阅读说明：本技术 用于道路铣削的挖掘工具 (Digging tool for road milling ) 是由 埃里克·温巴赫 贝恩德·海因里希·里斯 于 2020-02-06 设计创作，主要内容包括：本披露内容涉及一种具有PCD冲击尖端的挖掘工具。该冲击尖端在非平面第一界面处结合至支撑体。该非平面第一界面包括同轴且环形的具有不同径向宽度的两个界面表面。(The present disclosure relates to a pick tool having a PCD strike tip. The strike tip is bonded to the support at a non-planar first interface. The non-planar first interface includes two interface surfaces that are coaxial and annular, having different radial widths.)

1. A pick tool comprising a central axis, a strike tip and a support, the strike tip proximal end being joined to the support at a non-planar first interface comprising two interface surfaces that are coaxial and annular, the outer interface surface having a width equal to or less than the width of the inner interface surface, the strike tip comprising a superhard bit at its distal end.

2. A pick tool as claimed in claim 1, in which the strike tip comprises a body portion and the superhard bit is bonded to the body portion at a second interface.

3. A pick tool as claimed in claim 2, in which the second interface is planar.

4. A pick tool as claimed in claim 2, in which the second interface is conical or frusto-conical.

5. A pick tool as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the superhard drill bit comprises synthetic or natural diamond particles, or cBN particles.

6. A pick tool as claimed in claim 5, in which the superhard drill bit comprises polycrystalline diamond (PCD) material or Polycrystalline CBN (PCBN) material.

7. A pick tool as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the two co-axial and annular interface surfaces extend radially outwardly perpendicular to the central axis.

8. A pick tool as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the two interface surfaces are non-concentric, being axially spaced apart.

9. A pick tool as claimed in claim 8, in which the annular outer interface surface is axially closer to the strike tip than the annular inner interface surface.

10. A pick tool as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the support body comprises a central projection and the strike tip comprises a correspondingly shaped central recess for receiving the central projection.

11. A pick tool as claimed in claim 10, in which the central projection is undercut by a recess.

12. A pick tool as claimed in claim 10 or claim 11, in which the central projection comprises a cylindrical body portion.

13. A pick tool as claimed in claim 10, 11 or 12, the support body including a first annular bonding surface surrounding and extending from the central projection, the first annular bonding surface being connected to a radially outer second annular bonding surface, the strike tip including a third annular bonding surface surrounding and extending from the central recess, the strike tip further including a radially outer fourth annular bonding surface connected to the third annular bonding surface, wherein the third annular bonding surface of the strike tip and the first annular bonding surface of the support body face each other and the fourth annular bonding surface of the strike tip and the second annular bonding surface of the support body face each other.

14. A pick tool as claimed in claim 13, in which the first annular bonding surface of the support body is connected to the second annular bonding surface of the support body at a shoulder disposed at an angle to the central axis.

15. A pick tool as claimed in claim 14, in which the angle is between 10 and 30 degrees, and preferably about 20 degrees.

16. A pick tool as claimed in claim 14 or claim 15, in which the strike tip is separated from the support by a gap of at least 0.2mm measured along the shoulder.

17. A pick tool as claimed in any of claims 2 to 16, in which the strike tip includes a protective skirt adjacent the body portion.

18. A pick tool as claimed in claim 17, in which the diameter of the skirt is between 25mm and 40 mm.

19. A pick tool as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the strike tip comprises a dimple.

20. A pick tool as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the pick tool is a road milling tool.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a wear resistant excavating tool for use in mining, milling and tunnelling. Particularly, but not exclusively, the pick tool may comprise a tip comprising polycrystalline diamond (PCD) material.

Background

Excavation tools are commonly used to break up, drill or otherwise comminute hard or abrasive bodies such as rock, asphalt, coal or concrete, and may be used in applications such as road rehabilitation, excavation, trenching and construction.

Due to the operating environment of the excavation implement, the excavation implement may experience extreme wear and failure in a variety of ways and must be replaced frequently. For example, in a road repair operation, a plurality of excavation tools may be mounted on a rotatable drum, and may be caused to break up road asphalt as the drum rotates. In coal mining, for example, similar methods may be employed to fracture the rock formation.

Some excavation tools include a working tip that includes synthetic diamond material, which may be more wear resistant than a working tip formed of cemented tungsten carbide material. However, synthetic and natural diamond materials tend to be more brittle and less fracture resistant than sintered metal carbide materials, and this tends to reduce their potential utility in excavation operations.

