Polycrystalline diamond constructions & methods of making same

Abstract

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

1 . A polycrystalline diamond construction comprising:
 a body of polycrystalline diamond (PCD) material; and   a cemented carbide substrate bonded to the body of polycrystalline material along an interface; wherein   the cemented carbide substrate comprises tungsten carbide particles bonded together by a binder material, the binder material comprising an alloy, the alloy comprising any one or more of Co, Ni and Cr; and   the tungsten carbide particles form at least around 70 weight percent and at most around 95 weight percent of the substrate;   wherein the cemented carbide substrate has a bulk volume, the bulk volume of the cemented carbide substrate comprising at least around 0.1 vol. % to around 3 vol % of inclusions of any one or more of free carbon, SP 2 -hybridised carbon or SP 3 -hybridised carbon, the inclusions having a largest average size in any one or more dimensions of less than around 40 microns.   
     
     
         2 . The polycrystalline diamond construction according to  claim 1 , the inclusions in the bulk volume of the cemented carbide substrate having an average size of less than around 30 microns. 
     
     
         3 . The polycrystalline diamond construction according to  claim 1 , the inclusions in the bulk volume of the cemented carbide substrate having an average size of less than around 10 microns. 
     
     
         4 . The polycrystalline diamond construction according to  claim 1 , wherein the inclusions form at least around 0.3 vol % to around 3 vol % of the bulk volume of the cemented carbide substrate. 
     
     
         5 . The polycrystalline diamond construction according to  claim 1 , wherein the inclusions form at least around 0.1 vol % to around 2.5 vol % of the bulk volume of the cemented carbide substrate. 
     
     
         6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . The polycrystalline diamond construction according to  claim 1 , wherein the inclusions any one or more of diamond or graphite. 
     
     
         8 . The polycrystalline diamond construction according to  claim 1 , wherein the alloy comprises between about 10 to about 80 wt. % Ni, between about 0.5 to 10 wt. % Cr, and the remainder wt % comprising Co. 
     
     
         9 . The polycrystalline diamond construction according to  claim 1 , wherein the alloy in the binder material of the substrate further comprises up to around 50 wt. % Fe. 
     
     
         10 . The polycrystalline diamond construction according to  claim 1 , wherein the alloy in the binder material further comprises between about 0.1 to about 4 wt. % tungsten and between about 0.05 to about 5 wt. % carbon in solid solution form. 
     
     
         11 . The polycrystalline diamond construction according to  claim 1 , wherein the alloy in the binder material further comprises at least about 0.1 weight percent to at most about 5 weight percent of any one or more of V, Ta, Ti, Mo, Zr, Nb, Hf in the form of a solid solution or a carbide phase. 
     
     
         12 . The polycrystalline diamond construction according to  claim 1 , wherein the alloy in the binder material further comprises at least about 0.1 weight percent and at most about 2 weight percent of any one or more of Re, Ru, Rh, Pd, Re, Os, Ir and Pt in solid solution. 
     
     
         13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . The polycrystalline diamond construction according to  claim 1 , further comprising a second cemented carbide substrate bonded to the cemented carbide substrate along a second interface opposite said interface with the body of PCD material, the second substrate comprising substantially no inclusions of any one or more of free carbon, SP 2 -hybridised carbon or SP 3 -hybridised carbon. 
     
     
         15 . The polycrystalline diamond construction according to  claim 1 , wherein an interfacial region between the cemented carbide substrate and the body of PCD material comprises substantially no platelet-like WC grains. 
     
