Cutting element with varying concavity

Abstract

A cutting element includes a body defining an upper surface. The upper surface includes a cutting tip, wherein a backrake angle of the body varies along the upper surface from the cutting tip toward a longitudinal axis of the body. The upper surface also includes a back tip positioned opposite the cutting tip, wherein the cutting tip and the back tip are each positioned above a center point of the upper surface positioned at the longitudinal axis of the body. The upper surface further includes a first lateral side between the cutting tip and the back tip, the first lateral side being positioned below the center point, wherein a flange angle of the body varies along the upper surface from the cutting tip toward the longitudinal axis.

Description

Docket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCTCUTTING ELEMENT WITH VARYING CONCAVITYCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 63 / 716,798 filed on 6 November 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0002] Wellbores may be drilled into a surface location or seabed for a variety of exploratory or extraction purposes. For example, a wellbore may be drilled to access fluids, such as liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, stored in subterranean formations and to extract the fluids from the formations. Wellbores used to produce or extract fluids may be formed in earthen formations using earth-boring tools such as drill bits for drilling wellbores and reamers for enlarging the diameters of wellbores. Earth-boring tools such as drill bits and reamers may typically be configured with cutting or engagement elements for engaging and degrading the earthen formation in order to form the wellbore.SUMMARY

[0003] In some embodiments a cutting element includes a body defining an upper surface. The upper surface includes a cutting tip, wherein a backrake angle of the body varies along the upper surface from the cutting tip toward a longitudinal axis of the body. The upper surface also includes a back tip positioned opposite the cutting tip, wherein the cutting tip and the back tip are each positioned above a center point of the upper surface positioned at the longitudinal axis of the body. The upper surface further includes a first lateral side between the cutting tip and the back tip, the first lateral side being positioned below the center point, wherein a flange angle of the body varies along the upper surface from the cutting tip toward the longitudinal axis.

[0004] In some embodiments, a cutting element includes a body defining an upper surface. The upper surface includes a cutting tip, wherein a backrake angle of the body varies along the upper surface from the cutting tip toward a longitudinal axis of the body. The upper surface includes a back tip positioned opposite the cutting tip, wherein theDocket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT cutting tip and the back tip are each positioned above a center point of the upper surface positioned at the longitudinal axis of the body. The upper surface includes a first lateral side between the cutting tip and the back tip, the first lateral side being positioned below the center point, wherein a flange angle of the body varies along the upper surface from the cutting tip toward the longitudinal axis, and a second lateral side between the cutting tip and the back tip, the second lateral side being positioned below the center point. The upper surface includes a first wedge face formed in the body between the cutting tip and the first lateral side and transverse to the upper surface, and a second wedge face formed in the body between the cutting tip and the second lateral side, the first wedge face and the second wedge face defining a tip width of the cutting tip.

[0005] In some embodiments, a system includes a downhole tool for forming a wellbore, at least one cutting structure extending from the downhole tool, and a plurality of cutting elements positioned on the at least one cutting structure for engaging a formation to form the wellbore. The plurality of cutting elements each include a body defining an upper surface. The upper surface includes a cutting tip, wherein a backrake angle of the body varies along the upper surface from the cutting tip toward a longitudinal axis of the body. The upper surface includes a back tip positioned opposite the cutting tip, wherein the cutting tip and the back tip are each positioned above a center point of the upper surface positioned at the longitudinal axis of the body. The upper surface includes a first lateral side between the cutting tip and the back tip, the first lateral side being positioned below the center point, wherein a flange angle of the body varies along the upper surface from the cutting tip toward the longitudinal axis.

[0006] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter. Additional features and aspects of embodiments of the disclosure will be set forth herein, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of such embodiments.Docket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCTBRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and other features of the disclosure can be obtained, a more particular description will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. For better understanding, the like elements have been designated by like reference numbers throughout the various accompanying figures. While some of the drawings may be schematic or exaggerated representations of concepts, at least some of the drawings may be drawn to scale. Understanding that the drawings depict some example embodiments, the embodiments will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

[0008] FIG. 1 is an example of a downhole system, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0009] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a downhole end of a downhole tool, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0010] FIGS. 3-1 and 3-2 illustrate various references and conventions with respect to a cutting element to aid in the discussion of the various embodiments described herein;

[0011] FIG. 4-1 illustrates a perspective view, FIG. 4-2 illustrates a top view, FIG. 4- 3 illustrates a first side view, and FIG. 4-4 illustrates a second side view of a cutting element, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0012] FIG. 5-1 illustrates a top-down view of a cutting element, and FIG. 5-2 illustrates various side cross-section views of the cutting element of FIG. 5-1, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0013] FIG. 5-3 illustrates a top-down view of a cutting element and FIG. 5-4 illustrates various side cross-section views of the cutting element of FIG. 5-3, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0014] FIG. 5-5 illustrates a top-down view of a cutting element and FIG. 5-6 illustrates a side view of the cutting element of FIG. 5-6, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG. 6 illustrates a top view of a cutting element, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;Docket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT

[0016] FIGS. 7-1 to 7-4 illustrate various profiles for upper surfaces of example cutting elements, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0017] FIGS. 8-1 to 8-4 illustrate top views of various cutting elements, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] This disclosure generally relates to cutting elements for use in forming wellbores. A cutting element may have an upper surface that has a smooth, curved geometry exhibiting one or more features for improving the performance of the cutting element. In some cases, the upper surface exhibits a backrake angle that increases from a cutting tip of the cutting element. The increasing rake angle may provide a less aggressive engagement at the cutting tip, for facilitating cutting harder formations with the cutting tip for example, and may have an increasingly aggressive rake angle as the surface progresses away from the cutting tip toward a lateral side of the upper surface, which may increase a rate of penetration of the cutting element when engaging softer formations at larger depths of cut. In some cases, the upper surface may have a flange angle that increases from the cutting tip toward a center of the upper surface. The increasing flange angle may facilitate the varying rake angle, for example, by providing increased structural strength and rigidity at the cutting tip where the cutting element may engage harder formations and / or at deeper depths of cut. In some embodiments, the cutting element includes one or more wedge faces for forming a wedge shape of the cutting element, for example, at or near the cutting tip. The wedge shape may facilitate leveraging mechanical advantage for driving the cutting element into the formation with less downward force. In this way, the geometry of the cutting element may uniquely equip the cutting element for efficiently and effectively engaging a wide variety of formations having varying hardness.

[0019] FIG. 1 shows one example of a drilling system 100 for drilling an earth formation 101 to form a wellbore 102. The drilling system 100 includes a drill rig 103 used to turn a drilling tool assembly 104 which extends downward into the wellbore 102. The drilling tool assembly 104 may include a drill string 105, a bottomhole assembly (“BHA”) 106, and a bit 110, attached to the downhole end of drill string 105.Docket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT

[0020] The drill string 105 may include several joints of drill pipe 108 connected end- to-end through tool joints 109. The drill string 105 transmits drilling fluid through a central bore and transmits rotational power from the drill rig 103 to the BHA 106. In some embodiments, the drill string 105 may further include additional components such as subs, pup joints, etc. The drill pipe 108 provides a hydraulic passage through which drilling fluid is pumped from the surface. The drilling fluid discharges through selected-size nozzles, jets, or other orifices in the bit 110 for the purposes of cooling the bit 110 and cutting structures thereon, and for lifting cuttings out of the wellbore 102 as it is being drilled.