There is a need to provide an excavation implement having a longer working life.

In particular, there is a need to provide a pick tool having a cemented metal carbide strike tip that helps protect a steel support body without additional cost.

Disclosure of Invention

According to the present invention there is provided a pick tool comprising a central axis, a strike tip and a support body, the proximal end of the strike tip being joined to the support body at a non-planar interface comprising two interface surfaces which are coaxial and annular, the width of the outer interface surface being equal to or less than the width of the inner interface surface, the strike tip comprising a superhard bit at its distal end.

This configuration provides a large brazing surface which increases the compressive stress after brazing. This results in higher shear strength.

When the width of the outer interface surface is equal to or less than the width of the inner interface surface, the brazing material is encouraged to flow radially inwards during the brazing process, which also contributes to achieving a higher shear strength after brazing.

In addition, the wear resistance of the entire excavating tool is significantly improved. This avoids the situation where the pick tool fails due to wear of the steel support despite the remaining useful life of the carbide tip. With this configuration, investment in the carbide strike tip is realized because the full service life of the carbide strike tip is realized.

In addition, the brazing process is more flexible in terms of manufacturing tolerances due to the larger brazing surface area. This arrangement also results in a more reliable brazing process.

Finally, quality inspection of the pick tool is easier because the sample does not need to be prepared before it is sliced to inspect the weld quality.

Preferred and/or optional features of the invention are provided in the dependent claims 2 to 20.

Drawings

Non-limiting exemplary arrangements of excavation tools will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the underside of a typical road milling machine incorporating a prior art excavation implement;

FIG. 2 shows a front perspective view of a prior art excavation implement;

FIG. 3 illustrates a front perspective view of the prior art excavation implement of FIG. 2, showing a partial cross-section of an interface between the strike tip and the support body;

FIG. 4 shows an example of a worn prior art excavation implement before (left) and after (right) the strike tip has been dislodged;

FIG. 5 shows a front perspective view of a pick tool in one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the excavation implement of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 shows an enlarged view of the square E portion of FIG. 5; and also depicts the cross-sectional profile of the prior art excavation tool of fig. 2;

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of the strike tip of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 shows a bottom view of the strike tip of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 shows a side view of the strike tip of FIG. 5;

FIG. 11 shows a front perspective view of a pick tool in another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 12 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the excavation implement of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of the strike tip of FIG. 11 from above;

FIG. 14 shows a perspective view from below of the strike tip of FIG. 11;

FIG. 15 shows a side view of the strike tip of FIG. 11;

FIG. 16 shows a cross-sectional view of the strike tip of FIG. 15 along line A-A;

FIG. 17 shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative strike tip for use in the excavation implement of FIG. 11; and is

FIG. 18 shows an enlarged view of a further alternative embodiment of the strike tip.

Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals refer to substantially identical features.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows the underside of a typical road milling machine 10. The milling machine may be an asphalt or road planing machine that is used to break up the subgrade, such as the pavement 12, prior to placing a new pavement layer. A plurality of excavation tools 14 are attached to a rotatable drum 16. A drum 16 engages the excavation tool 14 with the subgrade 12. Base retainers 18 are securely attached to drum 16 and may hold excavation tool 14 at an angle offset from the direction of rotation by means of intermediate tool retainers (not shown) so that excavation tool 14 engages subgrade 12 at a preferred angle. In some embodiments, the shank (not shown) of the pick tool 14 is rotatably placed within the tool holder, although this is not necessary for pick tools 14 that include superhard strike tips.

Fig. 2 and 3 show a prior art excavation implement 14. The excavation implement 14 includes a steel support body 22 and a generally bell-shaped strike tip 20. The support body includes a body portion 24 and a shank portion 26 extending centrally from the body portion 24. The impact tip 20 is located in a circular recess 27 provided in one end of the support body 22. This means that the edge of the steel support body 22 always surrounds the metal carbide strike tip 20. Brazing material (not shown), typically provided as a thin circular disc, positioned within circular recess 27, securely bonds strike tip 20 to support body 22. The excavation implement 14 is attachable to a drive mechanism, such as a road milling machine, in a known manner by means of a shank 26 and a spring sleeve 28 surrounding the shank 26. The spring sleeve 28 enables relative rotation between the excavation tool 14 and the tool holder.

In use, as shown in FIG. 4, the steel support body 22 erodes faster than the carbide strike tip 20, particularly near the braze. The volume of steel in this region gradually decreases in use due to wear. Eventually, the support body 22 is no longer sufficient to support the strike tip 20, and the strike tip 20 falls off, thereby prematurely terminating the useful life of the strike tip 20.

