Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
METHODS AND APPLICATIONS OF WEAR RESISTANT MATERIAL
ENHANCED VIA MATRIX AND HARD-PHASE OPTIMIZATION
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present description relates in general to wear resistant materials,
including
methods and applications of wear resistant material enhanced via matrix and
hard-phase
optimization.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In the field of oil and gas exploration and production, a downhole
drilling tool,
such as a rotary steerable tool, typically uses a hard or highly wear
resistant material for
drilling, and/or pushing against the wellbore formation. Hardfacing of metal
surfaces and
substrates is a well-known technique to minimize or prevent erosion and
abrasion of the
metal surface or substrate. Because hardfacing parts are expected to wear,
they require
replacement on a regular basis, and therefore minimization of cost and
servicing of the parts
is desired. Thus, there is a need for enhanced wear resistant material that
can be used in
superior hardfacing drilling parts that can prolong the utility life of the
tools while
minimizing the cost for both the parts and servicing thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] The following figures are included to illustrate certain aspects of the
present
disclosure, and should not be viewed as exclusive embodiments. The subject
matter
disclosed is capable of considerable modifications, alterations, combinations,
and equivalents
in form and function, without departing from the scope of this disclosure.
[0004] FIG. 1 shows a table of wear resistant materials with values of their
hardness and
abrasion resistance factor.
[0005] FIG. 2 shows a process flow for forming a hardfacing member that can be
attached to a drilling tool.
[0006] FIG. 3A shows an illustration of a hardfacing member disposed on an
outer
surface of a rotary steerable pad.
[0007] FIG. 3B shows a laser-applied hardfacing member with a net shape, which
does
not require further shape forming, such as grinding, to achieve the desired
final shape.
1
CA 3050270 2019-07-19
[0008] FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate an embodiment of a removable substrate on a
main body.
[0009] FIGS. 5A and 5B show an embodiment of a removable hardfacing member
attached to a main body.
[0010] FIGS. 6A and 6B show images of a piston with a brazed attachment of a
sintered
part made of tungsten carbide and diamond.
[0011] In one or more implementations, not all of the depicted components in
each figure
may be required, and one or more implementations may include additional
components not
shown in a figure. Variations in the arrangement and type of the components
may be made
without departing from the scope of the subject disclosure. Additional
components, different
components, or fewer components may be utilized within the scope of the
subject disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] The preferred embodiments of the present invention and its advantages
are best
understood by referring to FIGS. 1-6 of the drawings, like numerals being used
for like and
corresponding parts of the various drawings.
[0013] The present disclosure includes various hardfacing methods, such as to
protect
wear surfaces of drill bits and other downhole tools used in the oil and gas
industry.
Hardfacing generally involves applying a layer of hard, abrasion resistant
material to a less
resistant surface or substrate by plating, welding, spraying or other
deposition techniques.
[0014] Generally, the hardfacing members or parts can be made from metal or
metallic
alloy matrix materials. A metal matrix material may be formed as a hard,
abrasion, erosion
and/or wear resistant material, which may be layered on a working surface
and/or substrate to
protect the working surface and/or substrate from abrasion, erosion and/or
wear. A "metallic
alloy matrix material" is a metal matrix material that can constitute alloy
matrix from either
paramagnetic family or ferromagnetic family. Various materials can be used in
the matrix of
the metal matrix material, such as cobalt, chromium, niobium, nickel,
titanium, boron,
molybdenum, aluminum, copper, carbon, manganese, vanadium, silicon, iron and
alloys
thereof. In addition, the metal matrix material can include hard, abrasion
resistant materials
and/or particles dispersed therein and bonded thereto. In some
implementations, various types
of tungsten carbide particles or encapsulated diamond particles having an
optimum weight
2
CA 3050270 2019-07-19
percentage of binder or binding material may be included as part of a metal
matrix material of
the hardfacing member or part in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0015] A metal matrix material may be formed from a wide range of metal alloys
and
hard materials. FIG. 1 is a table 100 of example wear resistant materials,
with nominal
values of their hardness and abrasion resistance factors. Some of the wear
resistant materials
shown in the table 100 can be used as the base metal matrix material for
embedding or
bonding to a plurality of hard phase particles for forming a hardfacing member
as described
herein. FIG. 1 includes materials available from Weartech International
(Weartech is a
registered trademark of Lincoln Global, Inc.), such as 5H59192P, 5HS9290P,
5H59500P,
SHS9700P and 5H59800P, which are examples of a group of materials generally
referred to
herein as "nanosteel," "nanosteel alloys," or "nanosteel alloy family",
possess high hardness
and high abrasion resistance, and thus suitable to be used a metal matrix
material for
embedding or bonding to a plurality of hard phase particles for forming a
hardfacing member
as described herein. In some embodiments, the nanosteel includes a metal
matrix material
having nanocrystalline grains having an average grain size less than one
micrometer.
