Ultrasonic Cutting Tip Neck Design for Lumbar Bone Resection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical cutting tips used for cutting bone and other tissue are prone to high stress and breakage, and they often generate excessive heat at the bone/tissue site, leading to tissue damage.
Innovation Solution
The development of an ultrasonic cutting tip with a shaft comprising a base and a body, where the body has a first and second portion with a cutting portion featuring a neck and head, and a circular aperture between the head and neck to enhance cooling and reduce stress concentration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If aggressive use of existing cutting tips is employed to cut bone and tissue, then cutting effectiveness is improved, but stress and breakage risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting tip is divided into distinct segments including a shaft, a cutting portion with a neck region, and a head. The neck region acts as a stress-isolating segment that separates the cutting head from the shaft, preventing stress propagation and reducing breakage risk while maintaining cutting effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The neck region of the cutting portion is designed with specific local properties - it has a reduced cross-sectional area compared to the shaft and head, creating a localized stress concentration zone that protects the overall structure. This local structural modification allows the cutting tip to withstand aggressive use without propagating cracks throughout the entire device.
2Productivity
If higher tip displacements are used to improve cutting performance, then cutting efficiency is improved, but heat generation at the bone/tissue site increases
Solution Approach 1:
Irrigation fluid serves as an intermediary cooling medium that flows through the cutting tip structure. The fluid absorbs heat generated during high-displacement cutting operations and carries it away from the bone/tissue site, enabling sustained high-efficiency cutting without thermal damage to surrounding tissues.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The ultrasonic cutting tip achieves improved strength and reduced risk of breakage, while effective cooling through irrigation helps prevent tissue damage, allowing for efficient cutting of bone and other tissue.
Implementation Method 1
adequate cooling at the site is essential to avoid tissue damage
Data Source
AI summary
An ultrasonic tip and methods of operating the same. The ultrasonic tip comprises a shaft including a base and a flexible body. The body comprises a first portion and a second portion. The body is coupled to the base at the first portion and extends from the first portion to the second portion along a longitudinal axis. The second portion includes a cutting portion comprising a neck, and a head extending radially from the longitudinal axis. The head is coupled to the neck. A circular aperture is disposed between the head and the neck to define an inner circumferential surface. The head and the neck form an outer circumferential surface comprising a plurality of cutting teeth, the outer circumferential surface having a first thickness at the head that is greater than a second thickness at the neck.