially spaced-apart positions, said first and second series of cutting elements being radially offset one from the other so that at least one cutting element of said second series radially overlaps and is disposed azimuthally behind and radially between two corresponding cutting elements of said first series of cutting elements.

2. A bit as set forth in claim 1 further including passage means for flow of fluid to said channels, said channels being arranged in a radial pattern, and each of said channels including radial rib means therein for azimuthally directing flow of fluid to the face of said cutting elements adjacent to said channel.

3. A bit as set forth in claim 1 wherein the matrix material contacting the surface portion to the rear of said cutting face includes a flat pad.

4. A bit as set forth in claim 3 further including a trailing and sloping support to the rear of said flat pad.

5. A bit as set forth in claim 1 wherein said polycrystalline diamond cutting element is of a triangular geometric shape.

6. A bit as set forth in claim 1 wherein said polycrystalline diamond cutting element is a half cylinder.

7. A bit for use in earth boring and rotatable along an axis comprising:
a body member having an outer curved metal matrix surface, a plurality of spaced synthetic polycrystalline diamond prismatic cutting elements having at least one major surface and one minor surface, said major surface having a substantially greater area than said minor surface, said elements mounted directly in the matrix during matrix formation.
each of said cutting elements being of a predetermined geometrical shape and being temperature stable to at least about 1,200 degrees C., each of said cutting elements including an exposed front face which includes said minor surface having a predetermined surface area and a longitudinal axis and portions adjacent to said front face, at least some of the said cutting elements including a small portion received within the matrix material and being so positioned that said front face extends above the matrix surface to form a cutting face of said cutting element while at least two adjacent side portions, which includes said major surface, are disposed such that one is adjacent to said matrix and the other is spaced from said matrix, said two adjacent side portions being exposed, the total exposed cutting surface of at least some of the cutting elements having an exposed surface area which is greater than at least one half of the total surface area of the diamond prismatic cutting element, each of the said cutting elements including a surface portion generally to the rear of said cutting face, matrix material contacting at least a portion of the said surface portion to the rear of said cutting face to form a matrix backing to support said cutting element, at least some of said cutting elements being arranged in an orientation in which the longitudinal axis of said cutting face is generally parallel to the axis of rotation of said bit, the exposed surface area of the side portion of at least some of the cutting elements spaced from said matrix being greater than the exposed surface area of the portion of said corresponding cutting element which is adjacent to said matrix, each of said plurality of cutting elements being spaced apart from adjacent ones of said cutting elements to allow free hydraulic access to all of said exposed surfaces, said plurality of cutting elements being arranged and configured in at least two radially distributed sequences, namely a first plurality of said cutting elements disposed in a first series of radially spaced apart positions, and a second plurality of said cutting elements disposed in a second series of radially spaced-apart positions, said first and second series of cutting elements being radially offset one from the other so that at least one cutting element of said second series radially overlaps and is disposed azimuthally behind and radially between two corresponding cutting elements of said first series of cutting elements;
the exposed portion of each of said cutting elements extending more than 0.5 mm above the surface of the matrix adjacent to said cutting elements, and means to effect flow of fluid over said matrix surface to cool and contact all exposed surfaces of said cutting elements and to remove the cuttings formed thereby.

8. A bit used for use in earth boring and rotatable along an axis comprising:
a body member having an outer curved metal matrix surface, a plurality of spaced synthetic polycrystalline diamond prismatic cutting elements mounted directly in the matrix in a stepped arrangement, each prismatic element characterized by a prismatic axis, said element having a major surface and a minor surface, said major surface being greater in area than said minor area and being substantially perpendicular to said prismatic axis, each of said cutting elements being temperature stable to at least about 1,200 degrees C., each of said cutting elements including an exposed front face including said minor surface having a predetermined surface area and portions adjacent to said front face, at least some of the said cutting elements including a small portion received within the matrix material and being so positioned that said front face extends above the matrix surface to form a cutting face of said cutting element while at least two adjacent side portions including said major surface are disposed such that one is adjacent to said matrix and the other is spaced from said matrix, said prismatic axis of said diamond cutting element being generally radial, said two adjacent side portions being exposed, each of the said cutting elements including a surface portion generally to the rear of said cutting face, matrix material contacting at least a portion of the said surface portion to the rear of said cutting face to form a matrix backing to support said cutting element, the exposed surface area of said side portion of at least some of the cutting elements spaced from said matrix being greater than the exposed surface area of the portion of said corresponding cutting element which is adjacent to said matrix, the exposed portion of each of said cutting elements extending more than 0.5 mm above the surface of the matrix adjacent to said cutting elements, and means to effect flow of fluid over said matrix surface to cool and contact all of said exposed surfaces of said cutting elements and to remove the cuttings formed thereby.

9. A rotatable bit as set forth in claim 8 wherein said matrix backing support means includes a pad means on the upper surface thereof which contacts the cutter element along the top portion thereof and to the rear thereof, wherein said pad extends across the full width of said cutting element.

