Experimental determination of the emissivity of bone

Cutting and drilling operations in bone are involved in many orthopedic and otolaryngological surgeries. The temperature elevation of these procedures is potentially harmful to bone and soft tissue cells. The research on this topic aims therefore at minimizing temperature elevation and finding optimal process parameters. Experimental studies are mostly carried out on ex vivo setups using bovine bone material. For temperature measurements, either thermocouples or infrared cameras are used. Infrared cameras have potential advantages, but the emissivity value of the material has to be known. Literature values are scattered and vary within a wide range. An experimental study was carried out to quantify the emissivity using freshly frozen bovine and human bone, as well as human bone samples which were either fixed with Formalin or Thiel solution. Additionally, different surface finishes were used and emissivity was evaluated at different temperatures. The mean emissivity of bone was determined to be epsilon = 0.96 +/- 0.01 for temperature elevations up to 60 degrees C. A slightly higher value of epsilon = 0.97 +/- 0.01 was found for temperatures around 80 degrees C. No significant differences for human or bovine bone samples, preparation or fixation techniques were found. (C) 2016 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.