[0021] The BHA 106 may include the bit 110 or other components. An example BHA 106 may include additional or other components (e.g., coupled between to the drill string 105 and the bit 110). Examples of additional BHA components include drill collars, stabilizers, measurement-while-drilling (“MWD”) tools, logging-while-drilling (“LWD”) tools, downhole motors, underreamers, section mills, hydraulic disconnects, jars, vibration or dampening tools, other components, or combinations of the foregoing. The BHA 106 may further include a rotary steerable system (RSS). The RSS may include directional drilling tools that change a direction of the bit 110, and thereby the trajectory of the wellbore. At least a portion of the RSS may maintain a geostationary position relative to an absolute reference frame, such as gravity, magnetic north, and / or true north. Using measurements obtained with the geostationary position, the RSS may locate the bit 110, change the course of the bit 110, and direct the directional drilling tools on a projected trajectory.

[0022] In general, the drilling system 100 may include other drilling components and accessories, such as special valves (e.g., kelly cocks, blowout preventers, and safety valves). Additional components included in the drilling system 100 may be considered a part of the drilling tool assembly 104, the drill string 105, or a part of the BHA 106 depending on their locations in the drilling system 100.

[0023] The bit 110 in the BHA 106 may be any type of bit suitable for degrading downhole materials. For instance, the bit 110 may be a drill bit suitable for drilling the earth formation 101. Example types of drill bits used for drilling earth formations are fixed- cutter or drag bits. In other embodiments, the bit 110 may be a mill used for removing metal, composite, elastomer, other materials downhole, or combinations thereof. ForDocket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT instance, the bit 110 may be used with a whipstock to mill into casing 107 lining the wellbore 102. The bit 110 may also be a junk mill used to mill away tools, plugs, cement, other materials within the wellbore 102, or combinations thereof. Swarf or other cuttings formed by use of a mill may be lifted to surface, or may be allowed to fall downhole.

[0024] In some cases, the formation 101 may include one or more layers, portions, or regions that may exhibit different levels of hardness. For example, during a drilling operation, the bit 110 may encounter the formation 101 at varying degrees of hardness. The bit may include one or more cutting elements that may have surface geometries and / or surface features as described herein that may improve the performance of the bit 110 for degrading the formation 101 and forming the wellbore 102 through a wide variety of formation hardness.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the downhole end of an embodiment of a bit 210. The bit 210 may include a bit body 212 from which a plurality cutting structures or blades 214 may protrude. At least one of the cutting structures or blades 214 may have a plurality of cutting elements 216 connected thereto. The cutting structures or blades 214 may protrude from the bit body 212 so as to engage the formation with the cutting elements 216 to cut or degrade the formation. In some embodiments, at least one of the cutting elements 216 may have an upper surface exhibiting one or more surface features as described herein. For example, the upper surface may be defined based on specific geometries and features as described herein that may enable the cutting element to effectively and efficiently degrade formations through a variety of harness.

[0026] FIGS. 3-1 and 3-2 illustrate various references and conventions with respect to a cutting element to aid in the discussion of the various embodiments described herein. FIG. 3-1 illustrates a top-down view of a top surface 320 of a cutting element 314, and FIG. 3-2 illustrates a perspective view of the cutting element 314 with respect to a formation 301 or a workpiece.

[0027] With respect to FIG. 3-1, the cutting element 314 may be substantially circular and / or may have a substantially circular projection from a top perspective. For example, in some cases the cutting element 314 may have a generally cylindrical shape. The top surface 320 may have surface features and / or geometry which may not be substantially cylindrical, such as one or more ridges, curves, concavities, surfaces, lips, scoops, etc., as describedDocket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT herein. The top surface 320 may be oriented and / or defined based on cardinal directions North (N), East (E), South (S), and West (W) for facilitating describing the location, orientation, direction, etc., of one or more features. For example, the cardinal directions may be represented as points N, E, S, and W, on a circumference or perimeter of the upper surface 320. The cardinal directions may be positioned at opposite positions and / or at right angles from one another respectively according to common convention. For example, N may be considered to be at 0°, E at 90°, S at 180°, and W at 270°. An element or feature may be considered to be positioned at a cardinal direction (e.g., at N) if the element or feature is positioned at the point of the cardinal direction, near the point of the cardinal direction, or otherwise in the general direction (e.g., with respect to another element or reference) of the carinal direction. For example, an element or feature may be considered to be positioned at the south end or south tip of the upper surface 320 if the element or feature is at the point S such that the feature encompasses or touches the point S. In another example, a first element or feature may be considered to be positioned south of a second element or feature if the first element or feature is positioned in the general south direction (or downward direction in this perspective) with respect to the second element or feature (e.g., whether or not the first element or feature is positioned at the point S). In a further example, an element or feature may be described as changing or varying toward North if the element or feature varies in a direction that directly points at the point N, or varies in a direction that is in a general north or upward direction.

[0028] A center reference line or center line 318 may be defined and / or may extend between N and S. Similarly, a lateral reference line or lateral line 319 may be defined and / or may extend between E and W. In some cases, the E-W direction (e.g., to the right or to the left) may be described as a “lateral direction.” The center line 218 and the lateral line 319 may intersect at a center point 315 which may be substantially at a center of the (e.g., circular projection of the) top surface 320. A longitudinal axis 317 may extend through abody 312 of the cutting element 314. The longitudinal axis 317 may be coincident with the center point 315.

[0029] With reference to FIG. 3-2, in some cases, a cutting element may be described with respect to its interaction with a formation. As shown, the cutting element 314 may cut into, may be embedded into, or may otherwise be positioned a cutting depth within theDocket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT formation 301. This cutting depth may be the depth at which the furthest extent (e.g., in many cases a south tip or cutting tip) of the upper surface 320 is positioned within the formation and may be referred to as a depth of cut 321. In other words, the depth of cut 321 may be the furthest depth at which the cutting element 314 cuts into the formation 301. For instance, a larger or deeper depth of cut 321 may be associated with the cutting element 314 being positioned further down into the formation 301, and a smaller or shallower depth of cut 321 may be associated with the cutting element 314 being positioned further up in the formation 301.

[0030] In some cases, a specific location, portion, or point of the upper surface 320 may be referred to based on the depth at which the point is positioned in the formation 301, which may be described as a surface depth 322. For example, based on the illustrative example shown in FIG. 3-2, the upper surface 320 may have a first portion that has a first surface depth 322-1 that is deeper than a second portion having a second surface depth 322-2. Thus, the surface depth 322 may describe how deep a given component or feature is positioned within the formation 301, for example, for a given depth of cut 321. In this way, the depth of cut 321 may describe how the cutting element 314 as a whole engages with the formation 301, and surface depth 322 may refer to the relationship of a specific component or feature of the cutting element 314 with respect to its position on the surface of the cutting element 314.

[0031] The illustrative cutting element 314 and associated conventions are applicable to the various cutting elements discussed herein, for example, with respect to FIG. 4-1 through FIG. 8. For instance, the cardinal directions, reference lines, descriptive terms, etc. discussed in connection with FIGS. 3-1 and 3-2 may be considered as depicted in any of the following figures whether or not such is explicitly illustrated therein. Accordingly, the example cutting element 314 and associated conventions may be considered as generic to the various embodiments of cutting elements discussed below.

