Mathematical Modelling for Bone Cement MMA Free Radical Polymerization Process

Abstract

For more than 50 years, artificial joints are fastened efficiently by bone cements. Bone cements play an important role in the elastic zone. In human hip joint, about ten to twelve times of the body weight acts upon the hip joint. This gives rise to the need of the bone cement to absorb the forces acting upon the human hip joint. Plexiglas, which is Poly Methyl Methacrylate (PMMA) is the material of choice for obtaining bone cements. Three methods are conducted to produce PMM4; namely, the emulsion polymerization, solution polymerization and bulk polymerization. From these methods; in-situ and in-vivo extremely exothermic reactions of free radical bulk polymerization are used to produce PMM4 bone cements. Radical polymerization gives atactic and amorphous PMM4. Also, aseptic loosening is caused by residual monomer which remains unreacted in the body. Free radical polymerization models can describe the bone cement production effectively and are used for quantitative analysis of its synthesis. In this research, bone cement production is mathematically investigated based on multi-cell reactor. Solubility of the pre-polymer powder in the liquid monomer has shown to be the most important variable during the preparation process and that it should be tuned to control the real operation of bone cement production.