[0016] A plurality of hard phase particles as described herein include
materials, such as
tungsten carbide, encapsulated diamond, sintered diamond, or similar hard
phase materials.
The term "tungsten carbide" or "WC" may include monotungsten carbide (WC),
ditungsten
carbide (W2C), macrocrystalline tungsten carbide. The term "encapsulated
diamond" refers
to particles of diamond substantially or completely coated with a coating,
where a coating
includes a coating of carbide material, such as a tungsten carbide or a
borocarbide.
[0017] The technologies described herein include methods of enhancing wear
resistant
material that can be used in superior hardfacing drilling parts or components
that can prolong
the utility life of the tools while minimizing the cost for both the parts and
servicing thereof.
Various welding processes are generally available, the particular uses of
which are more
particularly described herein, in forming hardfacing (e.g. a hardfacing member
described
herein). The welding processes available to heat a metal matrix material
include plasma
transfer arc (PTA), Oxyacetylene, gas metal arc welding (GMAW), and laser. The
lower-heat
welding processes are preferred, most particularly laser. Among the various
welding
techniques available, laser generally has the lowest heat input, potentially
resulting in the
smallest heat affected zone (HAZ), but for certain technical challenges. In
one aspect, the
metal matrix material may be heated using a laser, and an energy input from
the laser process
3
CA 3050270 2019-07-19
may be adjusted to increase interfacial strength between the plurality of
particles and the
metal matrix material. Another aspect of forming a hardfacing member include
adjusting a
laser or a PTA process to incorporate a plurality of particles into a metal
matrix material,
including amorphous iron-based materials, such as a nanosteel alloy, for
hardfacing
applications.
[0018] The methods also include forming a hardfacing member comprising a
plurality of
(hard phase) particles embedded in a metal matrix material, and wherein the
plurality of
particles includes at least one of the hard phase materials: tungsten carbide,
encapsulated
diamond, sintered diamond, or similar hard phase materials.
[0019] In some embodiments, the methods include attaching the hardfacing
member to a
main body, such as a drilling component or a rotary steerable tool, via at
least one of: brazing,
a removable mechanism using a copper shim or gasket, or a custom designed
material
combination of using a gradient of a soft material and a hard material. In
some embodiments,
the method of attaching the hardfacing member to the main body is such that
the member can
be removed from the main body and replaced with a new piece after it is worn,
thereby
saving the base material in the main body for continued use.
[0020] As described herein, the methods used for attaching the hardfacing
member to the
main body include a dovetail joint, shrink fit and any other swappable or
removable
attachment mechanism. In some embodiments, a copper shim or gasket is used to
form fit or
tight fit the hardfacing member into a slot designed specifically to
accommodate the
hardfacing member onto the main body. Rather than applying the hardfacing
member
directly to the main body, such as through a welding process to permanently
adjoin the two
parts, the methods disclosed herein include forming a hardfacing member
separately and then
attaching it at a later time to the main body via a removable mechanism.
