Patent ID: 11865672
Assignee: US SYNTHETIC CORPORATION
Field: Civil engineering (Other fields)
Classification: CPC B  C  E | IPC B  C  E

Claim 15:
16. A method of fabricating a polycrystalline diamond compact, the method comprising:
leaching at least a portion of at least one interstitial constituent from a polycrystalline diamond table to a leach depth measured inwardly from an upper surface and to a lateral leach depth measured inwardly from at least one lateral surface of the polycrystalline diamond table to form a leached region, the leach depth being less than a depth of the polycrystalline diamond table to produce an unleached region;
after leaching the polycrystalline diamond table, forming a plurality of recessed features that extend from the upper surface of the polycrystalline diamond table to a depth less than the leach depth of the leached region using at least one of etching, a laser machining, electrical discharge machining, a water jet machining, or grinding, one or more of the plurality of recessed features exhibiting an average maximum width and an average maximum depth, the average maximum depth is greater than or equal to the average maximum width, wherein the plurality of recessed features exhibit, in side view, at least one of a generally arcuate cross-section, a generally triangular cross-section, or a generally rectangular cross-section; and
forming at least a portion of one recessed feature of the plurality of recessed features proximate to an expected wear front that intersects with an interface between the unleached region and the leached region;
wherein forming the plurality of recessed features forms a plurality of cells on the upper surface that are at least partially defined by the plurality of recessed features; and
wherein the leached region exhibits a first leach depth measured from the upper surface and a second leach depth measure from a base of each of the plurality of recessed features that is about 1% to about 75% less than the first leach depth.