US Patent 12071818 Mechanical attachment of cutting elements to an earth-boring bit

Methods for attaching cutting elements to an earth-boring bit rely on keying the cutting elements inside cavities formed in the earth-boring bit. The attachment methods may involve specific shapes of the cutting elements and the cavities in which the cutting elements are received, and/or mechanical retainers. Preferably, the blade of the earth-boring bit is thicker around the opening in the edge of the blade than when the cavity is shaped for receiving a cutting element that has a circular cross-section.