US 11,808,088 B2
Enhanced drill bit profile for use in HDD
Mark More, West Bend, WI (US); James Wessing, Kewaskum, WI (US); Tina Giese, Theresa, WI (US); and Casey Placek, Van Dyne, WI (US)
Assigned to Kondex Corporation, Lomira, WI (US)
Filed by Mark More, West Bend, WI (US); James Wessing, Kewaskum, WI (US); Tina Giese, Theresa, WI (US); and Casey Placek, Van Dyne, WI (US)
Filed on Jul. 20, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/380,322.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/054,755, filed on Jul. 21, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0025713 A1, Jan. 27, 2022
Int. Cl. E21B 10/55 (2006.01); B23K 26/342 (2014.01); B23K 101/00 (2006.01); E21B 7/06 (2006.01); E21B 10/43 (2006.01); E21B 7/04 (2006.01); B23K 103/00 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 10/55 (2013.01) [B23K 26/342 (2015.10); E21B 7/064 (2013.01); E21B 10/43 (2013.01); B23K 2101/002 (2018.08); B23K 2103/52 (2018.08); E21B 7/046 (2013.01)] 40 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for boring holes, comprising:
a horizontal directional drilling (HDD) bit comprising a bit body of a metal material, the bit body including a mounting region defining at least one mounting aperture, and an engaging region extending forwardly from the mounting region, the engaging region being fixed relative to the mounting region, the horizontal directional drilling (HDD) bit including a cutting face along the engaging region, and wherein at least one cutter tooth of the metal material is integrally formed into the engaging region providing a toothed profile to the cutting face;
wherein a hard face coating at least partially covers the at least one cutter tooth, the hard face coating being of a hard face material harder than the metal material of the bit body to provide increase wear resistance; and
wherein the bit body comprises opposed first and second side faces and a peripheral border edge extending transversely between the opposed first and second side faces, the peripheral border edge being joined to at least one of the first and second side faces through at least one broken corner edge that extends over the at least one cutter tooth and defined in the bit body, the hard face coating covering the at least one broken corner edge to form at least part of the cutting face, with each of the at least one broken corner edge comprising between 10% to 50% of a thickness of the bit body at the cutting face between opposed first and second side faces.