Elastic and ultimate properties of acrylic bone cement reinforced with ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene fibers

A study of the fracture behavior of poly-(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) bone cement reinforced with short ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (Spectra 900) fibers is presented. Linear elastic and nonlinear elastic fracture mechanics results indicate that a significant reinforcing effect is obtained at fiber contents as low as 1% by weight, but beyond that concentration a plateau value is reached and the fracture toughness becomes insensitive to fiber content. The flexural strength and modulus are apparently not improved by the incorporation of polyethylene fibers in the acrylic cement, probably because of the presence of voids, the poor mixing practice and the weakness of the fiber/matrix interfacial bond. The present polyethylene/PMMA composite presents several advantages as compared to other composite cements, but overall the mechanical performance of this system resembles that of Kevlar 29/PMMA cement, with a few differences. Scanning electron microscopy reveals characteristic micromechanisms of energy absorption in Spectra 900/PMMA bone cement. A scheme for the strength of random fiber-reinforced composites, which is a simple extension of the Kelly and Tyson model for the strength of unidirectional composites, is presented and discussed. Young's modulus and the fracture toughness results are discussed in the framework of existing theories. More fundamental modeling treatments are needed in terms of fracture micromechanisms to understand and optimize the various mechanical properties with respect to structural parameters and cement preparation technique.