[0032] FIG. 4-1 illustrates a perspective view, FIG. 4-2 illustrates a top view, FIG. 4- 3 illustrates a first side view, and FIG. 4-4 illustrates a second side view of a cutting element 414, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The cutting element 414 may include a substrate 424. The substrate may formed of a metal, a metal matrix, or other material. The cutting element 414 may include an ultrahard layer 425 joined to theDocket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT substrate 424. The ultrahard layer 425 may be formed from a superhard material, such as a polycrystalline diamond (PCD) and / or a polycrystalline diamond compact (PCD). The ultrahard layer 425 may be positioned and joined to the substrate 424 at a top portion or upper surface 420 of the substrate 424. For example, the upper surface 420 may have one or more features, geometries, etc., as described herein, which may be at least partially formed by the ultrahard layer 425. In some embodiments, the upper surface 420 may be formed by and / or may include both the substrate 424 and the ultrahard layer 425. For example, the substrate 225 material may extend into the upper surface 420, for example, through the ultrahard layer 425 at one or more locations.

[0033] As used herein, the term "ultrahard" is understood to refer to those materials known in the art to have a grain hardness of about 1,500 HV (Vickers hardness in kg / mm2) or greater. Such ultrahard materials can include but are not limited to diamond, sapphire, moissantite, hexagonal diamond (Lonsdaleite), cubic boron nitride (cBN), polycrystalline cBN (PcBN), Q-carbon, binderless PcBN, diamond-like carbon, boron suboxide, aluminum manganese boride, metal borides, boron carbon nitride, PCD (including, e.g., leached metal catalyst PCD, non-metal catalyst PCD, and binderless PCD or nanopolycrystalline diamond (NPD)) and other materials in the boron-nitrogen-carbon- oxygen system which have shown hardness values above 1,500 HV, as well as combinations of the above materials. In some embodiments, the ultrahard material may have a hardness values above 3,000 HV. In other embodiments, the ultrahard material may have a hardness value above 4,000 HV. In yet other embodiments, the ultrahard material may have a hardness value greater than 80 HRa (Rockwell hardness A).

[0034] The upper surface 420 may be illustrated and described with reference to one or more contour lines 429. The contour lines 429 may facilitate defining or illustrating one or more shapes, curves, concavities, non-planar sections, protrusions, tips, slopes, changes in concavity, changes in a radius of curvature, etc., of the upper surface 420. For instance, the contour lines 429 may illustrate one or more lines or curves through which the upper surface passes, intersects, or slopes. As an example, the upper surface 420 may be defined as a sweep through the various contour lines 429. The contour lines 429 may not be hard lines or hard transitions in the upper surface 420, but rather, the upper surface 420 may be a smooth surface with smooth curves and / or transitions throughout. For instance, the upperDocket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT surface 420 may not have one or more comers or other abrupt, sharp, or hard transitions between features or portions of the upper surface 420. A hard transition may be a transition between two (or more) surfaces, or a location at which these surfaces meet. In contrast, the upper surface 420 may be one continuous surface with no corresponding abrupt, hard, or defined transitions therein between two or more surfaces. In this way, the upper surface 420 may be a smooth, continuous surface exhibiting one or more of the various features or components described herein. The upper surface 420 being a smooth, continuous, and sweeping surface in this way may provide strength, wear resistance, and stability. For instance, abrupt or hard transmission lines may generally result in areas of high stress concentrations, and cutting elements may tend to break along these hard transitions. By implementing the upper surface 420 as a smooth, continuous surface without hard transitions, forces and stresses may be better distributed along the upper surface 420 and throughout the body of the cutting element 414 for increasing strength and wear resistance.

[0035] The upper surface 420 may be a surface with which the cutting element 414 is configured to engage a formation, for example, to degrade the formation. The cutting element 414 may be configured with any of a variety of features of the upper surface 420, for example, to facilitate improvements to the functionality of the cutting element 414 for degrading the formation more aggressively, more efficiently, with greater strength, with greater durability, etc. For instance, the upper surface 420 may include a cutting tip 431. The cutting tip 431 may be positioned generally at a south end or south tip of the upper surface 420. The cutting tip 431 may be a portion of the upper surface 420 that is at a perimeter, circumference, or outer extent of the upper surface 420. The upper surface 420 may be defined by one or more features which may enable the cutting tip 431 to cut or degrade a formation, such as a rake angle, flange angle, etc., as described herein. The cutting tip 431 may be a primary cutting interface of the cutting element 414, for instance for cutting a gauge of a depth of cut of the cutting element 414. The cutting element 414 may exhibit one or more additional cutting interfaces, for example, in addition to the cutting tip 431, such as one or more other sides, tips, or perimeters of the upper surface 420 which may interface with the formation to cut the formation at other surface depths.

[0036] The upper surface 420 may include a back tip 432. The back tip 432 may be generally at the north end and / or opposite the cutting tip 431. The cutting tip 4 1 and / orDocket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT the back tip 432 may be raised or positioned above some or all of the upper surface 420. For instance, in some cases the cutting tip 431 and / or the back tip 432 may extend above a center point 415 of the upper surface 420. In some cases, the cutting tip 431 and / or the back tip 432 may be positioned above any other point of the upper surface 420.

[0037] The upper surface 420 may include one or more lateral sides 433. The lateral side 433 may be a portion of the upper surface 420, such as a portion along a perimeter of the upper surface 420, that is located laterally to the side of the cutting tip 431 and / or the back tip 432. The lateral side 433 may be a point, may be an edge, or may be an area. In some cases, the lateral side 433 may be positioned at the E and / or W point of the upper surface 420. In some cases, the lateral side 433 may be a portion of the upper surface 420 that is positioned between the cutting tip 431 and the E or W point of the upper surface 420 (e.g., not necessarily at the E or W point).

[0038] In some embodiments, the upper surface 420 includes or is defined by a plow feature. The plow feature may be exhibited as a ridge area 430 within a central or intermediate area of the upper surface 420 that may be at least somewhat raised, for example, with respect to one or more lateral portions (e.g., E and / or W portions with respect to the ridge area 430). The ridge area 430 may be defined, shaped, and / or oriented in association with a ridgeline. The ridgeline may run or pass through a middle or center of the ridge area 430. The ridge area 430 and ridgeline may be configured as described herein, for example, in connection with FIG. 6. For instance, the ridge area 430 may be positioned along a center line 418 and may be oriented in a general N-S direction. In some cases, as described herein, the ridge area 430 may not be oriented strictly N-S but may be offset or angled with a ridge angle. In some cases, the ridge area 430 may have an oval shape as shown or may be otherwise shaped. The ridge area 430 may have a profile that dips or sinks somewhat toward the middle, and is raised toward the outside (e.g., in accordance with the raised cutting tip 431 and / or back tip 432). In this way the ridge area 430 may form somewhat of a saddle shape, for example, between the cutting tip 431 and the back tip 432. Various profiles, including of the ridge area 430, are described herein in connection with FIGS. 7-1 through 7-4

[0039] In some embodiments, the ridge area 430 may provide structural strength and / or integrity to the cutting element 414. For example, the ridge area 430 being raised (at leastDocket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT somewhat) from the surrounding upper surface may provide strength to the cutting tip 431 , for example, in the direction of an applied force on the cutting tip 431. The ridge area 430 may help distribute forces and / or stresses along the upper surface 420 and / or throughout the cutting element 414 to prevent damage or breakage of the cutting element 414 (e.g., and more specifically, of the cutting tip 431). The ridge area 430 may be substantially normal or perpendicular to the cutting tip 431 as shown or may be angled at a ridge angle as described herein. In this way, the ridge area 430 provide strength and support to the cutting tip 431.

