Rock penetration into cemented carbide drill buttons during rock drilling

Abstract

In percussive and rotary percussive rock drilling, the rock is crushed into small fragments by the repeated hard impact of the drill bit, and subsequently removed by flushing water or air. To avoid excessive wear, the steel drill bit is equipped with a set of cemented carbide buttons that protrude from the bit to take the actual impact. The severe contact against the rock results in some wear of the button, but also in formation of surface layers of rock material and penetration and impregnation of rock material into the cemented carbide structure. This situation, with serious implications for the wear and fracture of the buttons, have previously not been reported. The present findings represent a significantly new understanding of the wear of the rock button material. The deterioration mechanisms are described in detail, using examples from a range of real drilling applications in different rock types. During operation, material in the surface layer of the drill button shifts from that of the original cemented carbide into an uncontrolled composite. This composite is formed by the WC carbide hard phase and a binder consisting of a mixture of cobalt and rock. This new material should be expected to exhibit properties significantly different from the original cemented carbide.