Orthogonal cutting of cancellous bone with application to the harvesting of bone autograft

Autogenous bone graft harvesting results in cell death within the graft and trauma at the donor site. The latter can be mitigated by using minimally invasive tools and techniques, while cell morbidity may be reduced by improving cutter design and cutting parameters. We have performed orthogonal cutting experiments on bovine cancellous bone samples, to gain a basic understanding of the cutting mechanism and to determine design guidelines for tooling. Measurements were performed at cutting speeds from 11.2 to 5000 mm/min, with tool rake angles of 23°°, 45°° and 60°°, and depths of cut in the range of 0.1–3.0 mm. Horizontal and vertical cutting forces were measured, and the chip formation process video recorded. Continuous chip formation was observed for rake angles of 45°° and 60°°, and depths of cut greater than 0.8 mm. Chip formation for depths of cut greater than 1.0 mm was accompanied by bone marrow extruding out of the free surfaces and away from the rake face. Specific cutting energies decreased with increasing rake angle, increasing depth of cut and increasing cutting speed. Our orthogonal cutting experiments showed that a rake angle of 60°° and a depth of cut of 1 mm, will avoid excessive fragmentation, keep specific cutting energy low and promote bone marrow extrusion, which may be beneficial for cell survival. We demonstrate how drill bit clearance angle and feed rate can be calculated facilitating a 1 mm depth of cut.