[0040] The lateral side(s) 433 may be positioned lower than or may extend below the upper surface 420 at one or more locations. For example, as shown in FIG., 4-4, the lateral side 433 may be a point, edge, or area of the upper surface that is located at or near the E or W point, and may be positioned at a lower elevation than the center point 415 of the upper surface 420. In some cases, the upper surface 420 may slope downward to the lateral or sideways direction of (e.g., E and W of) the ridge area 430. In this way, the upper surface 420 may form a plow from the ridge area 430 sloping downward laterally from the ridge area 430. The plow of the upper surface 420 in this way may cause rock cuttings or other debris with which the cutting element 414 may interact to flow around the upper surface, for example, from the ridge area 430 and outward along the downward, lateral slope from the ridge area 430. This may facilitate removing rock cuttings and prevent buildup at the bit.

[0041] The cutting element 414 may include any of various other features defining the upper surface 420. For example, the upper surface 420 may include or may exhibit one or more non-planar sections such as a concavity 480 as described herein. The concavity 480 (e g., or several of the same or different concavities) may be defined such that the upper surface exhibits one or more of the features described herein. For example, in some cases the upper surface 420 includes a scoop feature, for example, near the cutting tip 431. The scoop feature may be defined by one or more rake angles and / or one or more flange angles that may vary along the upper surface 420 as described herein. In another example, the upper surface 420 includes a wedge feature, exhibited as a wedge formed from one or more wedge surfaces at or near the cutting tip 431. The upper surface 420 may be configured inDocket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT accordance with any of a variety of other features as described herein, for example, in any combination.

[0042] FIG. 5-1 illustrates a top-down view of a cutting element 514 and FIG. 5-2 illustrates various side cross-section views of the cutting element 514, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. For instance, several cross-section references A, B, and C are illustrated in FIG. 5-1, and the side cross-section views of FIG. 5-2 correspond to the several cross-section references A, B, and C.

[0043] The cutting element 514 has an upper surface 520 that may be defined at least in part by a concavity 580. The concavity 580 as illustrated in FIG. 5-1 is shown as encompassing a portion of the upper surface 520 between the cutting tip 531, a lateral side 533, and the center point 515. It should be understood, however, that the concavity 580 is representative of only a portion of the upper surface exhibiting the concavity 580. In some cases, one or more other portions of the upper surface 520 may exhibit a concavity that is the same or different than the concavity 580. For example, in some embodiments the upper surface may exhibit the concavity 580 mirrored across a centerline and / or a lateral line of the upper surface. In some embodiments, one or more portions (e.g., quadrants) of the upper surface 520 may exhibit different or unique concavity to that of other portions of the upper surface 520. In this way, the upper surface 520 may be defined by one or more concavities which may cause the upper surface to exhibit one or more of the various features described herein, such as a rake angle, flange angle, etc.

[0044] In some embodiments, the upper surface 520 is defined by one or more backrake angles (collectively 534). The backrake angle 534 may be a measure of the slope or incline at a given location of the upper surface 520 with respect to a horizontal plane or radial plane (i.e., horizontal with respect to FIG. 5-2). In some cases, the backrake angle 534 may be measured with respect to (or when viewed from) a N-S plane or N-S profile of the cutting element 514 that intersects the cutting element 514 as shown. The upper surface 520 may have a concavity 580 that varies proceeding away from a cutting tip 531. For instance, the concavity 580 of the upper surface 520 from the cutting tip 531, proceeding to and / or through a lateral side 533 (e.g., or preceding around a perimeter or circumference of the upper surface 520) may not be constant. Based on this non-constant concavity 580, the upper surface 520 may exhibit a varying or changing backrake angle at variousDocket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT engagement points or cutting points (e.g., at the cutting tip 531 and to or through the lateral sides(s) 533).

[0045] For instance, engagement points 535A, 535B, and 535C may be representative with a point at which the cutting element 514 may engage the formation at the cross-section references A, B, and C. As shown in FIG. 5-2, the backrake angles 534A, 534B, and 534C corresponding with engagement points 535 A, 535B, and 535C increase as they proceed from the cutting tip 531 along the upper surface 520 through the lateral side 533 and / or toward the E or W direction.

[0046] The varying backrake angles 534 formed by the non-constant concavity 580 of the upper surface 520 may form a scoop feature of the upper surface 520. The scoop feature may result in varying backrake angles at different surface depths of the upper surface 520. For example, the cutting element 514 may engage a formation at the engagement point 535 A at a gauge depth, or at the largest surface depth of the upper surface and may do so based on the backrake angle 534A. The cutting element 514 may engage the formation at the engagement point 535B at a surface depth that is less than the gauge depth (e.g., less than the surface depth at engagement point 535A), and may do so with the backrake angel 534B, and so on with the engagement point 535C and beyond. While the upper surface 520 is shown and described with backrake angles at discrete engagement points, it should be understood that the discrete engagement points are representative of a continuous distribution or spectrum of varying backrake angles throughout the interval along the upper surface 520, rather than only a discretized distribution.

[0047] In this way, the cutting element 514 may engage the formation with different backrake angles based on a surface depth of the upper surface 520. This varying backrake angle may facilitate cutting the formation with an increased efficiency and / or facilitating the cutting element 514 encountering formations having different hardness. For example, a larger backrake angle is generally more aggressive, and may engage the formation more aggressively to cut the formation quicker and / or remove more material (e.g., in comparison to a smaller backrake angle). Additionally, more aggressive backrake angles may correspond with higher forces and / or stresses applied to the (e.g., portion of the) upper surface 520 engaging the formation. As the cutting tip 531 may be a first portion to engage the formation and / or may be a portion of the cutting element 514 that engages the formationDocket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT at a deepest surface depth, the backrake angle 534 at or near the cutting tip 531 may be reduced in order to exhibit a reduced aggressiveness. In this way, the cutting element 514 may be less prone to damage, wear, and / or failure at the cutting tip 531. For instance, the cutting element 514 may be better equipped to encounter harder formations, such as by engaging the harder formations with the cutting tip 531 (e.g., and other portions of the upper surface 520) in a less aggressive manner and at shallower depths of cut. In some embodiments, an initial or smallest backrake angle (e.g., at the cutting tip 531) may be between -10° and 25° in order to achieve a less aggressive engagement at the cutting tip 531. For example, the initial or smallest backrake angle may be about 0° at or near the cutting tip 531.

[0048] In this way, the cutting element 514 may be suited for engaging harder formations and effectively cutting such formations with reduced wear, damage, etc. Less aggressive or smaller backrake angles at the cutting tip 531 may provide strength and wearresistance in this way, but may also be associated with a reduced or slower rate of penetration (ROP). For instance, because the cutting tip 531 may engage the formation less aggressively, the cutting element 514 may accordingly remove less material and / or may do so more slowly. While this reduced ROP may be advantageous for harder formations to reduce wear and damage, in some cases the cutting element 514 may encounter a softer formation which may lend itself to material being be removed more readily and / or faster (e g., with a higher ROP). In such cases, it may be advantageous to implement a higher backrake angle for a more aggressive engagement with the formation for achieving higher ROPs.

