Methods of fabricating superabrasive articles
View Patent ↗In one embodiment of the present invention, a method of fabricating a superabrasive article is disclosed. A mass of unsintered diamond particles may be infiltrated with metal-solvent catalyst from a metal-solvent-catalyst-containing material to promote formation of a sintered body of diamond grains including interstitial regions. At least a portion of the interstitial regions may also be infiltrated with silicon from a silicon-containing material. The silicon reacts with the sintered body to form silicon carbide within a portion of the interstitial regions.
1. A method of fabricating a superabrasive article, comprising:
in a high-pressure/high-temperature process, infiltrating a mass of unsintered diamond particles with metal-solvent catalyst from a metal-solvent-catalyst-containing material to promote formation of a sintered body of diamond grains including interstitial regions;
during the high-pressure/high-temperature process, infiltrating at least a portion of the interstitial regions of the sintered body with silicon from a silicon-containing material;
during the high-pressure/high-temperature process, reacting the silicon with the sintered body to form silicon carbide within the at least a portion of the interstitial regions;
prior to the act of infiltrating the mass of unsintered diamond particles with the metal-solvent catalyst from the metal-solvent-catalyst-containing material:
positioning the metal-solvent-catalyst-containing material between the mass of unsintered diamond particles and the silicon-containing material; and
positioning the silicon-containing material between the metal-solvent-catalyst-containing material and a substrate.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein infiltrating the interstitial regions of the sintered body with silicon from a silicon-containing material to form silicon carbide within at least a portion of the interstitial regions comprises:
displacing some of the metal-solvent catalyst with the silicon.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein infiltrating the interstitial regions of the sintered body with the silicon from the silicon-containing material follows infiltrating the mass of unsintered diamond particles with the metal-solvent catalyst.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
after reacting the silicon with the sintered body to form silicon carbide within a portion of the interstitial regions, removing an upper section of the sintered body of diamond grains.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the mass of unsintered diamond particles comprises a green layer including the unsintered diamond particles.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the sintered body of diamond particles exhibits an average grain size of about 20 μm or less.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the sintered body of diamond particles is substantially free of tungsten.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the sintered body of diamond particles exhibits an average grain size of about 20 μm or less and is substantially free of tungsten carbide.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the metal-solvent-catalyst material comprises cobalt, nickel, iron, or alloys thereof.
10. A method of fabricating a superabrasive article, comprising:
in a high-pressure/high-temperature process, infiltrating a mass of unsintered diamond particles with metal-solvent catalyst from a metal-solvent-catalyst-containing material to promote formation of a sintered body of diamond grains including interstitial regions;
during the high-pressure/high-temperature process, infiltrating at least a portion of the interstitial regions of the sintered body with silicon from a silicon-containing material;
during the high-pressure/high-temperature process, reacting the silicon with the sintered body to form silicon carbide within the at least a portion of the interstitial regions;
prior to the act of infiltrating the mass of unsintered diamond particles with the metal-solvent catalyst from the metal-solvent-catalyst-containing material:
positioning the metal-solvent-catalyst-containing material between the mass of unsintered diamond particles and the silicon-containing material; and
positioning the mass of unsintered diamond particles between the metal-solvent-catalyst-containing material and a substrate.