A method for manufacturing a fixed cutter
drill bit for drilling an earthen formation, the
drill bit including a bit body, the method including (a) preparing a powdered
metal matrix mixture including 5.0 wt% to 20.0 wt% of a plurality of
large size particles having mesh sizes
ranging from 80 mesh to 200 mesh. The plurality of
large size particles consist essentially of a plurality of crushed cast
tungsten carbide (WC) particles, a plurality of
macrocrystalline WC particles, a plurality of spherical cast WC particles, a plurality of
tungsten (W) particles, or a combination thereof. The powdered
metal matrix mixture also includes at least 50.0 wt% of a plurality of medium size particles having mesh sizes
ranging from 200 mesh to 325 mesh. The plurality of medium size particles consist essentially of a plurality of spherical cast WC particles. The powdered
metal matrix mixture further includes a plurality of small size particles having mesh sizes
ranging from 325 mesh to 600 mesh. The plurality of small size particles consist essentially of (i) a plurality of small size metal or
metal alloy particles, and (ii) a plurality of small size
macrocrystalline WC particles, a plurality of small size carburized WC particles, a plurality of small size spherical cast WC particles, a plurality of small size W particles, or a combination thereof. The powdered metal matrix mixture still further includes 5.0 wt% to 20.0 wt% of the plurality of small size
macrocrystalline WC particles, the plurality of small size carburized WC particles, the plurality of small size spherical cast WC particles, or the combination thereof. The powdered metal matrix mixture also includes 0.0 wt% to 10.0 wt% of the plurality of small size W particles and 0.0 wt% to 7.0 wt% of the plurality of small size metal or
metal alloy particles. In addition, the method includes (b) placing the powdered metal matrix mixture in a mold after (a). Further, the method includes (c) positioning an infiltration
alloy on top of the powdered metal matrix mixture in the mold after (b). Still further, the method includes (d) heating the mold, the powdered metal matrix mixture in the mold, and the infiltration
alloy after (c) to melt the metal or
metal alloy particles and melt the infiltration
alloy. Moreover, the method includes (e) infiltrating the powdered metal matrix mixture with the melted metal or metal alloy and the melted infiltration alloy during (d). The method also includes (f) cooling the mold, the melted metal or metal alloy, and the melted infiltration alloy to solidify the melted metal or metal alloy and solidify the melted infiltration alloy after (e) to form the bit body.