Measurements of shaft speed while drilling through bone.

PURPOSE

This study investigated the effect of force on drill speed and measured the energy consumed during the drilling process.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Applied force, drill speed, and energy consumed were measured during drilling in bovine cortical bone specimens. A commercial surgical drill was fitted with a custom-designed speedometer for measuring the rotational speed. The handpiece was attached to a laboratory drill press and positioned above a bone specimen mounted on a load cell. To apply steady loads, weights were placed on the drill platform, and tests were conducted for forces between 1.5 and 9.0 N and for free-running speeds from 20,000 to 100,000 rpm.

RESULTS

The simultaneous measurements of speed and load for the electrically powered instrument showed that the average operating speed changed with the force applied: at low starting speeds, the speed increased slightly with force; at high starting speeds, the speed decreased with force by as much as 50%. The measurements of electric power showed that the total energy consumed generally decreased with speed and force, primarily because of decreased drilling time.

CONCLUSION

The decrease in energy suggests that drilling at high speed and with a large force may be desirable because bone temperature is reduced.