The viscosity of acrylic bone cements.

The viscosity of the acrylic bone cement used in total joint arthroplasty is an important material property for determination of the proper handling characteristics and interlock with bone. In this article the rheological properties of the three leading bone cements were determined over a three-decade range of shear rates. In addition, four other cements were tested at a single shear rate. The results indicate that all the acrylic bone cements are non-Newtonian, pseudoplastic materials with significant differences between them. It is shown that the viscosity increases at different rates with respect to increases in time. For the majority of cements there is a steady or increasing rate of viscosity change with time.