[0049] The varying backrake as described herein may be implemented to achieve a higher ROP, for example, for softer formations. For instance, as discussed above, the backrake angle may vary and become more aggressive at engagement points on the upper surface 520 exhibiting a shallower surface depth. For example, the backrake angle of the upper surface 520 may vary as described herein to a maximum or largest backrake angle (e.g., at a lateral side 533) of between 5° to 35°. In softer formations, the cutting element 514 may be driven further into the formation (e.g., at a greater depth of cut) such that more of the upper surface 520 may engage the formation. To elaborate, in harder formations, the depth of cut may be shallower such that some (or all) engagement points outside of theDocket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT cutting tip 531 may not engage the (e.g., harder) formation. For softer formations, however, the cutting element 514 may be operated with a deeper depth of cut such that more (or all) engagement points outside of the cutting tip 531 may engage the formation. The backrake angle of the upper surface 520 may vary to larger and more aggressive backrake angles such that, when additional engagement points are positioned to engage the formation, these engagement points do so more aggressively and / or with a greater ROP. Stresses and / or forces may be smaller or reduced at portions of the upper surface 520 that are not driven into the formation quite as deep (e.g., in comparison to the cutting tip 531), which may enable these portions to be implemented with higher the backrake angles and more aggressively engage the formation, for example, while resisting wear and damage. This, in combination with shallower portions of the upper surface 520 engaging softer formations in some cases, may enable the cutting element 514 to achieve a higher ROP, despite the cutting tip 531 having a smaller, less aggressive backrake angle at the cutting tip 531 that may be better suited for harder formations. In this way, the upper surface 520 may exhibit varying backrake angles such that the cutting element 514 may be implemented in a variety of formations having different hardness, and more specifically, may be suited for cutting hard formations effectively and with reduced wear, while maintaining aggressiveness when encountering softer formations.

[0050] In some cases, the upper surface 520 may be defined by a varying flange angle, which may provide varying aggressiveness, strength, and durability throughout a progression across the upper surface 520. The varying flange angle may be implemented independent of or in addition to the varying rake angle as discussed herein. The concavity 580 of the upper surface 520 may be defined such that the upper surface 520 exhibits the varying flange angle as described herein.

[0051] FIG. 5-3 illustrates a top-down view of the cutting element 514 and FIG. 5-4 illustrates various side cross-section views of the cutting element 514, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. For instance, several cross-section references D, E, F, and G are illustrated in FIG. 5-3, and the side cross-section views of FIG. 5-4 correspond to the several cross-section references D, E, F, and G. The various crosssections may be illustrative of the geometry of the upper surface 520 at a specific surfaceDocket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT depth of the upper surface 520, or how a specific location of the upper surface 520 at a given surface depth engages with the formation.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 5-4, the upper surface 520 may have a flange angle (collectively 536) that varies at different positioned along the upper surface 520. The flange angle 536 may be a measure of the slope or incline at a given location from the centerline in the lateral or E-W direction. The flange angle 536 may be measured to a horizontal or radial plane (i.e., horizontal with respect to FIG. 5-3). In some cases, the flange angle 536 may be measured with respect to (or when viewed from) an E-W plane or E-W profile of the cutting element 514 that intersects the cutting element 514 as shown. The varying flange angles 536 may be illustrated and discussed with respect to several reference points (collectively 537) positioned along the center line 518. Specifically, a reference point 537D may correspond with a flange angle 536D, a reference point 537 E may correspond with a flange angle 536E, a reference point 537F may correspond with a flange angle 536F, and a reference point 537G may correspond with a reference point 536G. The varying flange angles 536 may be based on a non-constant concavity of the upper surface 520 from the cutting tip 531, proceeding to and / or through the lateral side 533, as well as a non-constant concavity of the upper surface 520 from the cutting tip 531, proceeding to and / or through the center point 515.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 5-4, the flange angle 536 may increase from the cutting tip 531 toward the center point 515. In other words, the flange angle 536 may increase with a decreasing surface depth of the upper surface 520. For instance, the flange angle 536D at or near the cutting tip 531 may be an initial or smallest flange angle of the upper surface 520. The flange angle 536D may be a flange angle between 0° and 5°. For instance, in some cases the flange angle 536 at or near the cutting tip 531 may be 0°. In some cases, the flange angle 536 may increase along the upper surface 520 from the cutting tip as described herein. For example, the flange angle 536 may increase to a largest flange angle 536 of the upper surface 520 (e.g., at or near the lateral side) of between 3° and 30°. In some cases, the largest flange angle 536 may be the flange angle 536G at the reference point 537G, or may be at a point further North or further South than the reference point 537G.Docket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT

[0054] In some cases, the flange angle 536 may influence the performance of the cutting element 514 for cutting or degrading the formation. For example, a smaller flange angle 536 may generally be less aggressive than a larger flange angle 536, which may be more aggressive. For instance, the flange angle 536 may be representative of an amount of surface area that is exposed to or engages with the formation at a given location. A smaller flange angle 536 may have a larger surface area for engaging the formation (e.g., than would otherwise be the case for the same location having a larger flange angle 536), which may engage the formation less aggressively. Consequently, this larger surface area may better distribute forces throughout the body of the cutting element 514, providing more strength and durability for preventing wear and damage to the cutting element 514 at that associated location. For this, the cutting tip 531 may be implemented with a relatively smaller, less aggressive flange angle 536 such that the cutting tip 531 may be suited for engaging the formation at a deepest surface depth and / or for engaging harder formations, which may exhibit more forces and stresses on the cutting tip 531. The flange angle 536 may increase along the upper surface 520 with a decrease in surface depth such that parts of the upper surface 520 farther north of the cutting tip 531 have larger, more aggressive flange angles 536. This may facilitate these portions of the upper surface 520 engaging the formation (e.g., as depth of cut is increased to engage these portions) more aggressively, such that a greater ROP may be achieved. Similar to that discussed above with respect to the backrake angle, shallower surface depths of the upper surface 520 may engage softer formations (e.g., when the cutting element 514 is driven further into the formation with a larger depth of cut), and may do so at reduced surface depths such that these locations may experience lower forces and stresses than does the cutting tip 531. Accordingly, the upper surface 520 may have larger, more aggressive flange angles at these shallower surface depth locations, for example, while reducing the risk of damage or wear to the cutting element.

[0055] In this way, the upper surface 520 may exhibit varying flange angles 536 such that the cutting element 514 may be implemented in a variety of formations having different hardness, and more specifically, may be suited for cutting hard formations effectively and with reduced wear, while maintaining aggressiveness when encountering softer formations. The cutting element 514 may be defined by either a varying backrakeDocket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT angle, a varying flange angle, or both. For example, the upper surface 520 may be a complex contoured surface having a non-constant concavity that is uniquely shaped in order to achieve both the varying backrake angles and varying flange angles.

[0056] FIG. 5-5 illustrates a top-down view of the cutting element 514 and FIG. 5-6 illustrates a side view of the cutting element 514, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the cutting element 514 forms a wedge at or near the cutting tip 531. The wedge may be formed or may be defined by one or more wedge faces 539 formed in the body of the cutting element 514. The cutting element 514 may include one wedge face 539, or may include two or more wedge faces 539. The cutting element 514 forming a wedge in this way may leverage mechanical advantage of the wedge shape in order to more efficiently drive the cutting element 514 into the formation. For example, the cutting element 514 may cut into the formation, based on the wedge shape, with a lower respective weight on bit (WOB) based on the mechanical advantage provided via the wedge shape.

