Research status on rock-breaking mechanism and performance testing methods of PDC bit cutters

Abstract

Polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) drill bits are one of the main rock breaking tools in drilling engineering. The performance indexes, such as rock breaking efficiency, wear resistance, thermal stability and impact resistance of PDC bit cutters, have great influence on the application effect of PDC bits. Consequently, relevant research has attracted much attention at home and abroad. This article summarizes the representative achievements of experimental devices and testing methods related to the rock breaking mechanism and performance testing of PDC bit cutters at home and abroad. Based on the interaction between PDC bit cutters and rock, the relevant experiments can be broadly categorized into five types: PDC bit cutters linear cutting experiments, rotary cutting experiments, drop hammer impact experiments, PDC bit single cutter hydrostatic experiments, and full-scale PDC bit experiments. According to the testing purpose, these experiments can be further divided into two categories: rock breaking mechanism and performance testing of PDC bit teeth. The advantages and disadvantages of these experimental studies are investigated and analyzed to provide references for research, optimization of PDC bit teeth, and the overall personalized design of PDC bits.

Keywords

• pdc bit cutters
• linear cutting test
• rotary cutting test
• drop hammer impact test
• pdc single cutter hydrostatic test
• full-size pdc drill test