Patent ID: 9556733
Date: 2017-01-31
CPC Classifications: E21B,E21C,E21D,F16C,Y10T

Claim:
1. A disc cutter for use on a tunnel boring machine, comprising: a shaft; a cutter assembly rotatably mounted on the shaft, the cutter assembly including a cutter ring extending circumferentially about a central axis and including a radially inner surface and a radially outer surface; and one or more conical sliding bearing apparatuses rotatably mounting the cutter assembly to the shaft, the one or more conical sliding bearing apparatuses including: wherein the radially outer surface of the cutter ring includes a plurality of pockets formed therein, and a plurality of cutting elements is distributed circumferentially about the central axis, each of the plurality of cutting elements being positioned in a corresponding one of the pockets and comprising a superhard body that includes polycrystalline diamond and an elongated backing portion, at least a number of the cutting elements having a generally domed shape defined by the polycrystalline diamond, each of the plurality of cutting elements having the elongated backing portion positioned in a corresponding one of the pockets and the generally domed shape extending beyond the corresponding one of the pockets of the cutter ring and extending beyond the radially outer surface of the cutter ring.