Turning now to fig. 5-10, a first embodiment of a pick tool according to the present invention is indicated generally at 100. The excavation tool 100 includes a central axis 102, a strike tip 104, and a support body 106. The spring sleeve 28 is not essential to the invention and may be omitted. The excavation tool 100 is symmetrical about a central axis 102 thereof. As best seen in fig. 6, the strike tip 104 is bonded to the support 106 at a non-planar interface 108. Notably, the interface 108 includes two interface surfaces 110, 112 that are coaxial and annular.

The support body 106 includes a central protrusion or pin 114, the central protrusion or pin 114 being surrounded by a first annular bonding surface 116 and extending radially outward into the first annular bonding surface 116 (see fig. 7). In this embodiment, the central protrusion 114 is a boss (boss) and includes a cylindrical body portion 114 a. However, other shapes and contours of the central protrusion 114 are contemplated, such as a conical protrusion, or a frustoconical protrusion, or a hemispherical protrusion. Diameter of cylindrical body portion 114aPreferably about 5mm but may be in the range 3mm to 10 mm. Height H of cylindrical body portion 114a₁Preferably about 2.5mm but may be in the range of 1mm to 5 mm. The central protrusion 114 may be undercut by an arcuate recess 118. The recess provides an additional volume into which brazing material can flow and which helps to enlarge the brazing area.

The first annular bonding surface 116 is connected to the radially outer second annular bonding surface 120 by a shoulder 122. In fig. 7, the shoulder 122 is first arcuate and then linear. The shoulder 122 is positioned intermediate the first annular bonding surface 116 and the second annular bonding surface 120. While, as shown in fig. 7, the first and second annular bonding surfaces 116, 120 are disposed perpendicular to the central axis 102, the shoulder 122 is disposed at an acute angle θ to the central axis 102. The angle θ is between 10 and 30 degrees, and preferably about 20 degrees.

The first and second annular bonding surfaces 116, 120 are axially spaced apart, i.e., stepped, such that the first annular bonding surface 116 is axially intermediate the central protrusion 114 and the second annular bonding surface 120. The second annular bonding surface 120 may alternatively be located axially intermediate the central protrusion 114 and the first annular bonding surface 116, which, while possible, is not a preferred arrangement as more (rather than less) carbide material may be required in the strike tip 104.

As shown in fig. 8, the strike tip 104 comprises a central recess 124 at one end, the central recess 124 for receiving the central protrusion 114 of the support body 106. The internal configuration of the recess 124 is partially hemispherical, partially cylindrical, but may be other shapes. During an early production stage, the central protrusion 114 and the recess 124 function to ensure a good relative position of the strike tip 104 and the support body 106 in a preliminary assembly. They also assist in increasing the density of the green body during pressing during the pre-sintering stage. However, they are not essential to the present invention because they do not directly contribute to the increase in the welding strength, and therefore, they may be omitted. Whether or not the protrusion 114 and recess 124 are included in the strike tip, it is important that the first and second annular interface surfaces 110, 112 be spaced apart to some extent in the axial direction.

The strike tip 104 further includes a third annular bonding surface 126 surrounding the central recess 124 and extending radially outward from the central recess 124. The strike tip 104 also includes a radially outer fourth annular bonding surface 128 connected to the third annular bonding surface 126.

As best seen in fig. 8 and 9, a plurality of dimples 129 project from the fourth annular bonding surface 128. The dimples 129 are arranged equiangularly (equi-angularly) about the central longitudinal axis 102. In this embodiment, since there are 6 pits, the angle φ of the interval between adjacent pits is 60 degrees. Any number of dimples may be disposed on the fourth annular bonding surface 128. The dimples help to create a small gap G of approximately 0.3mm between the strike tip 104 and the support body 106₁. The dimples further increase the surface area of the strike tip 104 to which the braze bonds, which in turn further enhances the shear strength of the bond.

Similar to the support body 106, a second mentioned shoulder 130 connects the third annular joining surface 126 and the fourth annular joining surface 128 of the strike tip 104.

In this embodiment, the first and second shoulders 122, 130 are planar. However, they need not be planar. It is important that the structural link between the first annular interface surface 110 and the second annular interface surface 112 extends the length of the interface between the strike tip 104 and the support body 106, but it is not necessarily important how this is achieved. For example, the structural link may simply be a chamfer on one of the annular interface surfaces 110, 112, or alternatively a fillet.

