Influence of Microstructure and Composition on the Mechanical Properties of Thermally Stable Diamond Composites

An extensive research program has been undertaken to exploit the physical and mechanical properties of thermally stable diamond composites (TSDC) for rock cutting and drilling operations in the exploration, mining, manufacturing and civil construction industries. Having previously demonstrated the superior abrasive wear resistance of TSDC as well as discovering a viable bonding process for the insertion of TSDC as cutting elements into steel tooling, the most outstanding issues to be further investigated are the tensile, transverse rupture and impact strengths of TSDC. By combining the results of these mechanical property measurements of a series of TSDC samples, some important factors that influence strength properties, including microstructural design and careful attention to chemical and phase composition of TSDC material, are discussed.