Drilling in Bone: Modeling Heat Generation and Temperature Distribution

Thermo-mechanical equations were developed from machining theory to predict heat generation due to drilling and were coupled with a heat transfer FEM simulation to predict the temperature rise and thermal injury in bone during a drilling operation. The rotational speed, feed rate, drill geometry and bone material properties were varied in a parametric analysis to determine the importance of each on temperature rise and therefore on thermal damage. It was found that drill speed, feed rate and drill diameter had the most significant thermal impact while changes in drill helix angle, point angle and bone thermal properties had relatively little effect.