The third annular bonding surface 126 of the strike tip 104 and the first annular bonding surface 116 of the support body 106 face each other, but they do not abut each other except for optional dimples 129. In addition, the fourth annular bonding surface 128 of the strike tip 104 and the second annular bonding surface of the support body 106120 face each other, but they do not abut each other except for some dimples 129. The strike tip 104 and the support 106 are separated by a gap G of about 0.2mm measured at the first and second shoulders 122, 130₂And (4) separating. Gap G₂Space is provided for brazing material (not shown) to be located between the strike tip 104 and the support body 106. Similarly, gap G₃Space is also provided for additional braze material (not shown) to be located between the strike tip 104 and the support body 106. For assembly, the braze is provided as a ring or annulus, requiring a gap G for the invention₁And gap G₃Two rings of (a). However, the braze melts and flows once heated. Braze from G₁The brazed outer ring of which is along the gap G₂Towards G₃To further increase the length of the braze joint. This significantly increases the strength of the bond. Possibly, more than two annular interface surfaces may be provided.

The strike tip 104 includes a protective skirt 132. In this embodiment, a skirt 132 surrounds the central recess 124, the third annular bonding surface 126, and the second shoulder 130. When bonded to the support body 106, the skirt 132 also surrounds the protrusion 114, the first annular bonding surface 116, and the first shoulder 122. The skirt 132 terminates circumferentially at the intersection of the second annular bonding surface 120 and the fourth annular bonding surface 128, generally aligned with the support body 106. Diameter of skirt 132(see FIG. 10) is at least 25 mm. Preferably, diameterBetween 25mm and 40mm, both extremes included. This overall arrangement is important because it means that the same volume of carbide material in the strike tip 104 provides greater protection for the steel support body 106. A volume of carbide material is simply redistributed to where it is most needed, with no additional cost. Notably, when the diameter isAt the upper end of the range, the strike tip 104 projects radially outward on the support body 106, providing more side protection from wear to the excavation tool 100.

In this embodiment, the two coaxial and annular interface surfaces 110, 112 have different widths measured radially. However, it is contemplated that the interface surfaces 110, 112 may alternatively have the same width. Preferably, the width of the radially outer annular interface surface 112 is smaller than the width of the radially inner annular interface surface 110, which promotes radially inward flow of the braze material, thereby promoting improved joint strength. Outer diameter of the radially annular inner interface surface 110About 15mm and a width of about 5 mm. The radially annular outer interface surface 112 has an outer diameter of about 25mm and a width of between 3mm and 7 mm. Inner diameter of radially annular outer interface surface 112Between 17mm and 22mm (e.g. 25mm-3mm ═ 22 mm).

For clarity, the radially inner annular interface surface 110 includes a first annular bonding surface 116 and a third annular bonding surface 126. The radially outer annular interface surface 112 includes a second annular bonding surface 120 and a fourth annular bonding surface 128.

At the end opposite the central recess 124, the strike tip 104 has a working surface 134, the working surface 134 having a rounded geometry, which may be conical, hemispherical, dome-shaped, truncated, or a combination thereof. Other forms of tips are contemplated within the scope of the present invention, such as hexagonal, quadrilateral and octagonal tips in lateral cross-section.

As best seen in fig. 10, the entire strike tip 104 is generally bell-shaped. The working surface 134 extends into a cylindrical first body surface 136 of the strike tip 104 and is co-linear with the first body surface 136. The first body surface 136 in turn extends into a curved second body surface 138 of the strike tip 104 and is collinear with the second body surface 138. Both the first body surface 136 and the second body surface 138 are continuous and uninterrupted, without any external grooves recessed therein. Similarly, the support body 106 also does not have any kind of external grooves.

In this embodiment, the strike tip 104 is composed of a cemented metal carbide material. In some embodiments, support 106 comprises a cemented metal carbide material having a fracture toughness of at most about 17mpa.m^1/2Up to about 13MPa.m^1/2Up to about 11MPa.m^1/2Or even up to about 10MPa.m^1/2. In some embodiments, support 106 comprises a cemented metal carbide material having a fracture toughness of at least about 8mpa.m^1/2Or at least about 9MPa.m^1/2. In some embodiments, support body 106 comprises a cemented metal carbide material having a lateral crack resistance of at least about 2,100MPa, at least about 2,300MPa, at least about 2,700MPa, or even at least about 3,000 MPa.

