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

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

A cutting table for a cutting element, including: a diamond phase; a tungsten carbide phase; a cobalt-tungsten metallic phase; and an intermetallic phase comprising Co.sub.3WC.sub.x, where 0≤x≤1. Also disclosed is a method of manufacturing a cutting element, the method including: sintering diamond and tungsten carbide particles in the presence of Co and W to about 1520° C. or greater under pressure of about 57 kbar or greater to form a hard metal-diamond composite compact and solubilize carbon and tungsten within the compact; cooling the cutting element at about 1° C./sec or greater; and subsequent to cooling the cutting element, heat-treating the cutting element to precipitate carbon and tungsten in the compact as an intermetallic phase.

Embodiments relate to polycrystalline diamond compacts (“PDCs”) including a polycrystalline diamond (“PCD”) table in which a metal-solvent catalyst is alloyed with at least one alloying element to improve thermal stability of the PCD table. In an embodiment, a PDC includes a substrate and a PCD table bonded to the substrate. The PCD table includes diamond grains defining interstitial regions. The PCD table includes an alloy comprising at least one Group VIII metal and at least one metallic alloying element that lowers a temperature at which melting of the at least one Group VIII metal begins. The alloy includes one or more solid solution phases comprising the at least one Group VIII metal and the at least one metallic alloying element and one or more intermediate compounds comprising the at least one Group VIII metal and the at least one metallic alloying element.

Embodiments relate to polycrystalline diamond compacts (“PDCs”) including a polycrystalline diamond (“PCD”) table in which a metal-solvent catalyst is alloyed with at least one alloying element to improve thermal stability of the PCD table. In an embodiment, a PDC includes a substrate and a PCD table bonded to the substrate. The PCD table includes diamond grains defining interstitial regions. The PCD table includes an alloy comprising at least one Group VIII metal and at least one metallic alloying element that lowers a temperature at which melting of the at least one Group VIII metal begins. The alloy includes one or more solid solution phases comprising the at least one Group VIII metal and the at least one metallic alloying element and one or more intermediate compounds comprising the at least one Group VIII metal and the at least one metallic alloying element.

Embodiments relate to polycrystalline diamond compacts (“PDCs”) including a polycrystalline diamond (“PCD”) table in which a metal-solvent catalyst is alloyed with at least one alloying element to improve thermal stability of the PCD table. In an embodiment, a PDC includes a substrate and a PCD table bonded to the substrate. The PCD table includes diamond grains defining interstitial regions. The PCD table includes an alloy comprising at least one Group VIII metal and at least one metallic alloying element that lowers a temperature at which melting of the at least one Group VIII metal begins. The alloy includes one or more solid solution phases comprising the at least one Group VIII metal and the at least one metallic alloying element and one or more intermediate compounds comprising the at least one Group VIII metal and the at least one metallic alloying element.

Polycrystalline cubic boron nitride, PCBN, material and methods of making PCBN. A method includes providing a matrix precursor powder comprising particles having an average particle size no greater than 250 nm, providing a cubic boron nitride, cBN, powder comprising particles of cBN having an average particle size of at least 0.2 intimately mixing the matrix precursor powder and the cBN powder, and sintering the intimately mixed powders at a temperature of at least 1100° C. and a pressure of at least 3.5 GPa to form the PCBN material comprising particles of cubic boron nitride, cBN dispersed in a matrix material.

Polycrystalline cubic boron nitride, PCBN, material and methods of making PCBN. A method includes providing a matrix precursor powder comprising particles having an average particle size no greater than 250 nm, providing a cubic boron nitride, cBN, powder comprising particles of cBN having an average particle size of at least 0.2 intimately mixing the matrix precursor powder and the cBN powder, and sintering the intimately mixed powders at a temperature of at least 1100° C. and a pressure of at least 3.5 GPa to form the PCBN material comprising particles of cubic boron nitride, cBN dispersed in a matrix material.

The invention concerns pre-alloyed powders useful for the manufacture of metal-bonded diamond tools. A process for the synthesis of such powders is presented, characterized in that at least a major part of the phosphor is introduced by adding an aqueous solution of a phosphorus salt to one or more of the metal-bearing compounds. The powder can have a low cobalt content, or even be cobalt-free, yet remain suitable for the production of diamond-loaded segments having harness and bending characteristics approaching or exceeding that of cobalt.

A sensor element for a cutting tool (100) has a hard portion (110) having a sensing surface (112), first and second electrodes (120, 130), first and second sets of thermocouple wires (122, 132) and an electrically insulating portion. The first and second electrodes (120, 130) are arranged to allow electric current to flow when the sensing surface (112) contacts external material in response to the cutting tool engaging the external material. A first thermocouple junction (124) is operable to indicate a temperature of the first electrode and a second thermocouple junction (134) is operable to measure temperature of the second electrode.