Effect of feedstock diamond powder property on microstructure and mechanical properties of polycrystalline diamond compacts

Polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) is used widely for machining, petroleum drilling, and mining. Up until now, the effect of feedstock diamond powder property, especially the specific surface area of diamond powder, has rarely been investigated on the mechanical property of PDCs. In this study, diamond powders with different specific surface areas have been employed for the synthesizing of PDCs using high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) process. The research shows that the microstructure, residual stress, and especially the wear resistance of PDCs were significantly affected by the specific surface area of diamond powders. Compared with the ordinary diamond powders, the diamond powders with higher specific surface area promote the formation of diamond-diamond bonding more significantly during HPHT process and contribute to the noticeably higher wear resistance of PDCs.