In some embodiments, support body 106 comprises a cemented carbide material comprising metal carbide particles having an average size of at most 8 microns or at most 3 microns. In one embodiment, support body 106 comprises a cemented carbide material comprising metal carbide particles having an average size of at least 0.1 microns.

In some embodiments, support body 106 comprises a cemented metal carbide material comprising at most 13 weight percent, at most about 10 weight percent, at most 7 weight percent, at most about 6 weight percent, or even at most 3 weight percent of a metal binder material, such as cobalt (Co). In some embodiments, support body 106 comprises a cemented metal carbide material comprising at least 1 weight percent, at least 3 weight percent, or at least 6 weight percent metal binder.

Turning now to fig. 11-18, an alternative embodiment of a digging tool and/or strike tip in accordance with the present invention is illustrated. Common to all these embodiments is that they comprise a superhard drill bit, as explained below. Features similar to those described with reference to the first embodiment are denoted with the same reference numerals and another description is omitted for the sake of brevity.

The excavation implement of fig. 11-16, generally indicated at 200, includes a central axis 102, a strike tip 202, and a support body 106. As with the first embodiment, the excavation tool 200 is symmetrical about its central axis 102. The strike tip 202 is generally bell-shaped as in the first embodiment and flares radially outward at an angle β (see, e.g., fig. 15) of about 100 degrees. The strike tip 202 has a proximal end 204 closest to the support body 106 and an opposite distal end 206. The configuration of the strike tip 202 at the proximal end 204 is the same as in the first embodiment. The configuration of the strike tip 202 at the distal end 206 is significantly different and is described below.

As shown in fig. 12, the strike tip 202 includes a superhard drill bit 208 bonded to a body portion 210. Diameter of the body portion 210(see, e.g., fig. 15) is preferably about 12 mm. The bond between the superhard drill bit 208 and the body portion 210 is provided by conventional brazing materials.

As best seen in fig. 17, the superhard drill bit 208 comprises a superhard volume 212 and a substrate 214. The super-hard volume 212 is sinter bonded to the distal end of the substrate 214. The superhard volume 212 comprises polycrystalline diamond (PCD) material, but may alternatively comprise polycrystalline cbn (pcbn) material. The working surface of the superhard volume may be pointed, rounded or truncated in a known manner. Thus, the superhard volume may be generally hemispherical or conical or pyramidal or the like. Examples of superhard volumes are given in applicant's own EP 2795062B 1, GB 2490795A, WO 2014/0491432 a2 and WO 2018/162442 a 1.

The overall shape of the superhard drill bit may be generally circular, generally rectangular, generally pyramidal, generally conical, generally asymmetric, or a combination thereof.

The substrate 214 is generally cylindrical and typically comprises cemented metal carbide. The material of the cemented metal carbide may be the same as that of the strike tip in the first embodiment. The interface between the superhard volume 212 and the substrate 214 may be planar or non-planar.

The base 214 includes an integral base 216. In fig. 11-16, the base 216 has a conical configuration that tapers radially inward in a direction away from the interface of the base 214 and terminates in a curved apex (apex) with a constant radius. Maximum height H of cone₁Approximately 2.3 mm. The base 216 also includes a cemented metal carbide.

In fig. 17, the base 216 has a frustoconical configuration that tapers radially inward in a direction away from the interface of the base 214 and abuts the planar end face.

In both embodiments, the distal end 206 of the strike tip 202 is correspondingly shaped to receive the base 216 of the superhard drill bit 208. The strike tip 202 includes a recess 218 for receiving the superhard drill bit 208. Significantly less than 50% by volume of the superhard drill bit 208 is received in the strike tip 202. Depending on the embodiment, the configuration of the recess 218 is an inverted (truncated) cone.

The purpose of this mating arrangement is to increase the length of the brazed bond between the superhard drill bit 208 and the body portion 210, thus improving the shear strength of the overall impact tip 202. Providing a very small gap G of 0.1mm for the braze material at the bottom of the recess 218₄. The angle a of the cone as shown in fig. 16 is typically about 120 degrees. Maximum inner diameter of the cone (i.e. at the base)Approximately 9.4 mm. Maximum height H of cone₂Approximately 2.4 mm.

The arcuate sidewall 201 of the strike tip 202 is chamfered at the distal end 206 so as to be at the peripheral edge, i.e. diameter, of the recess 18The measurement location of (2) is terminated. Chamfered portion 20 of sidewall 201Depth H of 3₂Approximately 1.3 mm.

