Patent ID: 9714545
Date: 2017-07-25
CPC Classifications: B22F,B24D,C22C,E21B

Claim:
1. A polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutting element, comprising: a substrate; and a volume of polycrystalline diamond on the substrate, the volume of polycrystalline diamond having a front cutting face, a lateral side surface, and a cutting edge defined between the front cutting face and the lateral side surface; wherein a first region of the volume of polycrystalline diamond adjacent at least a portion of an interface between the volume of polycrystalline diamond and the substrate includes catalyst material in interstitial spaces between inter-bonded diamond grains of the polycrystalline diamond; and wherein an annular second region of the volume of polycrystalline diamond adjacent at least a portion of the lateral side surface of the volume of polycrystalline diamond is at least substantially free of the catalyst material; and wherein the annular second region of the volume of polycrystalline diamond does not extend to the front cutting face of the volume of polycrystalline diamond; and wherein an inner boundary of the second annular region remote from the lateral side surface of the volume of polycrystalline diamond defines at least a portion of an interface between the first region and the annular second region of the volume of polycrystalline diamond, the interface having a non-linear profile in a plane extending through the PDC cutting element along a longitudinal axis of the cutting element.