Machining characteristics of the haversian and plexiform components of bovine cortical bone.

This paper investigates the characteristic differences observed while machining the haversian and plexiform components of a bovine cortical femoral bone. To this end micro-milling slotting experiments are performed on both the components by varying both the cutting velocity and the feed-per-tooth values. The scale of machining is chosen specifically to ensure sensitivity to the microstructural variations in the bone. The material properties of the microstructural components and their size-scale relative to the feed-per-tooth values are seen to dictate the failure mechanisms encountered during machining. The cutting force, surface roughness, and tool wear are all uniquely affected by the plexiform and haversian components of the cortical bone. In general, plexiform bone requires a higher cutting force than the haversian bone. While a higher cutting velocity can lower the surface roughness of haversian bone, it typically results in the most surface damage. The cutting force and surface roughness values for both the components show strain rate sensitivity. The tool wear is seen to be the highest while cutting parallel to the lamellar structures seen in the plexiform bone.