Synthesis of growth-type polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) using the solvent Fe55Ni29Co16 alloy under HPHT

Abstract

A growth-type polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) was synthesized under high temperature and high pressure (HPHT). The infiltration technique was used with an Fe55Ni29Co16 (KOV) alloy as the sintering solvent. The morphology and weight ratio of the PDC were investigated through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron dispersion spectroscopy (EDS). Note that the KOV alloy evenly infiltrated throughout the polycrystalline diamond (PCD) layer and WC-Co substrate in a short sintering time due to its low viscosity and high soakage capability. A transition layer confirmed the presence of the MxC phase near the interface of the PDC, which can make the diamond layer and WC-Co substrate combine as a complex material. X-ray diffraction (XRD) performed on the PCD layer confirmed the presence of cubic diamond, WC, cubic CoCx, the high temperature cubic phase of α-Co, the alloy phase of FeNix, and no graphite phase. Besides, a surface residual stress of the PCD layer, measured with reasonable accuracy using micro-Raman spectroscopy, is found to be a homogeneous compressive stress with an average value of 0.16 GPa, much lower than that of the powders-mixing method.