[0021] Welding
or brazing the hardfacing member to the main body is also contemplated
as a process of attaching the member. In certain implementations of the
methods herein,
welding or brazing is done such that the welded or brazed joint could be
removed by a
process such as grinding, thereby allowing the hardfacing member to be readily
removed.
Additionally, a welded joint could be used in combination with the dovetail
joint to provide a
secondary or primary means to prevent the hardfacing member from coming
separated
downhole. A continuous joint or tack weld could be used. Furthermore, the
hardfacing
4
CA 3050270 2019-07-19
member does not have to be removable and it could still provide benefits in
regards to
manufacturability and cost.
100221 Advantageously the methods described herein can offer overall cost
savings of the
hardfacing members on rotary steerable tools, compared to current approaches
that incur high
maintenance costs. The methods offer the potential to minimize cost of the
parts and cost of
servicing by simplifying the manufacturing process by specializing the forming
process. For
example, specializing the process of forming a hardfacing member and scaling
up the
production of it can decrease per piece cost of the hardfacing member.
Further, overall costs
may also be reduced by being able to remove and replace only the worn
hardfacing member
while keeping the main body from damaging from repeated impact loads to be
reusable, or
recyclable for further use.
100231 Another benefit of producing the hardfacing member as a separate and
individual
part, is that the hardfacing member can be designed for increased performance,
i.e., better
wear resistance, and/or minimal cost.
[0024] An individual hardfacing member can be made several different ways with
several
different hardfacing materials and processes. The hardfacing materials and
processes include
laser applied WC and diamond, WC and diamond inserts in a matrix material, and
sintered
diamond and carbide particles in a WC matrix. In some embodiments, the
hardfacing
member can be produced via a number of different combinations of processing
technique and
material composition, including using a laser applied WC powder with a metal
matrix, a
sinter hipped WC encapsulated diamond, functionally graded sinter hipped WC
plus
encapsulated diamond plus softer graded substrates, thermally stable
polycrystalline (TSP)
diamond and TSP diamond coated with WC in a metal matrix, a laser applied
diamond
powder with a metal matrix, TSP diamond inserts in a metal matrix, WC inserts
in a metal
matrix, Oxy applied hardfacing in rod or wire form in a metal matrix,
polycrystalline
diamond compacts (PCD) inserts pressed or brazed, along with a WC and metal
matrix or
sintered hardfacing.
[0025] In some embodiments, the methods also include using a combination of
large and
small particles for the reinforcing different phases in the matrix as well as
for optimizing the
packing fraction of the particle-matrix mixture and for increasing wear
resistance of the
resulting mixture. In some embodiments, the methods include strengthening the
interfacial
CA 3050270 2019-07-19
strength between with the hard phase particles and the metal matrix material,
such as for
example by improving the carbide-matrix interface or the encapsulated diamond-
matrix
interface to reduce the pull-out of these hard phase particles when the
hardfacing member
undergoes abrasive wear. The pull-out of hard particles is a major issue with
currently
available tools and the interfacial properties are limiting the overall
effectiveness of the hard
particles. Pull-out can occur when sufficient matrix surrounding the particles
is worn away,
for example when approximately half of the particle is no longer surrounded by
the matrix.
[0026] Nanosteel materials shown in FIG. 1 as a metal matrix material has
excellent wear
resistance. The Nano-structured hard carbide phases embedded in the nanosteel
matrix
material substantially improves the matrix wear behavior. The nanosteel matrix
material can
reduce preferential matrix wear and pull-out behavior for the harder phase
particles and
therefore, has the potential to fundamentally change the wear mechanism and
dramatically
improve the wear performance. In some embodiments, the material is available
in powder,
wires, rods making it useable to a wide range of processes, including laser
process, PTA,
Oxyacetylene, and any other suitable processes.
100271 The nanosteel alloy family includes a number of alloys that are
customizable
matrices based on the desired mechanical properties. The choice of matrix
added to a diverse
range of processes and a wide array of customizable hard phase materials and
particles with
varying sizes, phase fractions and material types. Since iron is generally
less expensive than
nickel, nanosteel matrix material is less expensive compared to the nickel
based matrix
material. Therefore, nanosteel based hardfacing family can be a less expensive
alternative for
all drilling tools that currently utilize non-ferromagnetic based matrix
materials.
