A method of forming a cutting element comprises disposing diamond particles in a container and disposing a metal powder on a side of the diamond particles. The diamond particles and the metal powder are sintered so as to form a polycrystalline diamond material and a low-carbon steel material comprising less than 0.02 weight percent carbon and comprising an intermetallic precipitate on a side of the polycrystalline diamond material. Related cutting elements and earth-boring tools are also disclosed.

An instrumented cutter including a polycrystalline diamond table bonded to a substrate with a sensor, for monitoring the condition of the polycrystalline compact diamond table, embedded in the substrate. Further the instrumented cutter includes a wireless transmitter equipped with a power supply to power to the wireless transmitter.

A cutter element for an earth-boring tool, comprising a polycrystalline diamond (PCD) volume joined at an interface boundary to a cemented carbide substrate. The PCD volume includes a rake face opposite the interface boundary, an edge of the rake face being suitable as a cutting edge of the cutter element. The PCD volume comprises a plurality of strata directly joined to each other at inter-strata boundaries, in which each of a first plurality of the strata comprises PCD material having a first diamond content; each of a second plurality of the strata comprises PCD material having a second diamond content; the second diamond content being greater than the first diamond content; and the strata of the first and second pluralities disposed in an alternating arrangement with respect to each other. The strata are configured and arranged such that a radial line through the edge and a centroid of the interface boundary intersects, within 1,000 microns from the edge, each of the inter-strata boundaries, and the respective tangent plane to each inter-strata boundary at the respective intersection is disposed relative to the radial line at no less than a minimum angle of 30°.

An embodiment of a PCD insert comprises an embodiment of a PCD element joined to a cemented carbide substrate at an interface. The PCD element has internal diamond surfaces defining interstices between them. The PCD element comprises a masked or passivated region and an unmasked or unpassivated region, the unmasked or unpassivated region defining a boundary with the substrate, the boundary being the interface. At least some of the internal diamond surfaces of the masked or passivated region contact a mask or passivation medium, and some or all of the interstices of the masked or passivated region and of the unmasked or unpassivated region are at least partially filled with an infiltrant material.

Cutters for a downhole drill bit can be formed by providing a catalyst-free synthesized polycrystalline diamond (PCD) having a cross-sectional dimension of at least 8 millimeters; providing a substrate comprising tungsten carbide; and attaching the synthesized PCD to the substrate comprising tungsten carbide to form a PDC cutter.

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.

A polycrystalline super hard construction is disclosed having a first region comprising a body of thermally stable polycrystalline super hard material having an exposed surface forming a working surface, and a peripheral side edge, the polycrystalline super hard material comprising a plurality of grains of super hard material; a second region forming a substrate to the first region; and a third region interposed between the first and second regions. The third region extends across a surface of the second region along an interface, the interface comprising a portion having an uneven topology and a substantially planar portion, the third region comprising a composite material including a first phase comprising a plurality of non-intergrown diamond grains, and a matrix material.

A polycrystalline super hard construction comprises a body of polycrystalline super hard material and a substrate bonded to the body along an interface. The substrate a first end surface forming the interface, the first end surface comprising a projection extending from the body of the substrate into the body of super hard material towards the cutting face, the body of polycrystalline material extending around the projection. The body of polycrystalline material comprises a first region more thermally stable than a second region, the first region comprising an annular portion located around the projection, the second region extending between and bonding the first region to the substrate. The first region has a thickness from the cutting face along the peripheral side edge to the interface of at least around 3 mm and a portion of the projection has a thickness measured in a plane extending along the longitudinal axis of at least around 3 mm.

A cutting element comprises a supporting substrate, and a cutting table attached to an end of the supporting substrate. The cutting table comprises inter-bonded diamond particles, and a thermally stable material within interstitial spaces between the inter-bonded diamond particles. The thermally stable material comprises a carbide precipitate having the general chemical formula, A.sub.3XZ.sub.n-1, where A comprises one or more of Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au, Hg, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Ac, Th, Pa, and U; X comprises one or more of Al, Ga, Sn, Be, Bi, Te, Sb, Se, As, Ge, Si, B, and P; Z comprises C; and n is greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 0.75. A method of forming a cutting element, an earth-boring tool, a supporting substrate, and a method of forming a supporting substrate are also described.

The invention relates to a rock-cutting tool and a method for manufacturing this tool, which comprises knives comprising a layer of polycrystalline synthetic diamond (PSD), a diamond impregnation layer with diamond particles and bonding cobalt, characterized in that the PSD layer is supported directly, along a planar interface, on the diamond impregnation layer whose interface surface is planar by machining and with which the diamond particles are flush.