Tensile fatigue failure of acrylic bone cement.

Tensile fatigue tests of acrylic bone cement were conducted under strain control in a wet environment at 37 degrees C. A constant strain rate of 0.02s-1 was used, resulting in physiologic loading frequencies. Comparison of the tensile fatigue data with the results of previous tension-compression fatigue tests indicates that fatigue failure is governed primarily by the maximum cyclic tensile strain. The compressive portion of the loading cycle has little effect on the number of cycles to failure. A new empirically derived equation is introduced to describe the influence of mean strain and strain amplitude on fatigue endurance. The results emphasize the critical role tensile strains may play in cement failure and loosening of total joint replacements.