Application and prospect of bionic non-smooth theory in drilling engineering

Abstract Bionics is a subject which can interact with many disciplines including the drilling engineering. On the basis of analyzing the properties of bionic non-smooth surface, the non-smooth theory is applied in the bit design to develop the bionic diamond bit. The dung beetle is selected as bionic prototype in this paper to design the working layer of an impregnated diamond bit, which makes the bottom surface always keep the same non-smooth shape and makes the bionic bit maintain a high penetration rate and long-life to underline their high efficiency, wear and resistance reduction properties. Tests show that the bionic bit improves the drilling speed and lifetime by 44% and 74%, respectively, compared with a common bit. In addition, the bionic non-smooth surface structure has an extensive application prospect in drilling engineering, due to its properties of wear, anti-sticking and resistance reduction. It can be applied to improve the wear performance of bit, pipe joint, cylinder liner and piston of mud pump, and to solve the bit balling and reduce the resistance of spiral drills and impact spearhead.