Significantly enhanced drilling ability of the orthopedic drill made of Zr-based bulk metallic glass composite

•The thrust force of the Zr-based BMGC drill can be significantly decreased by 73% in comparison to the commercial one.•Zr-based BMGC drill is suggested attributing to their smoother surface and sharper edge of drill head.

Zr-based bulk metallic glass composite (BMGC) presents superior unique properties, including high hardness, high fracture strength, high toughness, large elastic limit, excellent corrosion resistance, and was believed as a promising material for medical-tool applications. In this study, the 4 mm diameter rods of ZrCuAlAgSi-based (Zr-based) BMGC containing ex-situ Ta particles were successfully fabricated by two-step arc melting and suction casting method. These Zr-based BMGC rods was ascertained their amorphous nature by X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry analyses, and then machined into the orthopedic drill bits with 2 mm in diameter. The drilling tests of the commercial and Zr-based BMGC orthopedic drill bits were conducted by a specially designed indentation-drilling rig. The data of thrust force as a function of drilling distance between drill and porcine bone was recorded and analyzed to evaluate the drilling ability of the Zr-based BMGC made and commercial orthopedic drills, respectively. As a result, the Zr-based BMGC made drill presents 73% reduced thrust force than the commercial one, this indicates that the Zr-based BMGC made drill has less friction force and performs much better drilling ability.