     
         16 . A method of making the polycrystalline diamond construction of  claim 1 , the method comprising:
 milling a tungsten carbide powder with a binder material and a mass of carbon to form a milled powder, the binder material comprising any one or more of Co, Ni, and Cr, and/or a chromium carbide; and the mass of carbon comprising any one or more of graphite or amorphous carbon in an amount corresponding to the equivalent carbon content (ETC) with respect to the milled powder of equal to or more than around 6.2 wt. %;   compacting the milled powder to form a green body;   sintering the green body in a vacuum or inert gas atmosphere to form a first pre-composite body;   sintering the first pre-composite body to form a cemented carbide substrate;   placing the cemented carbide substrate into a cannister and adding a mass of diamond grains or particles to form a second pre-sinter assembly; and   treating the second pre-sinter assembly in the presence of a catalyst/solvent material for diamond at an ultra-high pressure of around 6 GPa or greater and a temperature at which the diamond material is more thermodynamically stable than graphite to sinter together the diamond grains to form the polycrystalline diamond compact element.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the step of sintering the green body to form the pre-composite body comprises heating the green body up to a temperature of at least around 300° C. in a vacuum followed by annealing for at least around 5 minutes. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising prior to the step of placing the cemented carbide substrate into the canister, forming the cemented carbide substrate by:
 forming a cemented carbide disc of at least around 2 mm in thickness, the disc comprising binder material comprising between around 10 to around 80 wt. % Ni, between about 0.5 to about 10 wt. % Cr and the remainder weight percent comprising Co, and between at least about 0.1 vol. % and 3 vol % carbon inclusions in the form of graphite;   forming a cemented carbide post having a binder material comprising about 10 to about 90 wt. % Ni, about 0.2 to about 15 wt. % Cr and the remainder weight percent Co; and   bonding the disc and the post together by sintering either at ambient conditions or at ultra-high pressure to form the cemented carbide substrate for placing into the canister with the mass of diamond grains or particles.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising pressing the milled powder onto or around a cemented carbide post having a binder material comprising about 10 to about 90 wt. % Ni, about 0.2 to about 15 wt. % Cr and the remainder weight percent Co to form the green body; and wherein
 the step of sintering the green body comprises sintering the posts with a layer of the milled powder at a temperature in the range of between about 1350° C. to about 1400° C. for between about 10 to about 60 minutes in a vacuum or protective gas.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the step of bonding the disc and the post comprises brazing the disc to the post to bond the disc and the post together. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20  wherein the step of brazing comprises placing a barrier interlayer between the post and the disc, the barrier layer having a thickness of at least around 10 μm and comprising any one or more of a metal, a metal carbide, nitride or carbonitride. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 16  further comprising after the step of sintering the first pre-composite body to form the cemented carbide substrate selectively de-carburizing a portion of the cemented carbide substrate in a hydrogen atmosphere or an atmosphere of CO 2  at a temperature of at least around 700° C. for at least around 1 hour, the portion having a thickness of at least around 50% of the total height of the cemented carbide substrate. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 16  further comprising after the step of sintering the first pre-composite body to form the cemented carbide substrate carburizing the cemented carbide substrate in an atmosphere comprising any one or more of a hydrocarbon gas, an inert gas or hydrogen at a temperature of at least around 1350° C. for between around 1 hour to around 10 hours. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 16  further comprising carburizing the green body in an atmosphere comprising any one or more of a hydrocarbon gas, hydrogen or an inert gas at a temperature of at least around 1350° C. for between around 1 hour to around 10 hours. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the step of carburizing comprises treating the cemented carbide substrate or green body with a powder mixture comprising any one or more of carbon black, graphite or a carbon-containing precursor in an atmosphere comprising any one or more of an inert gas, hydrogen or a gaseous mixture comprising hydrocarbons at a temperature of above around 1000° C. for at least around 1 hour. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the step of treating the second pre-sinter assembly comprises:
 subjecting the assembly to a sufficiently high temperature for the catalyst/solvent to be in a liquid state and to a first pressure at which diamond is thermodynamically stable;   reducing the first pressure to a second pressure at which the diamond is thermodynamically stable, the temperature being maintained sufficiently high to maintain the catalyst/binder in the liquid state;   reducing the temperature to solidify the catalyst/binder; and   reducing the pressure and the temperature to an ambient condition to form a body of polycrystalline diamond material bonded to the cemented carbide substrate.   
     
     
         27 - 31 . (canceled)