Patent ID: 8932376
Filing Date: 2015-01-13
Classification: C04B,E21B

Abstract:
1. A method for forming a thermally stable diamond-bonded construction comprising the steps of: treating a region of a diamond-bonded body formed from polycrystalline diamond comprising bonded together diamond crystals and a catalyst material disposed interstitially between the diamond crystals, wherein the region of the diamond-bonded body is treated to remove the catalyst material therefrom to form a thermally stable region, wherein the thermally stable region extends only a partial depth from a top surface of the diamond-bonded body, the resulting diamond-bonded body comprising the thermally stable region and a remaining untreated polycrystalline diamond region that extends therefrom to a bottom surface of the body and that includes the catalyst material, the thermally stable region comprising a plurality of voids disposed therein formed by the removal of the catalyst material; adding a replacement material to the diamond-bonded body; and subjecting the diamond-bonded body and the replacement material to a high pressure/high temperature process to melt the replacement material, wherein the melted replacement material occupies at least a population of the voids and forms a reaction product with the diamond crystals in the thermally stable region, wherein during the step of subjecting, the diamond-bonded body includes a substrate attached to the polycrystalline diamond region.