Tricone Dull Grading

IADC Dull Grading System, Examples

& Exercises

2002 Baker Hughes

All rights reserved
 IADC Dull Grading System

Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Inner Outer Dull Location Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Seals (1/16) Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics
 Cutter Wear Location
Cutting Structure B G Remarks
Inner Outer Dull Location Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Seals (1/16) Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics

For cutter grading

purposes only, the bit is
Inner Rows Outer Rows
divided into two areas:
(Does NOT (Touches the Inner Rows
touch the hole wall) hole wall) Outer Rows
Inner rows are those
rows which does not
touch the hole wall
Outer rows are those
rows that touch the hole
wall
 Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Cutter Wear
Inner Outer Dull Location Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Seals (1/16) Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics

A linear scale from 0 (no wear) to 8 (nothing left)

STEEL TOOTH BITS A measure of lost tooth height
INSERT BITS A measure of combined cutting structure
reduction due to lost, worn and/or broken inserts/teeth

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
 Cutting Structure B G Remarks
Inner
Rows
Outer
Rows
Dull
Charact-
Location Bearing Gauge Other
Seals (1/16) Charact- Dull Characteristics
Reason
Pulled
eristics eristics

BC Broken Cone * LN Lost Nozzle

BT Broken Teeth / Inserts LT Lost Teeth / Inserts
BU Balled Up Bit OC Off-Center Wear
CC Cracked Cone * PB Pinched Bit
CD Cone Dragged * PN Plugged Nozzle
CI Cone Interference RG Rounded Gage
CR Cored RO Ring Out
CT Chipped Teeth / Inserts SD Shirttail Damage
ER Erosion SS Self-Sharpening Wear
FC Flat Crested Wear TR Tracking
HC Heat Checking WOWashed Out Bit
JD Junk Damage WT Worn Teeth / Inserts
LC Lost Cone * NO No Dull Characteristic

Show Cone # or #s under location 4

 Cutting Structure B G Remarks
Inner Outer Dull Location Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact-
eristics
Seals (1/16) Charact-
eristics
Pulled
Location

Location is defined as follows:

Gauge (G) - Those cutting elements which touch the hole wall.
Heel (H) has also been a naming convention that has been
used.
Nose (N) - The centermost cutting element(s) of the bit.
Middle (M) - Cutting elements between the nose and the
gauge.
All (A) - All Rows
Show cone # if the dull characteristics is not in
evidence on all three
 Cutting Structure B G Remarks
Inner Outer Dull Location Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact-
eristics
Seals (1/16) Charact-
eristics Bearings & Seals
Pulled

For non-sealed bearing roller

cone bits, a linear scale from
0-8 is used
For sealed bearing (journal or
roller) bits, a letter code is
used to indicate the condition
of the seal
E indicates an effective seal
F indicates a failed seal(s
N indicating not able to grade
has been added to allow reporting
when seal/bearing condition cannot
be determined
 Cutting Structure B G Remarks
Inner Outer Dull Location Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact-
eristics
Seals (1/16) Charact-
eristics Gauge Condition
Pulled

Code Explanation
I In Gauge
Beware:
1/16 Undergauge
up to 1/16 Gauging Tricone Bits is more
difficult than with PDC bits
2/16 Undergauge
1/16 to 1/8
3/16 Undergauge
1/8 to 3/16
4/16 Undergauge
3/16 to 1/4
 Two-Thirds Rule

The Two Thirds Rule requires

that the gauge ring be pulled so
that it contacts two of the cones
at their outermost points
The distance between the
outermost point of the third
cone and the gauge ring is
multiplied by 2/3s and rounded
to the nearest 1/16th of an inch
to give the correct diameter
reduction
 Cutting Structure B G Remarks
Inner Outer Dull Location Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact-
eristics
Seals (1/16) Charact-
eristics
Worn Teeth / Cutters
Pulled

WT

WT is considered Worn
Teeth / Inserts
Worn Cutters exhibit
smooth wear characteristics
Associated with abrasive
wear
 Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Broken Teeth
Inner Outer Dull Location Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Seals (1/16) Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics
BT

Broken teeth/inserts
exhibit sharp edges and
fracture planes.
Normally associated
with impact related
damage
 Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Broken Cone
Inner Outer Dull Location Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Seals (1/16) Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics

BC

A cone may break

when the bit hits a ledge during a
trip or connection
there is cone interference
caused by the cones running on
each other after a bearing failure
 Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Erosion (Cone)
Inner Outer Dull Location Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Seals (1/16) Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics
ER

On TCI bits, the loss of

cone shell material can
lead to a loss of inserts,
because the support and
grip of the cone shell
material is reduced.
An abrasive formation
contacting the cone shell
between the cutters also
can lead to erosion
This is usually caused by This erosion pattern indicates that
tracking, off center wear, or abrasive cuttings in the mud
excessive WOB travelled at a high speed between
the middle row of teeth
 Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Shirttail Damage
Inner Outer Dull Location Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Seals (1/16) Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics
SD

Damage to the shirttail

may be different from
junk damage and is not
considered a cutting
structure dulling
characteristic
Shirttail wear can lead to
seal failures
Some causes:
Junk left in the hole
Reaming an under-gauge hole
A pinched bit
 Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Lost Cones
Inner Outer Dull Location Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Seals (1/16) Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics
LC

Cones can be lost in a

variety of ways
With few exceptions, the
dropped cone must be
cleared from the hole
before drilling can resume
Causes:
The bit striking a ledge or the
bottom during a trip, or
connection
A dropped drill string
Bearing failure
Hydrogen sulphide embrittlement
 Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Off Centre Wear

Inner Outer Dull Location Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Seals (1/16) Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics
OC

Occurs when the geometric

centre of the bit and the
centre of the hole do not
coincide Preferential
wear to one
Drills an over-size hole side of
Usually a substantial decrease tooth
in penetration rate
Common Effects new
Cone shell wear between the rows of inserts
teeth
Wear on the backs of the teeth
This effect is due to the ridges of
formation building up between the
rows
 Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Rounded Gauge
Inner Outer Dull Location Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Seals (1/16) Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics
RG

A bit that has experienced

gauge wear in a rounded
manner, but has yet to wear
out of normal gauge
The heel inserts may be less
than gauge, but the cone
backfaces are still within
nominal diameter
The gauge of a bit can become
rounded when drilling an
abrasive formation with
excessive rpm, or reaming an
under gauge hole
Dull Grade this one !
 Break

Comprehending Engineers:

Two engineering students were walking across campus when one

said, "Where did you get such a great bike?" The second engineer
replied, "Well, was walking along yesterday minding my own
business when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike. She threw
the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, "Take what
you want." The second engineer nodded approvingly, Good choice;
the clothes probably wouldn't have fit."