Methods of preventing or reducing cutter loss in a steel body PDC drilling tool may include applying a hardfacing layer on a surface of a PDC cutter pocket to form a covered PDC cutter pocket, the hardfacing layer comprising a metal binder and coated tungsten carbide particles; and bonding a PDC cutter into the covered PDC cutter pocket with a brazing material. Steel body PDC drilling tools may include a steel body, a PDC cutter, a PDC cutter pocket, and a hardfacing layer. Methods of preventing or reducing cutter loss in a steel body PDC drilling tool may include applying a hardfacing layer on a surface of a PDC cutter pocket of the steel body PDC drilling tool; applying a coated buffering layer on the hardfacing layer to form a coated PDC cutter pocket; and bonding the PDC cutter into the coated PDC cutter pocket with a brazing material.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure includes a method of forming a body of an earth-boring downhole tool. A mold is formed that has at least one interior surface defining a mold cavity within the mold. The mold cavity has a shape corresponding to a shape of the body of the earth-boring downhole tool to be formed therein. At least one insert is formed that includes particles of hard-phase material and a binder material using an additive manufacturing process. The at least one insert is positioned within the mold cavity. Additional particles of hard-phase material are provided within the mold cavity, and the additional particles of hard-phase material are infiltrated with molten metal, thus sintering and/or infiltrating the at least one insert to form the body of the earth-boring downhole tool. The resulting body of the earth-boring downhole tool includes the sintered and/or infiltrated at least one insert.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure includes a method of forming a body of an earth-boring downhole tool. A mold is formed that has at least one interior surface defining a mold cavity within the mold. The mold cavity has a shape corresponding to a shape of the body of the earth-boring downhole tool to be formed therein. At least one insert is formed that includes particles of hard-phase material and a binder material using an additive manufacturing process. The at least one insert is positioned within the mold cavity. Additional particles of hard-phase material are provided within the mold cavity, and the additional particles of hard-phase material are infiltrated with molten metal, thus sintering and/or infiltrating the at least one insert to form the body of the earth-boring downhole tool. The resulting body of the earth-boring downhole tool includes the sintered and/or infiltrated at least one insert.

A bit for drilling a wellbore includes: a body; and a cutting face. The cutting face includes: an inner section and an outer section; a plurality of blades protruding from the body, and a row of superhard cutters mounted along each blade, the cutters in the inner section having a negative profile angle and the cutters in the outer section having a positive profile angle. At least one of: at least one inner cutter is oriented at a negative side rake angle to create a weight on bit (WOB) reducing effect, and at least one outer cutter is oriented at a positive side rake angle to create the WOB reducing effect. Each of the rest of the cutters are oriented at a side rake angle such that an overall effect of the side rake angles is the WOB reducing effect.

A bit for drilling a wellbore includes: a body; and a cutting face. The cutting face includes: an inner section and an outer section; a plurality of blades protruding from the body, and a row of superhard cutters mounted along each blade, the cutters in the inner section having a negative profile angle and the cutters in the outer section having a positive profile angle. At least one of: at least one inner cutter is oriented at a negative side rake angle to create a weight on bit (WOB) reducing effect, and at least one outer cutter is oriented at a positive side rake angle to create the WOB reducing effect. Each of the rest of the cutters are oriented at a side rake angle such that an overall effect of the side rake angles is the WOB reducing effect.

A method of forming a supporting substrate for a cutting element comprises forming a precursor composition comprising discrete WC particles, a binding agent, and discrete particles comprising Co, one or more of Al, Be, Ga, Ge, Si, and Sn, and one or more of C and W. The precursor composition is subjected to a consolidation process to form a consolidated structure including WC particles dispersed in a homogenized binder comprising Co, W, C, and one or more of Al, Be, Ga, Ge, Si, and Sn. A method of forming a cutting element, a cutting element, a related structure, and an earth-boring tool are also described.

A tool includes a base with a crown extending from the base. The crown is additively manufactured on the base, forming a bond between the crown and the base. At least one protrusion may extend from the base surface into a recess in the crown, such that the crown encompasses the protrusion. The protrusion may mechanically interlock the base and the crown to improve torque transfer between the crown and base. The bond at the contact between the base and crown may include impregnating at least a portion of the crown with the material of the base, or at least a portion of base with the material of the crown, which may improve a connection between the crown and base.

A tool includes a base with a crown extending from the base. The crown is additively manufactured on the base, forming a bond between the crown and the base. At least one protrusion may extend from the base surface into a recess in the crown, such that the crown encompasses the protrusion. The protrusion may mechanically interlock the base and the crown to improve torque transfer between the crown and base. The bond at the contact between the base and crown may include impregnating at least a portion of the crown with the material of the base, or at least a portion of base with the material of the crown, which may improve a connection between the crown and base.

Methods for simulating a downhole drilling operation include estimating the geometry, i.e., the shape, size of rock chips generated by engagement of a drill bit with a geologic formation. Each cutting element on the drill bit may produce rock chips of different geometry, and the geometry of rock chips generated by a particular cutting element may change over a predetermined interval. The geometry and other properties rock chips predicted for an interval may be recorded, and a distribution may be calculated based on categorizing each of the predicted rock chips into predefined categories and determining the relative number of rock chips in each category. The distribution may be useful in drill bit design, determining required mud flow characteristics for a drilling operation, and facilitating rotation of a drill string by preventing undesirable interactions of the rock chips with the drill bit and other downhole equipment.

Methods for simulating a downhole drilling operation include estimating the geometry, i.e., the shape, size of rock chips generated by engagement of a drill bit with a geologic formation. Each cutting element on the drill bit may produce rock chips of different geometry, and the geometry of rock chips generated by a particular cutting element may change over a predetermined interval. The geometry and other properties rock chips predicted for an interval may be recorded, and a distribution may be calculated based on categorizing each of the predicted rock chips into predefined categories and determining the relative number of rock chips in each category. The distribution may be useful in drill bit design, determining required mud flow characteristics for a drilling operation, and facilitating rotation of a drill string by preventing undesirable interactions of the rock chips with the drill bit and other downhole equipment.