Cemented carbide material, a polycrystalline diamond construction including cemented carbide material and method of making same

Abstract

A cemented carbide material includes WC, Co and Re, in the amounts of between around 3 to around 10 wt. % Co and between around 0.5 to around 15 wt. % Re. The equivalent total carbon (ETC) content of the cemented carbide material with respect to WC is between around 6.3 wt. % to around 6.9 wt. % and the cemented carbide material is substantially free of eta-phase and free carbon. There is also disclosed a polycrystalline diamond construction having a substrate formed of such cemented carbide material bonded to a body of polycrystalline diamond material along an interface, the body of polycrystalline diamond material having a region adjacent the interface with the substrate which includes a plurality of diamond grains at least partially coated in rhenium carbide.

1 . A cemented carbide material comprising WC, Co and Re, wherein:
 the cemented carbide material comprises between around 3 to around 10 wt. % Co and between around 0.5 to around 15 wt. % Re;   the equivalent total carbon (ETC) content of the cemented carbide material with respect to WC being between around 6.3 wt. % to around 6.9 wt. %   the cemented carbide material being substantially free of eta-phase and free carbon.   
     
     
         2 . The cemented carbide material of  claim 1 , wherein the cemented carbide material comprises between around 12 to around 13.5 wt % Re. 
     
     
         3 . The cemented carbide material of  claim 1 , wherein the WC in the cemented carbide material has a mean grain size less than around 0.6 μm. 
     
     
         4 . The cemented carbide material of  claim 1 , wherein the cemented carbide material has an associated magnetic coercive force varying from around 2 kA/m to around 70 kA/m. 
     
     
         5 . The cemented carbide material of  claim 1 , further comprising a carbide of one or more metals in form of a second carbide phase, and/or dissolved in a binder phase in the cemented carbide material, said one or more metals comprising Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf and/or Ta. 
     
     
         6 . The cemented carbide material as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the binder phase comprises at least about 0.1 weight percent to at most about 5 weight percent of one or more of Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf and/or Ta in solid solution and/or in the form of a carbide compound(s). 
     
     
         7 . The cemented carbide material of  claim 1 , wherein the cemented carbide material comprises a binder phase comprising a binder material, the binder material comprising a solid solution of Re, carbon and W and one of more of Fe, Co, and Ni. 
     
     
         8 . The cemented carbide material as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the cemented carbide material comprises a carbide phase comprising WC; the cemented carbide material having a coercive force Hc in kA/m as a function of the WC mean grain size D wc  in μm determined on the basis of EBSD images of the carbide microstructure in the carbide phase equal to or less than values given by the equation: 
       
         
           
             
               Hc 
               = 
               
                 10 
                 × 
                 
                   D 
                   wc 
                   
                     - 
                     0.62 
                   
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
     
         9 . The cemented carbide material of  claim 1 , wherein the cemented carbide material has a coefficient of thermal expansion of between around 3×10 −6  to around 5×10 −6  at room temperature to between around 6×10 −6  to around 8×10 −6  at 1350 degrees Centigrade. 
     
     
         10 . The cemented carbide material as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the hardness-toughness coefficient calculated by multiplying the Vickers hardness in GPa and fracture toughness in MPa m 1/2  is above around 190. 
     
     
         11 . A polycrystalline diamond construction comprising:
 a substrate comprising a cemented carbide material, the cemented carbide material comprising WC, Co and Re; and   a body of polycrystalline diamond material bonded to the substrate along an interface; wherein:   the cemented carbide material comprises between around 3 to around 10 wt. % Co and between around 0.5 to around 15 wt. % Re;   the equivalent total carbon (ETC) content of the cemented carbide material with respect to WC being between around 6.3 wt. % to around 6.9 wt. %;   the cemented carbide material being substantially free of eta-phase and free carbon; and   the body of polycrystalline diamond material comprising a region adjacent the interface with the substrate, said region comprising a plurality of diamond grains at least partially coated in rhenium carbide.   
     
     
         12 . The polycrystalline diamond construction of  claim 11 , wherein the cemented carbide material comprises between around 12 to around 13.5 wt % Re. 
     
     
         13 . The polycrystalline diamond construction of  claim 11 , wherein the body of superhard polycrystalline diamond material has inter-bonded diamond grains with interstitial spaces between the inter-bonded diamond grains, at least a portion of the interstitial spaces being substantially free of metal solvent catalyst material. 
     
     
         14 . The polycrystalline diamond construction of  claim 11 , wherein the cemented carbide material has an associated magnetic coercive force varying from around 2 kA/m to around 70 kA/m. 
     
     
         15 . The polycrystalline diamond construction of  claim 11 , wherein the substrate further comprises a carbide of one or more metals in form of a second carbide phase, and/or dissolved in a binder phase in the cemented carbide material, said one or more metals comprising Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf and/or Ta. 
     
     
         16 . The polycrystalline diamond construction as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein the binder phase in the substrate comprises at least about 0.1 weight percent to at most about 5 weight percent of one or more of Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf and/or Ta in solid solution and/or in the form of a carbide compound(s). 
     
     
         17 . The polycrystalline diamond construction of  claim 11 , wherein the cemented carbide material comprises a binder phase comprising a binder material, the binder material comprising a solid solution of Re, carbon and W and one of more of Fe, Co, and Ni. 
     
     
         18 . The polycrystalline diamond construction as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the cemented carbide material comprises a carbide phase comprising WC; the cemented carbide material having a coercive force Hc in kA/m as a function of the WC mean grain size D wc  in μm determined on the basis of EBSD images of the carbide microstructure in the carbide phase equal to or less than values given by the equation: 
       
         
           
             
               Hc 
               = 
               
                 10 
                 × 
                 
                   D 
                   wc 
                   
                     - 
                     0.62 
                   
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
     
         19 . The polycrystalline diamond construction of  claim 11 , wherein the cemented carbide material has a coefficient of thermal expansion of between around 3×10 −6  to around 5×10 −6  at room temperature to between around 6×10 −6  to around 8×10 −6  at 1350 degrees Centigrade. 
     
     
         20 . The polycrystalline diamond construction as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the hardness-toughness coefficient calculated by multiplying the Vickers hardness in GPa and fracture toughness in MPa m 1/2  is above around 190.