Processing of diamond enhanced cemented tungsten carbide insert for rock drilling

摘要

This paper introduced the structure, component and sintering procedure of the Diamond/WC-Co composite insert fabricated by high pressure and high temper ature (HPHT) method as well as by hot pressing method. In HPHT method, to avoid breakage and delamination of the diamond layer, two transition layers were added between the most outer diamond layer and the WC-Co body. The transition layers compensate for differences in thermal expansion coefficient and elastic modulus of diamond layer and WC-Co substrate. Thus reduces the residual stress induced by cooling the inserts from sintering temperature to room temperature. In hot pressing method, to decrease sintering temperature so as to protect diamond, an active sintering process which achieved by adding nickel and phosphorus into the starting mixed powder is adopted. To increase the toughness of the inserts to resist breakage, proper amount of rare earth compound, LaNi5 and CeO2, are added into the original mixed powder, too. Laboratory tests indicated that both of the diamond enhanced inserts fabricated by HPHT method and by hot pressing method have relatively high hardness and impact toughness, while their wear resistance is about hundreds of times greater than that of conventional cemented tungsten carbide inserts. The results of field drilling test indicated that the diamond enhanced inserts can meet the demands of rotary percussion drilling.