A degradable, high-strength zinc composition suitable for use in producing degradable tools and components for in use in oil and gas and related application fields.

A method for manufacturing a continuous drill ring for a core drill bit is disclosed. The method includes forming at least two green compacts in layers in a direction of formation between a bottom side and a top side by successively applying powder layers containing a powder mixture and diamond layers containing diamond particles that are arranged in a set pattern. The green compacts are shaped into ring segments under the effect of pressure. The ring segments are joined in a circular manner and they are sintered under the effect of heat so as to obtain a continuous drill ring.

A method of forming a super hard polycrystalline construction comprises forming a liquid suspension of a first mass of nano-ceramic particles and a mass of particles or grains of super hard material having an average particle or grain size of 1 or more microns, dispersing the particles or grains in the liquid suspension to form a substantially homogeneous suspension, drying the suspension to form an admix of the nano-ceramic and super hard grains or particles, and forming a pre-sinter assembly comprising the admix. The pre-sinter assembly is then sintered to form a body of polycrystalline super hard material comprising a first fraction of super hard grains and a second fraction, the nano-ceramic particles forming the second fraction.

The super hard grains are spaced along at least a portion of the peripheral surface by one or more nano-ceramic grains, the super hard grains having a greater average grain size than that of the grains in the second fraction which have an average size of less than around 999 nm.

A tip (20) for a rotary machine tool comprising a superhard structure (12) joined to a cemented carbide substrate 14 by means of at least one intermediate layer (161, 62, 163) disposed between the superhard structure (12) and the cemented carbide substrate (14), the intermediate layer or layers (161, 162, 163) comprising grains of superhard material and grains of a metal carbide material dispersed in a metal binder material.

A cutting element may include a substrate and a volume of polycrystalline diamond material affixed to the substrate at an interface. The volume of polycrystalline diamond may include a front cutting face with at least one substantially planar portion and at least one recess. The at least one recess may extend from a plane defined by the at least one substantially planar portion a first depth into the volume of polycrystalline diamond material in an axial direction parallel to a central axis of the cutting element. The volume of polycrystalline diamond material may comprise a region including a catalyst material. At least one region substantially free of the catalyst material may extend from the at least one substantially planar portion of the front cutting face a second depth into the volume of polycrystalline diamond in the axial direction. Methods of forming cutting elements.

A method of forming a super hard polycrystalline construction comprises forming a liquid suspension of nano-sized super hard particles and particles of super hard material having an average particle or grain size of 1 or more microns, dispersing the particles in the liquid suspension to form a substantially homogeneous suspension which is then dried and sintered to form a body of polycrystalline super hard material comprising a first and second fractions of super hard grains, the nano-sized particles forming the second fraction. The super hard grains in the first fraction are bonded along at least a portion of the peripheral surface(s) thereof to at least a portion of a plurality of nano-sized grains in the second fraction, the grains in the first fraction having a greater average grain size than that of the grains in the second fraction which is less than 999 nm, the average grain size of the first fraction being around 1 micron or more

A cutting element for an earth-boring drill bit may include a thermally stable cutting table comprising a polycrystalline diamond material. The polycrystalline diamond material may consist essentially of a matrix of diamond particles bonded to one another and a silicon, silicon carbide, or silicon and silicon carbide material located within interstitial spaces among interbonded diamond particles of the matrix of diamond particles. The cutting table may be at least substantially free of Group VIII metal or alloy catalyst material. The cutting element may further include a substrate and an adhesion material between and bonded to the cutting table and the substrate. The adhesion material may include diamond particles bonded to one another and to the cutting table and the substrate after formation of the preformed cutting table.

A general procedure applied to a variety of sol-gel precursors and solvent systems for preparing and controlling homogeneous dispersions of very small particles within each other. Fine homogenous dispersions processed at elevated temperatures and controlled atmospheres make a ceramic powder to be consolidated into a component by standard commercial means: sinter, hot press, hot isostatic pressing (HIP), hot/cold extrusion, spark plasma sinter (SPS), etc.

The invention relates to a method of processing a superhard composite material (21) comprising a polycrystalline microstructure and a binder, said method comprising the following steps: contacting (200) a surface of said superhard composite material (21) with an absorbent material (30), and applying (300) an electric current to the superhard composite material (21), causing the binder to move from the superhard composite material (21) to the absorbent material (30) so as to create a continuous gradient (221) of binder content within the superhard composite material (21).

A method of redistributing the binder phase of a cemented carbide mining insert having a WC hard-phase component, optionally one or more further hard-phase components and a binder includes the steps of providing a green cemented carbide mining insert; applying at least one binder puller selected from a metal oxide or a metal carbonate to only at least one local area of the surface of the green cemented carbide insert; sintering the green carbide mining insert to form a sintered cemented carbide insert; and subjecting the sintered cemented carbide insert to dry tumbling process executed at an elevated temperature of or above 100° C., preferably at a temperature of or above 200° C., more preferably at a temperature of between 200° C. and 450° C.