[0057] The wedge faces 531 may be faces formed as a cutout or removal of material from the cutting element 514. For example, the wedge faces 531 may be formed in or on a substrate and / or an ultrahard layer of the cutting element 514. In some cases, such as that shown in FIGS. 5-5 and 5-6, the wedge faces 531 may be planar faces and may intersect the upper surface 520 with a straight line. The wedge faces 531 may be transverse to the cutting element 514, and more specifically, transverse to the upper surface 520. For instance, the wedge faces 531 may intersect the upper surface 520 at one or more points along the perimeter (e.g., or circumference) of the upper surface 520. The wedge faces 539 in this way may remove or slice (e.g., conceptually) an arc of the circular top-down projection of the upper surface 520, as shown in FIG. 5-5.

[0058] In some cases, one or more of the wedge faces 539 may be a curved or non- planar surface and / or may intersect the upper surface 520 with an arc, curve, or non-straight line. For example, FIG. 5-6 illustrates a side view and corresponding top view of an example cutting element 514 having wedge faces 531 that have a convex shape, and that intersect an upper surface 520 with a convex arc or concave curve 590. In another example,

[0059] Turning back now to FIGS. 5-5 and 5-6, the wedge faces 539 may intersect the upper surface 520 in this way at a wedge angle 0w. The wedge angle Gw may be an angleDocket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT(based on a top-down perspective as shown in FIG. 5-5) from the center line 518 to a line of intersection of the wedge face 539 with the upper surface 520. In some embodiments, the wedge angle 0w may be 40°, 42 °, 44°, 46°, 48°, or any value therebetween. In some cases, the wedge angle 0w is at most 47.5°. For example, a wedge angle of 47.5° or less may produce a wedge shape of the cutting element 514 that may achieve sufficient mechanical advantage or leverage for driving the cutting element 514 into the formation with a reduced WOB. In some cases, the cutting element 514 may include two wedge faces 539 that have the same wedge angle 0w, or the wedge faces 539 may have different wedge angles 0w.

[0060] In this way, the wedge faces 539 may form a wedge of the cutting tip 531 that may be generally pointed toward or wedged in the direction of the cutting tip 531. For example, the cutting tip 531 may form a tip of the wedge. The cutting tip 531 may have a width that is a tip width 538 (e.g., a width formed by the wedge faces 531). In some embodiments, the tip width 538 may be 0.05 inches, 0.10 inches, 0.15 inches. 0.20 inches. 0.25 inches, 0.30 inches, or any value therebetween. In some cases, the tip width 538 may be at most 0.215 inches. For example, a tip width 538 of 0.215 inches or less may facilitate implementing the wedge feature, while maintaining sufficient structural integrity at the cutting tip 531 to engage, degrade, and withstand the formation, especially when considering harder formations.

[0061] In some embodiments, the wedge of the cutting tip 531 may be defined based on a cutting angle 0c. The cutting angle 0c may be an angle measured about the center point across the cutting tip 531, or from one end of the cutting tip 531 to another end of the cutting tip 531. For example, the cutting angle 0c may be a span of the tip width 538 as measured by an angle about the center point 515. In some cases, the wedge of the cutting tip 531 may be defined based on the cutting angle 0c, for example, rather than the tip width 538, or the wedge of the cutting tip 531 may be defined by both the cutting angle 0c and the tip width 538. In some embodiments, the cutting angle 0c may be 20°, 25°, 30°, 35°, 40°, 45°, 50°, or any value therebetween. For instance, in some cases the cutting angle 0c may be at most about 34°. For example, a cutting angle 0c of 34° or less may facilitate implementing the wedge feature while maintaining sufficient structural integrity at theDocket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT cutting tip 531 to engage, degrade, and withstand the formation, especially when considering harder formations.

[0062] The wedge faces 539 may be further define based on an angle with which they intersect the cutting element 514 from a profile or side of the cutting element 514. For example, as shown in FIG. 5-6, the wedge faces 539 may be defined by a transverse angle 0T. The transverse angle 0T may be an angle measured along the (e.g., planar surface of the) wedge faces 539 to vertical (e.g., vertical as shown in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the cutting element 514). For example, the transverse angle 0T may be an angle between the wedge faces 539 and the longitudinal axis 517. In some embodiments, the transverse angle 0T may be 5°, 6°, 7°, 8°, 9°, 10°, 11°, 12°, 13°, 14°, 15°, or any value therebetween. In some cases, the traverse angle 0T may be at most 8°. For example, a transverse angle 0T of 8° or less may facilitate forming a wedge shape of the cutting element 514 having sufficient mechanical advantage or leverage for driving the cutting element 514 into the formation with a reduce WOB. In some cases, the cutting element 514 may include two wedge faces 539 that have the same transverse angle 0T, or the wedge faces 539 may have different transverse angles 0i.

[0063] In this way, the cutting element 514 may exhibit the wedge shape for more easily or readily driving the cutting element to larger depths of cut for a given WOB than would otherwise be the case (e.g., without the wedge shape). The wedge shape in accordance with the geometry just discussed may facilitate increasing the aggressiveness of the cutting element 514 while maintaining strength and wear-resistance at the cutting tip 531. In this way, the cutting element 514 may be implemented for a more efficient and effective operation of a downhole tool for forming a wellbore.

[0064] The cutting element 514 herein may be implemented with only one, or multiple of the features described herein in conjunction with FIGS. 5-1 through 5-6. For example, in some cases the cutting element 514 may be implemented with a varying rake angle 534 and may not include the varying flange angle 536. In some cases, the cutting element 514 may be implemented with a varying flange angle 536 and may not include a varying rake angle 534 as described. Either of these features may be implemented with or without a wedge shape. In some cases, the cutting element 514 may include a varying rake angle 534,Docket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT a varying flange angle 536, and the wedge shape. In this way, the cutting element 14 may be implemented in a variety of configurations of the features described herein.

[0065] FIG. 6 illustrates a top view of a cutting element 614, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The cutting element 614 may include an upper surface 620 having any of the features described herein. In particular, the upper surface 620 includes a ridge area 630 that may be substantially similar to the ridge areas of the upper surfaces described herein.

[0066] The ridge area 630 of the upper surface 620 may be oriented and / or defined based on a ridge angle 6R. The ridge angle 6R may be an angle measured from a ridgeline 640 of the ridge area 630 to a center line 618 of the upper surface 620. For instance, the ridgeline 640 may be a line that spans a center of the ridge area 630, such as through a middle of the ridge area 630 or bisecting the area of the ridge area 630. The ridgeline 640- 1 may follow an upper extent of a profile of the ridge area 630, The ridge angle 0R may be from 0° (e.g., aligned with the center line 618) to 30°. The ridge area 630, being oriented with the ridge angle OR, may facilitate better aligning the ridge area 630 with specific forces or stresses acting on a cutting tip 631 to provide strength to the cutting tip 631. For example, given a placement and / or orientation of the cutting element 614 on a downhole tool, and given the rotation of the downhole tool, the cutting element 614 may engage the formation at a certain angle and / or with a certain orientation which may cause forces to act on the cutting tip 631 that may not necessarily be in a normal direction (e g., in a N-S direction). In this way, angling the ridge area 630-based on the ridge angle OR may facilitate tailoring the cutting element 614 to the specific forces and directionality of its configuration within a downhole tool.