In yet another embodiment of the pick tool 200, the interface between the strike tip 202 and the superhard bit 208 is planar rather than generally conical. The corresponding strike tip 202a is shown in FIG. 18. The distal end 206 of the strike tip 202 has a flat rounded end face 220. All other features of the strike tip 202 remain the same as previously described.

The two annular interface surfaces 110, 112 provide improved weld strength and the protective skirt 132 provides improved protection for the support tool 106, which in combination provide the pick tool 100 with extremely superior performance in use. Notably, the useful working life of the impact tool 100 (which may be measured in terms of time, length of cut or gouging, number of operations, etc.) is extended. This superior performance can be achieved with little additional cost and redistribution of carbide material when the arrangement of central protrusion 114 and recess 134 is also included.

Certain concepts and terms used herein will be briefly explained.

As used herein, excavation tools are used to mechanically comminute (or break) a body (e.g., geological formation, rock, pavement, building structure), or other body (including or containing, by way of non-limiting example, rock, coal, potassium (pit) or other geological material, or concrete, or asphalt). As used herein, crushing or breaking the body may include chipping, cutting, milling, planing or removing a piece of material from the body. The pick tool may be coupled to a drive arrangement to drive the pick against a body to be crushed, wherein an impact tip included in the pick tool is driven to strike the body. In some examples, the drive arrangement may include a rotatable drum to which a plurality of excavation tools are coupled. Some excavation tools may be used for mining operations or for underground boring; for example, the excavation tool may be used to mine coal or potassium, or to drill into the ground in an oil and gas extraction operation. Some excavators may be used to mill road surfaces, such as road surfaces comprising asphalt or concrete.

Synthetic and natural diamond, polycrystalline diamond (PCD) material, cubic boron nitride (cBN), and polycrystalline cBN (pcbn) material are examples of superhard materials. As used herein, PCBN material comprises cubic boron nitride (cBN) grains dispersed within a substrate comprising or consisting essentially of a metal or ceramic material. As used herein, polycrystalline diamond (PCD) material comprises an aggregation of a plurality of diamond particles, the majority of which are directly inter-bonded to one another, and wherein the content of diamond is at least about 80 volume percent of the PCD material. The interstices between the diamond particles may be at least partially filled with a filler material, which may include a catalyst material for synthesizing diamond, or the interstices may be substantially empty. As used herein, a catalyst material for synthetic diamond is capable of promoting the growth of synthetic diamond particles and/or promoting the direct intergrowth of synthetic or natural diamond particles at temperatures and pressures at which synthetic or natural diamond is thermodynamically stable. Examples of catalyst materials for diamond are iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and manganese (Mn), as well as certain alloys including these materials. Other examples of superhard materials may include certain composite materials comprising diamond grains or cBN grains held together by a substrate comprising a ceramic material, such as silicon carbide (SiC), or a cemented carbide material, such as a cobalt-bonded WC material. For example, certain SiC bonded diamond materials may include at least about 30 volume percent diamond particles dispersed in a SiC substrate (which may contain a minor amount of silicon (Si) in a non-SiC form).

As used herein, a sintered polycrystalline superhard material is a polycrystalline superhard material that is 'sinter bonded' when bonded to a substrate in the same process as formed by sintering. Polycrystalline superhard material (such as PCD or PCBN) may be formed by sintering raw material comprising diamond particles or cBN particles at an ultra high pressure of at least about 2GPa, at least about 4GPa or at least about 5.5GPa, and a high temperature of at least about 1,000 ℃ or at least about 1,200 ℃, respectively. The raw material (which may also include a non-superhard phase or material) may be sintered in contact with a surface of the substrate such that the sintered polycrystalline material is sinter bonded to the substrate during the sintering process. The sintering process may include infiltrating a sintered material melted from the substrate into the plurality of super-hard particles within the precursor polymer of super-hard particles. The bonded or sintered material from the substrate may be evident within the sintered superhard volume, and/or a phase or compound comprising material from the substrate may be present within the superhard volume adjacent the bond boundary, and/or a phase or compound comprising material from the superhard volume may be present in the volume of the substrate adjacent the bond boundary. For example, the substrate may comprise cobalt-cemented tungsten carbide, and a phase or compound comprising tungsten (W) and/or cobalt (Co) may be present in the superhard volume; and/or the superhard material may comprise diamond, and a phase or compound presenting a high carbon (C) content may be present in the substrate; and/or the superhard material may comprise cBN and a phase or compound comprising boron (B) and/or nitrogen (N) may be present in the substrate. In some examples, Co encroaching from the substrate into the superhard volume (a so-called 'plume') may be present at the bond boundary.