Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026

An Improved Mechanical Testing Method to Assess Bone-implant Anchorage
Published on: February 10, 2014
Creep behavior of bone cement: a method for time extrapolation using time-temperature equivalence
R L Morgan1, D F Farrar, J Rose
1Smith and Nephew Group Research Centre, Heslington, York, YO10 5DF, UK.
Abstract:
The clinical lifetime of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) bone cement is considerably longer than the time over which it is convenient to perform creep testing. Consequently, it is desirable to be able to predict the long term creep behavior of bone cement from the results of short term testing. A simple method is described for prediction of long term creep using the principle of time-temperature equivalence in polymers. The use of the method is illustrated using a commercial acrylic bone cement. A creep strain of approximately 0.6% is predicted after 400 days under a constant flexural stress of 2 MPa. The temperature range and stress levels over which it is appropriate to perform testing are described. Finally, the effects of physical aging on the accuracy of the method are discussed and creep data from aged cement are reported.
Related Concept Videos
Setting Time of Cement
Soundness of Cement
Creep in Concrete
Factors Affecting Creep
Further, the water/cement ratio is critical, as a lower ratio increases concrete strength, thus reducing creep. The strength of the...
Effects of Creep
Mass Concreting
To reduce the risk of such cracking, the concrete mix may incorporate low-heat cement and pozzolans to reduce the temperature rise. Pre-cooled angular aggregates and water-reducing admixtures...