[0067] The ridge area 630 of the upper surface 620 may be non-linear and / or may be curved. For example, a ridgeline 640 may span a center of the ridge are 630 and / or a center of the ridge area 620 may follow the ridgeline 640. The ridgeline 640 may be curved at one or more locations. The ridgeline 640 may exhibit a curve in or towards a NW direction. The ridgeline 640 may exhibit any other curved or non-linear shape in any direction, including multiple curved portions. The ridgeline 640 being curved in this way may facilitate aligning the ridge area 630 with the directionality of applied forces on the cutting element 614 for providing structural strength as needed in certain areas of the upper surfaceDocket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT620. In some embodiments, a curved ridge area 630 may facilitate the upper surface 620 having one or more slopes or plow features for facilitating the flow and / or removal of cutting elements from certain parts of the upper surface 620 and / or the cuttings flowing off the upper surface 620 at certain locations, which may facilitate clearing cuttings from a downhole tool in a desired location.

[0068] FIGS. 7-1 through 7-4 illustrate various profiles for upper surfaces 720-1 to 720-4 of example cutting elements 714-1 to 714-4, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The profiles may be views of cross-sections through a centerline of the associated cutting element. As shown in these figures, the profiles may define various geometries for cutting tips 731-1 to 731-4, as well as ridge areas 730-1 to 730-4. For instance, as shown in FIG. 7-1, the upper surface 720-1 may exhibit a negative rake angle at or near the cutting tip 731-1, and the upper surface 720-1 may transition to a positive rake angle towards the longitudinal axis 717-1. Additionally, the upper surfaces 720-1 to 720-4 may exhibit different varieties of varying concavities along their profiles, including at or near the cutting tips 731-1 to 731-4 and through the ridge areas 730-1 to 730-4. The example cutting elements 714-1 to 714-4 illustrate how an upper surface may be configured with any number of different profiles, for example, such that aggressiveness, strength, and wear-resistance may be varied along the upper surface, as well as different configurations for distributing stresses and loads through the cutting element.

[0069] FIGS. 8-1 to 8-4 illustrate top views of various cutting elements 814-1 to 814- 4 (collectively 814), according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. In some cases, a cutting element may be configured with a recess (collectively 850) formed in an upper surface of the cutting element. For example, the cutting elements 814-1 to 814- 4 may be configured with recesses 830-1 to 830-4, respectively, having various shapes and / or configurations. The recesses 850 may be illustrative of only some potential recesses, and the cutting element 814 may be configured with recesses having any shape, size, orientation, or configuration, for example, other than that shown. For instance, the recesses 850 may be shapes that are symmetrical, asymmetrical, irregular, or any other shape. The recesses 850 may be shapes having any number of sides, including no sides (e.g., recess 850-4).Docket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT

[0070] The recesses 850 may be formed as indents, channels, grooves, holes, pockets, or other recessing geometry formed in the cutting element 814 and extending from the upper surface down into the body of the cutting element 814. The recesses 850 may provide structural integrity to the cutting element 814 and / or may facilitate distributing stresses throughout the cutting element 814. In some cases, the recesses 850 may be thermal recesses for facilitating cooling the cutting element 814, for example, in high-friction-based formations.INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0071] The following description from section Al through section Cl includes various embodiments that, where feasible, may be combined in any permutation. For example, the embodiment of section Al may be combined with any or all embodiments of the following sections. Any permutation of the following sections is considered to be hereby disclosed for the purposes of providing “unambiguously derivable support” for any claim amendment based on the following sections. Furthermore, the following sections provide support such that any combination of the following sections would not create an “intermediate generalization.”Al. A cutting element, comprising: a body defining an upper surface, including: a cutting tip, wherein a backrake angle of the body varies along the upper surface from the cutting tip toward a longitudinal axis of the body; a back tip positioned opposite the cutting tip, wherein the cutting tip and the back tip are each positioned above a center point of the upper surface positioned at the longitudinal axis of the body; and a first lateral side between the cutting tip and the back tip, the first lateral side being positioned below the center point, wherein a flange angle of the body varies along the upper surface from the cutting tip toward the longitudinal axis.A2. The cutting element of Al, wherein the backrake angle of the body increases along the upper surface from the cutting tip towards the longitudinal axis.Docket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCTA3. The cutting element of Al or A2, wherein the backrake angle of the body at the cutting tip is 0°.A4. The cutting element of any of A1-A3, wherein the backrake angle of the body increases along the upper surface from the cutting tip to 15°.A5. The cutting element of any of A1-A4, wherein a portion of the upper surface defined between the cutting tip, the first lateral side, and the center point is nonpl anar.A6. The cutting element of A5, wherein the portion of the upper surface has a nonconstant concavity.A7. The cutting element of any of A1-A6, wherein the flange angle of the body increases along the upper surface from the cutting tip towards the longitudinal axis.A8. The cutting element of any of A1-A7, wherein the flange angle of the body at the cutting tip is 0°.A9. The cutting element of any of A1-A8, the upper surface further comprising a ridge area extending along a ridgeline defined from the cutting tip across the upper surface, wherein the upper surface slopes downward from the ridge area in a lateral direction.A10. The cutting element of any of A1-A19, wherein the ridgeline and the ridge area extend from the cutting tip to the back tip.Al 1. The cutting element of A9, wherein the ridgeline and the ridge area extend from the cutting tip at a ridge angle.Docket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCTA12. The cutting element of any of Al-Al l, wherein the upper surface does not include any hard transitions.A13. The cutting element of any of A1-A12, further comprising a wedge face formed in the body between the cutting tip and the first lateral side and transverse to the upper surface.A14. The cutting element of A13, wherein the wedge face is planar.A15. The cutting element of A13 or A14, wherein the wedge face is transverse to the upper surface such that the cutting tip has a cutting angle about the center point of the upper surface that is no more than 34°.A16. The cutting element of any of A13-A15, wherein the wedge face has a transverse angle of no more than 8° from the longitudinal axis.Al 7. The cutting element of any of Al 3-Al 6, wherein the wedge face has a wedge angle of no more than 47.5° from a center line of the upper surface.A18. The cutting element of any of A13-A17, wherein the upper surface is formed in an ultrahard layer joined to a substrate.Bl. A cutting element, comprising: a body defining an upper surface, including: a cutting tip, wherein a backrake angle of the body varies along the upper surface from the cutting tip toward a longitudinal axis of the body; a back tip positioned opposite the cutting tip, wherein the cutting tip and the back tip are each positioned above a center point of the upper surface positioned at the longitudinal axis of the body;Docket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT a first lateral side between the cutting tip and the back tip, the first lateral side being positioned below the center point, wherein a flange angle of the body varies along the upper surface from the cutting tip toward the longitudinal axis; a first wedge face formed in the body between the cutting tip and the first lateral side and transverse to the upper surface; a second lateral side between the cutting tip and the back tip, the second lateral side being positioned below the center point; and a second wedge face formed in the body between the cutting tip and the second lateral side, the first wedge face and the second wedge face defining a tip width of the cutting tip.Cl. A system, comprising: a downhole tool for forming a wellbore; at least one cutting structure extending from the downhole tool; and a plurality of cutting elements positioned on the at least one cutting structure for engaging a formation to form the wellbore, the plurality of cutting elements each comprising: a body defining an upper surface, including: a cutting tip, wherein a backrake angle of the body varies along the upper surface from the cutting tip toward a longitudinal axis of the body; a back tip positioned opposite the cutting tip, wherein the cutting tip and the back tip are each positioned above a center point of the upper surface positioned at the longitudinal axis of the body; and a first lateral side between the cutting tip and the back tip, the first lateral side being positioned below the center point, wherein a flange angle of the body varies along the upper surface from the cutting tip toward the longitudinal axis.Docket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT

