Polycrystalline diamond materials, methods of fabricating same, and applications using same
Embodiments relate to methods of fabricating PCD materials by subjecting a mixture that exhibits a broad diamond particle size distribution to a HPHT process, PCD materials so-formed, and PDCs including a polycrystalline diamond table comprising such PCD materials. In an embodiment, a method includes subjecting a mixture to heat and pressure sufficient to form a PCD material. The mixture comprises a plurality of diamond particles exhibiting a diamond particle size distribution characterized, in part, by a parameter θ that is less than about 1.0, where θ = x 6 · σ , x is the average particle size of the diamond particle size distribution, and σ is the standard deviation of the diamond particle size distribution. In an embodiment, the diamond particle size distribution can be generally modeled by the following equation: C P F T 100 = D n - D S n D L n - D S n , wherein CPFT is the cumulative percent finer than, D is diamond grain size, D L is the largest-sized diamond grain, D S is the smallest-sized diamond grain, and n is a distribution modulus.
1. A method, comprising:
subjecting a mixture, in the presence of a catalyst material, to heat and pressure sufficient to form a polycrystalline diamond material, the mixture comprising a plurality of diamond particles exhibiting a substantially unimodal diamond particle size distribution characterized, at least in part, by a parameter θ that is about 0.3 to about 0.7;
wherein
θ
=
x
6
·
σ
;
x is the average particle size of the substantially unimodal diamond particle size distribution;
σ is the standard deviation of the substantially unimodal diamond particle size distribution;
wherein x is about 10 μm to about 20 μm.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting the parameter θ to be about 0.5 to about 0.7.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting the parameter θ to be about 0.3 to about 0.4.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting the average particle size of the mixture to be about 12 μm to about 15 μm and the standard deviation of the mixture to be about 6 μm to about 8.5 μm.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting the standard deviation of the mixture to be about 4 μm to about 10 μm.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the diamond particle size distribution can be generally modeled by the following equation:
C
P
F
T
100
=
D
n
-
D
S
n
D
L
n
-
D
S
n
;
where CPFT is the cumulative percent finer than;
D is diamond particle size;
D L is the largest-sized diamond particle;
D S is the smallest-sized diamond particle; and
n is the distribution modulus.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein subjecting a mixture, in the presence of a catalyst material, to heat and pressure sufficient to form a polycrystalline diamond material comprises infiltrating the mixture with the catalyst.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the polycrystalline diamond material comprises a plurality of bonded diamond grains defining interstitial regions that exhibit an average lateral dimension of about 10 angstroms to about 1 μm.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the polycrystalline diamond material is at least about as thermally stable as a partially leached polycrystalline diamond material having a leach depth of about 60 μm to about 70 μm and a different diamond grain size distribution.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein subjecting a mixture, in the presence of a catalyst material, to heat and pressure sufficient to form a polycrystalline diamond material comprises:
exposing the mixture to at least about 40 kilobar; and
heating the mixture to at least about 1000° Celsius.