Subsurface operations in many industries require the use of cutting tools to drill or mill (or similar) through earthen formations or in some cases through man-made additions to those formations such as concrete. Such cutting tools and their manufacture are generally machining intensive thereby making them relatively expensive to produce. Machining is required because upsets are usually desirable with respect to such cutting tools to allow cuttings to move out of the immediate location of abrasive or cutting action, usually under the influence of a cutting fluid. In order to create such upsets, a generally accepted and ubiquitously used method is to start with a larger blank material and machine away excess material. Such excess material becomes scrap and is therefore a material cost over and above the cost of machining the material in the first place.
In order to complete the manufacture of the cutting tools it is common practice to bond a high strength metal alloy material to the surface of a machined base material. This process requires a substantial amount of heat that regularly produces small cracks in the base material during the process. Cracks are problematic, as they often need to be addressed in a process that unfortunately also requires a substantial amount of heat. And further, while every effort is made to identify and address cracks in specific tools, some inevitably get through the screening process leading to breakage when put to use.
In view of the foregoing, the art will well receive improved technology with respect to cutting tools production and durability.
A cutting tool includes a mandrel; a matrix affixed to the mandrel; and cutting material disposed within the matrix.
A method of making a cutting tool includes disposing a mandrel in a form; disposing at least one watercourse insert between the form and the mandrel; placing a matrix material in the form and about the mandrel.
Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alike in the several Figures:
Referring to
In one embodiment the matrix comprises a polymeric composition having an embedded cutting material, which is one or more hard particulate materials such as Tungsten carbide, Cubic Boron Nitride, Diamond, Silicone carbide and combinations including at least one of the foregoing and other similar materials mixed therein before the matrix is cured. The mixture in one embodiment will be homogenous while in other embodiments; the cutting materials mixed into the matrix may be concentrated in certain areas to affect mechanical properties (strength, wear resistance, wear pattern, etc.) of the cutting tool. One embodiment utilizes a matrix material that is proprietary to and commercially available from Protech Centerform Inc, Houston, Tex.
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While preferred embodiments have been shown and described, modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustrations and not limitation.
This application claims the benefit of an earlier filing date from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/940,520, filed May 29, 2007, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
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60940520 | May 2007 | US |