Material-removal systems, cutting tools therefor, and related methods

1. A material-removal system, comprising:

a movable cutting head; and

a plurality of cutting tools mounted on the cutting head, each of the plurality of cutting tools including:

a tool body having a front surface, a front slanted surface extending from the front surface, a back surface;

a pocket formed in the tool body between the front slanted surface and the back surface, the pocket comprising a first surface and a second surface; and a cutting element attached to the tool body to secure the cutting element at least partially within the pocket, the cutting element having a substrate and a superhard table that includes a substantially planar working surface offset from the front slanted surface and oriented at a back rake angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the tool body and a side rake angle, the substrate including a back surface opposite to the superhard table;

wherein the first surface extends from the front slanted surface, is shaped complementary to a portion of the substrate, and is adjacent to only a portion of a side surface of the substrate, and the second surface extends from the back surface of the tool body and is adjacent to the back surface of the substrate.

2. The material-removal system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of cutting tools has a different side rake angle than other cutting tools of the plurality of cutting tools.

3. The material-removal system of claim 2 , wherein the cutting element of a first cutting tool of the plurality of cutting tools has a larger side rake angle than the cutting element of a second cutting tool of the plurality of cutting tools, and the first cutting tool is located closer to a rotation axis of the movable cutting head than the second cutting tool.

4. The material-removal system of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the cutting elements of the plurality of cutting tools include a nonplanar interface between the superhard table and the substrate thereof.

5. The material-removal system of claim 4 , wherein the superhard table and the substrate include one or more complementary grooves and protrusions that form the nonplanar interface therebetween.

6. The material-removal system of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the cutting elements of the plurality of cutting tools include a chamfer at least partially surrounding the substantially planar working surface.

7. The material-removal system of claim 6 , wherein the superhard table of a first cutting tool of the plurality of cutting tools has a larger chamfer than the superhard table of a second cutting tool of the plurality of cutting tools, and the first cutting tool is located closer to a rotation axis of the movable cutting head than the second cutting tool.

8. The material-removal system of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the back rake angle or side rake angle is from 15 degrees to 20 degrees and the superhard table has a greater thickness on a first side than a second side to form the back rake angle and the side rake angle.

9. The material-removal system of claim 1 , wherein the back rake angle is 15 degrees to 20 degrees.

10. The material-removal system of claim 1 , wherein the back rake angle is a negative back rake angle.

11. The material-removal system of claim 1 , wherein the side rake angle is 15 degrees to 20 degrees.

12. The material-removal system of claim 1 , wherein the substantially planar working surface has a trapezoidal shape.

13. The material-removal system of claim 1 , wherein:

the second surface is substantially parallel to the substantially planar working surface;

the substrate of each of the cutting elements extends from the pocket past the front slanted surface; and

the tool body of each cutting tool of the plurality of cutting tools includes:

an elongated portion having a width substantially equal to a width of the cutting element; and

a base portion having a width greater than the width of the elongated portion, the base portion being configured to secure the cutting tool to the movable cutting head.

14. A method of removing material, the method comprising:

moving a plurality of cutting tools about a rotation axis, each of the plurality of cutting tools includes a tool body and a cutting element, the tool body of each of the plurality of cutting tools having a front surface, a front slanted surface extending from the front surface, a back surface, a pocket formed in the tool body between the front slanted surface and the back surface, the pocket comprising a first surface and a second surface, the cutting element of each of the plurality cutting tools being secured to the tool body at least partially within the pocket and including a substrate having a back surface, a superhard table opposite to the back surface of the substrate and having a working surface offset from the front slanted surface and oriented at a back rake angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the tool body and a side rake angle, wherein the first surface extends from the front slanted surface, is shaped complementary to a portion of the substrate, and is adjacent to only a portion of a side surface of the substrate, and the second surface extends from the back surface of the tool body and is adjacent to the back surface of the substrate;

advancing the plurality of cutting tools toward a target material; and

engaging at least the working surfaces of the cutting tools with the target material, thereby failing at least some of the target material while having the working surfaces of the cutting tools oriented at the back rake angle and the side rake angle.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein at least two of the plurality of cutting tools are positioned at different positions.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the back rake angle is a positive back rake angle.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the back rake angle is a negative back rake angle.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein a first cutting tool of the plurality of cutting tools has a larger side rake angle than a second cutting tool of the plurality of cutting tools, and the first cutting tool is located closer to a rotation axis than the second cutting tool.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the side rake angle of one or more cutting tools opens away from the rotation axis.

20. The method of claim 14 , wherein the superhard table of a first cutting tool of the plurality of cutting tools has a larger chamfer than the superhard table of a second cutting tool of the plurality of cutting tools, and the first cutting tool is located closer to a rotation axis than the second cutting tool.

21. A material-removal system, comprising:

a cutting head rotatable about a rotation axis; and

a plurality of cutting tools mounted on the cutting head, at least two of the plurality of cutting tools being positioned at different radial locations relative to the rotation axis of the cutting head, and each of the plurality of cutting tools including:

a tool body having a front surface, a front slanted surface extending from the front surface, a back surface, a pocket formed in the tool body between the front slanted surface and the back surface, the pocket comprising a first surface and a second surface; and

a cutting element attached to the tool body to secure the cutting element at least partially within the pocket, the cutting element including a substrate and a polycrystalline diamond table having a substantially planar working surface offset from the front slanted surface and oriented at a back rake angle of 15 degrees to 20 degrees with respect to a longitudinal axis of the tool body and a side rake angle of 15 degrees to 20 degrees, the substrate including a back surface opposite to the superhard table;

wherein the first surface extends from the front slanted surface, is shaped complementary to a portion of the substrate, and is adjacent to only a portion of a side surface of the substrate, and the second surface extends from the back surface of the tool body and is adjacent to the back surface of the substrate.

22. The material-removal system of claim 21 , wherein the back rake angle is a negative back rake angle or a positive back rake angle.

23. The material-removal system of claim 21 , wherein side rake angle is a negative side rake angle or a positive side rake angle.

24. The material-removal system of claim 21 , wherein at least one of the plurality of cutting tools has a different side rake angle than other cutting tools of the plurality of cutting tools.

25. The material-removal system of claim 21 , wherein the cutting element of a first cutting tool of the plurality of cutting tools has a larger side rake angle than the cutting element of a second cutting tool of the plurality of cutting tools, and the first cutting tool is located closer to the rotation axis than the second cutting tool.

26. The material-removal system of claim 21 , wherein the polycrystalline diamond table of a first cutting tool of the plurality of cutting tools has a larger chamfer than the polycrystalline diamond table of a second cutting tool of the plurality of cutting tools, and the first cutting tool is located closer to the rotation axis than the second cutting tool.

27. The material-removal system of claim 21 , wherein at least some of the polycrystalline diamond tables of the plurality of cutting tools include a chamfer at least partially surrounding the substantially planar working surface.