Patent ID: 9540882
Date: 2017-01-10
CPC Classifications: E21B

Claim:
1. A method of designing a drill bit, comprising: selecting a radial swath associated with a bit face of a drill bit, the radial swath having an area on the bit face located between a first radial coordinate and a second radial coordinate; identifying a plurality of cutting elements disposed on the bit face that each include at least a portion located within the radial swath, the plurality of cutting elements including all the cutting elements located on the bit face that each include at least a portion located within the first radial swath; identifying a depth of cut controller (DOCC) disposed on the bit face and configured to control a depth of cut of the portions of the plurality of cutting elements located within the radial swath; calculating a critical depth of cut associated with the radial swath and DOCC based on a depth of cut associated with each portion of the plurality of cutting elements located within the radial swath and controlled by the DOCC; and adjusting a design parameter of the DOCC according to the calculated critical depth of cut.