[00281 In some implementations, the nanosteel matrix material is applied with
the
automated robotic laser process to produce components, such as rotary
steerable pads. The
application of the laser process to directly produce a final form is possible
due to the accuracy
of the laser process, thus reducing cost related to additional steps in the
manufacture of the
part. Any reduction in the processing complexity or cost can lead to further
adoption of the
specific method, such as the laser process, which in turns lead to a wider
usage of the parts
and components made using the specific method. If the nanosteel matrix
material is applied
with the laser process, used downhole worn parts can be repaired or
refurbished to a new
condition because the low heat input of the laser localizes the heat transfer
to the worn area
being repaired or refurbished. And since the localized heating does not
distort other areas of
6
CA 3050270 2019-07-19
the downhole parts, the remainder of the downhole parts, such as the body of a
rotary
steerable pad, which is the expensive component, can be salvaged.
100291 FIG. 2 shows a process flow 200 for forming a hardfacing member that
can be
attached to a drilling tool. The process flow 200 begins with step 202 for
heating a metal
matrix material. Such heating can occur via at least one of: plasma transfer
arc process,
oxyacetylene process, gas metal arc welding process, or laser process. At step
204, a
plurality of particles are injected into the heated metal matrix material
thereby forming a
mixture. In some embodiments, the plurality of particles are injected via an
injection process
that utilizes a feed system that includes, such as for example, feeding
hoppers. In some
embodiments, the metal matrix material in powder form as well as the plurality
of particles
are pre-blended and fed into the hoppers. Step 206 allows one or more
parameters of the
selected process in step 202 can be used to increase interfacial strength
between the plurality
of particles and the metal matrix material. In some embodiments, the
interfacial strength is
optimized by the selection of the matrix metal material and heat input from
the selected
source.
[0030] At step 208, the mixture is disposed on at least a portion of a
substrate thereby
forming a hardfacing member having a particle-embedded metal matrix material.
In some
embodiments, the mixture containing the plurality of particles and the metal
matrix material
falls through the hopper onto the substrate as the selected process (such as,
a laser process)
melts the mixture onto the substrate. In some embodiments, the bonding
strength at the
interface between the plurality of particles and the metal matrix material can
be increased so
that the pull-out of the particles can be minimized. The higher the
interfacial or bonding
strength, the higher the resistance and abrasive properties the hardfacing
member containing
the particle-embedded metal matrix material possesses. Once the hardfacing
member is
formed or produced, step 210 directs attaching the hardfacing member to a main
body, e.g.,
via at least one of: brazing or a removable mechanism. In some embodiments,
attaching the
hardfacing member to the main body includes the use of a dovetail joint,
shrink fit and any
other swappable or removable attachment mechanism. In some embodiments, a
copper shim
or gasket is used to form fit or tight fit the hardfacing member into a slot
designed
specifically to accommodate the hardfacing member onto the main body.
[0031] FIG. 3A shows an illustration of a hardfacing member 320 disposed on an
outer
surface of a rotary steerable pad 300. The hardfacing member 320 is used for
protection of
7
CA 3050270 2019-07-19
the rotary steerable component. FIG. 3B shows a laser-applied hardfacing
member 350 with
a net shape, which does not require a further shape forming step, such as
grinding, to achieve
the desired final shape.
100321 FIG. 4A shows an embodiment of a rotary steerable pad 400 that has
removable
hardfacing members 420 and 422 that can be removably attached. As shown in
FIG. 4A, the
hardfacing members 420 and 422 are shown as installed on the main body of the
rotary
steerable pad 400.
