Cutting Table Ridge Structures for Drilling Wear Resistance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional cutting tables and earth-boring tools experience wear and damage due to high temperatures, axial loads, and impact forces during drilling, leading to decreased efficiency and operational life.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of cutting tables with ridge structures made of hard materials, which provide enhanced impact resistance, control spalling damage, and facilitate cooling, integrated into cutting elements and earth-boring tools.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional cutting tables are used without ridge structures, then the device complexity is low, but the reliability and operational life decrease due to wear and damage from high temperatures, axial loads, and impact forces

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperational lifeVSAvoidstructure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cutting table is segmented into a base structure and one or more ridge structures that vertically extend from the base. This segmentation allows the ridge structures to specifically address impact resistance and spalling control while the base structure provides the fundamental cutting function, thereby improving reliability without uniformly increasing complexity across the entire cutting table.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The ridge structures are positioned at specific locations on the cutting table (vertically extending from the base structure) to provide localized enhancement of impact resistance and spalling control. This local quality approach ensures that additional structural elements are placed only where needed to address wear and damage from impact forces, rather than uniformly increasing complexity throughout the entire cutting table structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Productivity

If cutting tables are subjected to high temperatures and impact forces during drilling, then the productivity and cutting efficiency are maintained, but the cutting tables experience wear, thermal damage, chipping, and spalling

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecutting efficiencyVSAvoidcutting table integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The ridge structures are designed beforehand to absorb and distribute impact forces before they can cause damage to the cutting table. By positioning the ridge structures to vertically extend from the base structure, they create a cushioning effect that mitigates the harmful effects of impact forces and thermal damage before they reach critical levels that would cause chipping or spalling.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Solution Approach 2:

The ridge structures convert the harmful impact forces and thermal stresses into beneficial effects by using these forces to engage the ridge structures themselves, which are designed to withstand and distribute these loads. The impact forces that would normally cause damage are instead channeled through the ridge structures, which dissipate the energy and protect the base structure from direct damage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Strength

If the cutting table structure is simplified without ridge structures, then the manufacturing and design are easier, but the impact resistance and spalling control are insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimpact resistanceVSAvoidcutting table structure

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cutting table is divided into functional segments: a base structure for fundamental cutting operations and ridge structures for specialized impact resistance and spalling control. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function, achieving high impact resistance without requiring complete redesign of the entire cutting table structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The ridge structures add a vertical dimension to the cutting table structure, extending upward from the base structure. This dimensional addition provides enhanced impact resistance and spalling control by creating a three-dimensional structure that can absorb and distribute forces more effectively than a flat, two-dimensional cutting table surface.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS10519723B2Cutting tables including ridge structures, related cutting elements, and earth-boring tools so equipped

Publication Date: 2019.12.31 BAKER HUGHES CO

AI summary

A cutting table for use in subterranean formations comprises a base structure of hard material and at least one ridge structure of hard material. The base structure comprises a side surface, an upper surface, and a cutting edge between the upper surface and the side surface. The at least one ridge structure vertically extends from the base structure and is positioned horizontally inward of the cutting edge. A cutting element for use in subterranean formations and an earth-boring tool are also described.