Reduction of sawing forces in bone cutting: Innovative oscillating saw mechanism based on trajectory analysis

Abstract

Oscillating bone sawing is a critical procedure in orthopedic surgery. However, conventional oscillating saw mechanisms often result in excessive sawing forces, which are detrimental to implant fixation and postoperative patient recovery. Therefore, there is an urgent need to design a new oscillating saw mechanism to reduce sawing forces during surgery, including avoiding ineffective impact forces on bone cutting and preventing ploughing forces caused by negative rake angle contact with the workpiece. In this study, an innovative oscillating sawing mechanism is proposed to effectively inhibit the generation and accumulation of impact forces, avoid negative rake angle contact with the workpiece. Oscillating sawing experiments under various cutting conditions demonstrated that the proposed mechanism significantly reduces cutting forces and prevents defects due to crack propagation of the bone and saw teeth damage. The proposed design offers an effective mechanism to achieve small and stable sawing forces in bone sawing surgery, and it inspires tailored oscillating saw techniques for specific machining needs, such as thin deep groove cutting.