[0033] For this embodiment, the hardfacing members can be removable attached
to a
main body by shrink fit, dovetail grooves. As shown in FIG. 4B, hardfacing
members 420
and 422 can be removed from the main body of the rotary steerable pad 400. The
hardfacing
members 420 and 422 can slide out of dovetail grooves 430 from the main body
of the rotary
steerable pad 400 thereby being removeably attached to the main body. One or
more dovetail
grooves 430 can be used to secure each of hardfacing members 420 and 422 onto
the main
body of the rotary steerable pad 400. FIG. 4C depicts an underside of
hardfacing member
422 showing dovetail rails 440 which fit into the dovetail grooves 430 in the
main body of
the rotary steerable pad 400.
[0034] In some embodiments, an adhesive can also be used as an attachment
mechanism
because the large amount of available surface/contact area under a hardfacing
member, such
as harfacing members 420 and 422, and on the main body of a rotary steerable
pad (e.g.,
400). In other embodiments, brazing the dovetail joint is advantageously
provides a stronger
attachment to join hardfacing members (e.g., 420 and 422) to a main body of
the rotary
steerable pad (e.g., 400).
[0035] FIG. 5A shows an embodiment of a removable hardfacing member 520
attached
to a main body 500. The hardfacing member 520 shown in FIG. 5A has a curved
surface that
accommodates the curved shape of the main body 500 it is designed to protect.
[0036] FIG. 5B shows the hardfacing member 520 removed from the main body 500.
As
described herein, the hardfacing member 520 can be formed with the desired
curve surface
prior to installation on the main body 500. For example, the curved surface of
the hardfacing
member 520 is designed to fit into a curve surface of a slot 560 of the main
body 500. In
some embodiments, an adhesive can also be used as an attachment mechanism
because the
large amount of available surface/contact area under the hardfacing member 520
and of the
8
CA 3050270 2019-07-19
slot 560 of the main body 500. In other embodiments, brazing the hardfacing
member 520 is
another advantageous method of adjoining the hardfacing member 520 to the main
body 500.
[0037] In some
embodiments, the hardfacing member of the present disclosure comprises
a single piece of any of the particle-embedded metal matrix material,
including sintered
material made of WC matrix and WC and/or diamond particles. In some
embodiments, the
hardfacing member is brazed to the main body of the pad. In some embodiments,
the
hardfacing member can include a plurality of hardfacing pieces. In some
embodiments, the
impact toughness of the hardfacing member is increased by increasing the
thickness of the
hardfacing member or by adjusting the composition of the particle-embedded
metal matrix
material.
100381 In some embodiments, the impact toughness of the hardfacing member is
increased by the use of a ductile sheet of metal between the hardfacing and
the main body of
the pad. The ductile sheet can be a metal ductile sheet, such as a copper
sheet, an aluminum
sheet, etc. For example, the ductile sheet would act as a soft material that
would deform and
absorb the impact energy, while reducing the overall stiffness of the
hardfacing member-main
body of the pad.
[0039] FIG. 6A shows an image of a piston with a brazed attachment of a
sintered part
made of tungsten carbide and diamond. FIG. 6B shows an image of another type
of a piston
with a brazed attachment of a sintered part made of tungsten carbide and
diamond. The
sintered carbide with diamond impregnation has been observed in adjustable
gauge
stabilizers. However, the brazed attachment of sintered part made of WC and
diamond
cannot be removed from the piston, whereas the methods and application
described herein are
directed to removable or swappable hardfacing members that can be removably
installed on a
rotary steerable tool.
[0040] The present disclosure provides drill bits and other downhole tools
with
hardfacing that may provide substantially enhanced performance as compared
with prior
hardfacing materials. In accordance with the present disclosure, such
hardfacing may include
tungsten carbide particles formed with an amount of binding material having a
weight
percentage between approximately three percent (3%) and less than five percent
(5%) of each
tungsten carbide particle. Other particles of superabrasive and/or superhard
materials may
also be metallurgically bonded with a metal matrix material to form such
hardfacing.
9
CA 3050270 2019-07-19
Examples of hard particles satisfactory for use with the present disclosure
may include
encapsulated diamond particles, coated diamond particles, silicon nitride
(Si3N4), silicon
carbide (SiC), boron carbide (B4C) and cubic boron nitride (CBN). Such hard
particles may
be dispersed within and bonded to the metal matrix material.
