Experimental investigation on cutting mechanisms in fixed diamond wire sawing of bone

Abstract Bone sawing has been widely used in performing bone surgery. However, thermal necrosis, loss of cutting precision and surface damage may occur in cutting process. The primary objective of this research is to improve cutting performance of bone by advantages of diamond wire sawing. Mechanism of material removal, cutting force, temperature and surface quality are analyzed based on experimental results. It is indicated that wire sawing provides small depth of cut, which is effective to obtain ductile material removal mode. Due to small material removal rate per abrasive, thermal energy is low and most of the heat can be taken away by the cyclic wire and bone chips. Consequently, cutting force and temperature in cutting zone are lower than that of traditional sawing. Due to the high efficiency of chip ejection, burrs and fracture are reduced and a significant improvement in surface quality is achieved. Based on cutting experiments with various values of cutting parameters, it is observed that better performance is achievable at higher wire speeds. These results provide a valuable basis for application of wire sawing and understanding of bone cutting mechanisms.