10. A rotatable bit as set: forth in claim 8 wherein said matrix backing support means includes an upper surface at least a portion of which is inclined, wherein said upper surface includes a pad to the rear of the cutter and an inclined portion to the rear of said pad.

11. A rotatable bit as set forth in claim 8 wherein said means to effect flow includes a plurality of spaced channels oriented generally radially with respect to the axis of rotation of said bit, wherein each of said channels includes radial rib means for controlling the flow of fluid in said channels thereby azimuthally directing the flow of said fluid toward the cutting face of the adjacent cutters to maximize velocity of said flow.

12. A bit for use in earth boring with a gage and rotatable along an axis comprising:
a body member including an outer curved surface, a plurality of spaced cutting elements mounted in the said curved surface and extending thereabove for cutting the opposed formation, means located in said body for effecting flow of fluid from the interior of said body to the exterior thereof, said outer curved surface including a plurality of separated and radially extending channels to receive flow of fluid from said means in said body, each of said channels including radial rib means therein for azimuthally directing the flow of fluid in said channel from the trailing side of the preceding cutter elements to the cutting side of the cutting elements, and said rib means being a radial rib disposed in each of said channels, the thickness of said rib and depth of said channel varying from a minimum to a maximum as said gage of said bit is approached from the center of said bit.

13. An improvement in a rotating bit for use in earth boring, said bit including a body member having a matrix metal curved surface and a plurality of cutting teeth disposed on said surface, said plurality of teeth being provided with hydraulic fluid, each cutting tooth including at least one synthetic polycrystalline diamond prismatic element, said element being temperature stable to at least about 1200 degrees C., said prismatic element having at least one major surface and at least one minor surface, said major surface having an area greater than the area of said minor surface, said improvement comprising:
a tooth structure comprising said cutting tooth, said prismatic diamond element having said minor surface disposed within said tooth structure as a leading exposed cutting surface as defined by rotation of said bit, said minor surface including one edge embedded into said tooth structure, at least a portion of said tooth structure overlying said minor surface, adjacent surfaces to said minor surface including, said major surface, said adjacent surfaces being substantially exposed and substantially freely accessible to thermal contact with said hydraulic fluid, a rear minor surface opposing said minor surface forming said leading cutting face being in contact with and backed by said tooth structure, and less than 40 percent of the total surface area of said synthetic polycrystalline diamond element being in contact with said tooth structure, the remaining portion of said diamond element being exposed.

14. The improvement of claim 13 wherein said prismatic diamond element is a triangular prismatic diamond element and said major surfaces being said triangular faces of said triangular prismatic element, said triangular prismatic element being disposed within said tooth structure with said triangular faces radial-most and exposed.

15. The improvement of claim 14 wherein said triangular prismatic element includes two opposing triangular faces and three side faces therebetween, said tooth structure completely contacting only two of said side faces.

16. The improvement of claim 15 wherein one of said side faces comprises said leading cutting face, only a lower edge portion of said side face being in contact with said tooth structure, said tooth structure overlying said portion of said side face comprising said leading cutting face.

17. The improvement of claim 13 further comprising a waterway disposed immediately in front of said tooth structure as defined by directional rotation of said bit, said waterway being substantially straight and radial and including a contoured channel, said contoured channel having a preferentially deeper trailing section longitudinally extending from the center of said bit radially outward to thereby azimuthally bias radial flow of fluid flowing within said channel backwardly toward said tooth structure.

18. The improvement of claim 17 wherein the depth of said channel and relative proportionate depth of said trailing portion of said channel increases as a function fo radial position.

19. The improvement of claim 13 wherein more than 70 percent of synthetic polycrystalline diamond element within said tooth structure is exposed.

20. The improvement of claim 13 wherein said body member includes a plurality of raised lands, each said cutting tooth being disposed on one of said raised lands in said tooth structure, said diamond element being disposed entirely above said one raised land.

21. The improvement of claim 20 wherein said plurality of cutting elements are arranged and configured in at least two radially distributed sequences, namely a first plurality of said cutting elements disposed in a first series of radially spaced-apart positions, and a second plurality of said cutting elements disposed in a second series of radially spaced-apart positions, said first and second series of cutting elements being radially offset one from the other so that at least one cutting element of said second series radially overlaps and is disposed azimuthally behind and radially between two corresponding cutting elements of said first series of cutting elements.

22. The improvement of claim 13 wherein said plurality of cutting elements are arranged and configured in at least two radially distributed sequences, namely a first plurality of said cutting elements disposed in a first series of radially spaced-apart positions, and a second plurality of said cutting elements disposed in a second series of radially spaced-apart positions, said first and second series of cutting elements being radially offset one from the other so that at least one cutting element of said second series radially overlaps and is disposed azimuthally behind and radially between two corresponding cutting elements of said first series of cutting elements.