[0041] Further aspects of the present disclosure may include mixing coated or
encapsulated diamond particles with tungsten carbide particles having an
optimum weight
percentage of binding materials to provide enhanced hardfacing on a drill bit
or other
downhole tool. The use of conventional tungsten carbide particles with
tungsten carbide
particles incorporating teachings of the present disclosure may be appropriate
for some
downhole drilling operating conditions.
[0042] As discussed later in more detail, a metal matrix material or a
hardfacing member
may include a wide variety of hard materials and hard particles plus coated or
encapsulated
diamond particles. The hard materials and/or hard particles used to form metal
matrix
material can provide a wear resistant layer of material even without the
addition of coated or
encapsulated diamond particles. As a result of the present invention which
includes the use of
coated or encapsulated diamond particles, the metal matrix material has
significantly
enhanced wear resistance and abrasion resistance as compared to prior
hardfacing materials.
[0043] For purposes of the present application, the terms "interfacial
strength" or "bond
strength" refers to chemical bond strength, i.e. strong attractive forces that
hold together
atoms and/or molecules in a crystalline or metallic structure.
[0044] Each coated or encapsulated diamond particle includes a carbide
coating, which
has been metallurgically bonded to exterior of the respective diamond
particle. Preferably,
exterior surface of each diamond particle will be completely covered by the
carbide coating.
For some operating environments, the carbide coating may perform
satisfactorily with less
than one hundred percent (100%) coating on each diamond particle.
[0045] A diamond particle may be either a synthetic diamond or a natural
diamond. Also,
each diamond particle may be a whole diamond, only a portion of a diamond or a
polycrystalline diamond. For some applications, diamond particles are selected
with a mesh
range of sixty to eighty U.S. Mesh.
CA 3050270 2019-07-19
[0046] Depending upon the intended application, each diamond particle may be
selected
within the same mesh range. For other applications, coated or encapsulated
diamond particles
may be formed from diamond particles selected from two or more different mesh
ranges. The
resulting coated diamond particles will preferably have approximately the same
exterior
dimensions. However, by including diamond particles with different mesh
ranges, the wear,
erosion and abrasion resistance of the resulting metal matrix material may be
modified to
accommodate the specific operating environment associated with substrate.
[0047] The general process of coating diamond particles may follow any
suitable
technique known in the art, as further modified or specified herein. Such
modifications
include encapsulating the diamond with heavier elements, such as to
manufacture the
diamond powders with thick coatings of W, Ni, or Co, wherein the higher-
melting W
provides thermal shielding to the diamond while transporting via laser. The
hard material
used to form the carbide coating and the thickness of carbide coating may be
varied
depending upon the intended application. The carbide coating is preferably
formed from
material which can be sintered to provide a relatively dense layer which fully
encapsulates
the respective diamond particle. If the coating is not applied, diamond
particles may be
damaged by the temperatures required by many hardfacing techniques to bond
with the metal
matrix material. Encapsulating or cladding diamond particles with the carbide
coating
protects the respective diamond particle from the heat associated with the
selected hardfacing
procedures. Also, without coating, diamond particles may have a tendency to
float to the
surface of molten welding materials.
[0048] In some embodiments, the carbide coating is sintered after being placed
on the
respective diamond particle. The sintering process is used to form coated or
encapsulated
diamond particles having a density which is equal to or greater than the
density of metal
matrix material. Varying the composition of the coating can also be used to
vary the density
of the resulting coated or encapsulated diamond particle. Thus, coated diamond
particles will
be uniformly dispersed within the metal matrix material.
[0049] The material used to form the coating is selected to be metallurgically
and
chemically compatible with the material used to form metal matrix material.
For many
applications, the same material or materials used to form the coating may be
used. For other
applications, the coating can include with small grains materials formed from
other boride,
carbide, oxide, and/or nitride materials.