[0072] The embodiments of the cutting elements herein have been primarily described with reference to wellbore drilling operations; the cutting elements described herein may be used in applications other than the drilling of a wellbore. In other embodiments, the cutting elements according to the present disclosure may be used outside a wellbore or other downhole environment used for the exploration or production of natural resources. For instance, the cutting elements of the present disclosure may be used in a borehole used for placement of utility lines. Accordingly, the terms “wellbore,” “borehole” and the like should not be interpreted to limit tools, systems, assemblies, or methods of the present disclosure to any particular industry, field, or environment.

[0073] One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. These described embodiments are examples of the presently disclosed techniques. Additionally, in an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual embodiment may be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous embodiment-specific decisions will be made to achieve the developers’ specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one embodiment to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

[0074] Additionally, it should be understood that references to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. For example, any element described in relation to an embodiment herein may be combinable with any element of any other embodiment described herein. Numbers, percentages, ratios, or other values stated herein are intended to include that value, and also other values that are “about” or “approximately” the stated value, as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art encompassed by embodiments of the present disclosure. A stated value should therefore be interpreted broadly enough to encompass values that are at least close enough to the stated value to perform a desired function or achieve a desired result. The stated values include at least the variation to be expected in a suitable manufacturing orDocket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT production process, and may include values that are within 5%, within 1%, within 0.1%, or within 0.01% of a stated value.

[0075] A person having ordinary skill in the art should realize in view of the present disclosure that equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and that various changes, substitutions, and alterations may be made to embodiments disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Equivalent constructions, including functional “means-plus-function” clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function, including both structural equivalents that operate in the same manner, and equivalent structures that provide the same function. It is the express intention of the applicant not to invoke means-plus-function or other functional claiming for any claim except for those in which the words ‘means for’ appear together with an associated function. Each addition, deletion, and modification to the embodiments that falls within the meaning and scope of the claims is to be embraced by the claims.

[0076] The terms “approximately,” “about,” and “substantially” as used herein represent an amount close to the stated amount that is within standard manufacturing or process tolerances, or which still performs a desired function or achieves a desired result. For example, the terms “approximately,” “about,” and “substantially” may refer to an amount that is within less than 5% of, within less than 1% of, within less than 0.1% of, and within less than 0.01% of a stated amount. Further, it should be understood that any directions or reference frames in the preceding description are merely relative directions or movements. For example, any references to “up” and “down” or “above” or “below” are merely descriptive of the relative position or movement of the related elements. Additionally, as used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0077] The present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the disclosure is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Claims

Docket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCTCLAIMS1. A cutting element, comprising: a body defining an upper surface, including: a cutting tip, wherein a backrake angle of the body varies along the upper surface from the cutting tip toward a longitudinal axis of the body; a back tip positioned opposite the cutting tip, wherein the cutting tip and the back tip are each positioned above a center point of the upper surface positioned at the longitudinal axis of the body; and a first lateral side between the cutting tip and the back tip, the first lateral side being positioned below the center point, wherein a flange angle of the body varies along the upper surface from the cutting tip toward the longitudinal axis.

2. The cutting element of claim 1, wherein the backrake angle of the body increases along the upper surface from the cutting tip towards the longitudinal axis.

3. The cutting element of claim 1, wherein the backrake angle of the body at the cutting tip is 0°.

4. The cutting element of claim 1, wherein the backrake angle of the body increases along the upper surface from the cutting tip to 15° at the center point of the upper axis.

5. The cutting element of claim 1, wherein a portion of the upper surface defined between the cutting tip, the first lateral side, and the center point is concave.

6. The cutting element of claim 5, wherein a concavity of the portion of the upper surface is variable.

7. The cutting element of claim 1, wherein the flange angle of the body increases along the upper surface from the cutting tip towards the longitudinal axis.Docket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT8. The cutting element of claim 1, wherein the flange angle of the body at the cutting tip is 0°.

9. The cutting element of claim 1, the upper surface further comprising a ridge area extending along a ridgeline defined from the cutting tip across the upper surface, wherein the upper surface slopes downward from the ridge area in a lateral direction.

10. The cutting element of claim 9, wherein the ridgeline and the ridge area extend from the cutting tip to the back tip.

11. The cutting element of claim 9, wherein the ridgeline and the ridge area extend from the cutting tip at a non-zero ridge angle.

12. The cutting element of claim 1, wherein the upper surface does not include any hard transitions.

13. The cutting element of claim 1, further comprising a wedge face formed in the body between the cutting tip and the first lateral side and transverse to the upper surface.

14. The cutting element of claim 13, wherein the wedge face is planar.

15. The cutting element of claim 13, wherein the wedge face is transverse to the upper surface such that the cutting tip has a cutting angle about the center point of the upper surface that is no more than 34°.

16. The cutting element of claim 13, wherein the wedge face has a transverse angle from the longitudinal axis of 8° or less.Docket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT17. The cutting element of claim 13, wherein the wedge face has a wedge angle of no more than 47.5° from a center line of the upper surface.

18. The cutting element of claim 13, wherein the upper surface is formed in an ultrahard layer joined to a substrate.

19. A cutting element, comprising: a body defining an upper surface, including: a cutting tip, wherein a backrake angle of the body varies along the upper surface from the cutting tip toward a longitudinal axis of the body; a back tip positioned opposite the cutting tip, wherein the cutting tip and the back tip are each positioned above a center point of the upper surface positioned at the longitudinal axis of the body; a first lateral side between the cutting tip and the back tip, the first lateral side being positioned below the center point, wherein a flange angle of the body varies along the upper surface from the cutting tip toward the longitudinal axis; a first wedge face formed in the body between the cutting tip and the first lateral side and transverse to the upper surface; a second lateral side between the cutting tip and the back tip, the second lateral side being positioned below the center point; and a second wedge face formed in the body between the cutting tip and the second lateral side, the first wedge face and the second wedge face defining a tip width of the cutting tip.

20. A system, comprising: a downhole tool for forming a wellbore; at least one cutting structure extending from the downhole tool; and a plurality of cutting elements positioned on the at least one cutting structure for engaging a formation to form the wellbore, the plurality of cutting elements each comprising:Docket No. IS24.1422-WO-PCT a body defining an upper surface, including: a cutting tip, wherein a backrake angle of the body varies along the upper surface from the cutting tip toward a longitudinal axis of the body; a back tip positioned opposite the cutting tip, wherein the cutting tip and the back tip are each positioned above a center point of the upper surface positioned at the longitudinal axis of the body; and a first lateral side between the cutting tip and the back tip, the first lateral side being positioned below the center point, wherein a flange angle of the body varies along the upper surface from the cutting tip toward the longitudinal axis.

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