11
CA 3050270 2019-07-19
100501 In some embodiments, a method includes injecting a plurality of
particles into a
heated metal matrix material thereby forming a mixture of the particles and
the heated metal
matrix material; disposing the mixture on at least a portion of a substrate
thereby forming a
hardfacing member having a particle-embedded metal matrix material; and
removably
attaching the hardfacing member to a main body. In some embodiments, the
method further
includes heating the metal matrix material using a laser process; and
adjusting an energy
input from the laser process to increase interfacial strength between the
plurality of particles
and the metal matrix material.
[0051] In some embodiments of the method, the plurality of particles
includes at least one
of: tungsten carbide, encapsulated diamond, or sintered diamond. In some
embodiments, the
encapsulated diamond includes a diamond with a coating of at least one of:
tungsten carbide
or borocarbide. In some embodiments, the plurality of particles constitutes at
least 50 weight
percentage of the mixture.
100521 In some embodiments, the attaching the hardfacing member to the main
body is
permanent. In some embodiments, removably attaching the hardfacing member to
the main
body is made permanent via brazing. In some embodiments, removably attaching
the
hardfacing member to the main body is performed via a removable attachment
mechanism.
In some embodiments, the removable attachment mechanism includes at least one
of: a
shrink-fit mechanism, or an adhesive. In some embodiments, the shrink-fit
mechanism
includes a deformable soft material from at least one of: a copper gasket, or
a copper sheet.
[0053] In some embodiments, the plurality of particles are in a bimodal
distribution of
particles having large size particles in the range between about 200 gm and
about 1 mm
constituting between 30 ¨ 70 weight percentage of the plurality of particles
and small size
particles in the range between about 15 gm and 125 gm constituting the
remaining weight of
the plurality of particles. In other embodiments, the metal matrix material
comprises iron-
based material including at least one of: cobalt, chromium, niobium, nickel,
titanium, boron,
molybdenum, aluminum, copper, carbon, manganese, vanadium, or silicon.
[0054] In some embodiments, an article includes a main body; and a hardfacing
member
removably attached to the main body, wherein the hardfacing member includes a
plurality of
particles embedded in a metal matrix material, and wherein the plurality of
particles
comprises at least one of: tungsten carbide, encapsulated diamond, or sintered
diamond. In
12
CA 3050270 2019-07-19
some embodiments, the encapsulated diamond includes a diamond with a coating
of at least
one of: tungsten carbide or borocarbide. In some embodiments, the hardfacing
member is
removably attached to the main body via a removable attachment mechanism. In
some
embodiments, the removable attachment mechanism includes at least one of: a
shrink-fit
mechanism, or an adhesive. In some embodiments, the shrink-fit mechanism
includes a
deformable soft material from at least one of: a copper gasket, or a copper
sheet.
[0055] In some embodiments, a method includes heating a metal matrix material
having a
nanocrystalline grain size; injecting a plurality of particles into the heated
metal matrix
material thereby forming a mixture, wherein the plurality of particles
comprises at least one
of: tungsten carbide, encapsulated diamond, or sintered diamond; disposing the
mixture on at
least a portion of a substrate thereby forming a hardfacing member having a
particle-
embedded metal matrix material; attaching the hardfacing member to a main body
via at least
one of: brazing or a removable mechanism; and introducing the main body to a
wellbore
formation for drilling operations.
[0056] In some embodiments, the encapsulated diamond includes a diamond with a
coating of at least one of: tungsten carbide or borocarbide. In some
embodiments, the
plurality of particles are in a bimodal distribution of particles having large
size particles in the
range between about 200 gm and about 1 mm constituting between 30 ¨ 70 weight
percentage of the plurality of particles and small size particles in the range
between about 15
gm and 125 gm constituting the remaining weight of the plurality of particles.
In some
embodiments, attaching the hardfacing member to the main body occurs via a
removable
attachment mechanism. In some embodiments, the removable attachment mechanism
includes at least one of: a copper gasket, or a copper sheet.
13
CA 3050270 2019-07-19
