Mechanical Response and Damage Evolution of PMMA-Based Bone Cement from Compressive Calibration to Shear Prediction

Abstract In this study, a three-dimensional viscoelastic lattice spring model (VLSM) is employed to evaluate the transferability of compression-calibrated material parameters to shear loading for poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-based bone cement (BC). The model is first calibrated using compressive stress–strain data and then applied to shear loading without further parameter re-identification. The model reproduces the main features of the compressive response, predicts the shear stress–strain response, and resolves the associated progression from homogeneous elastic deformation to diffuse microdamage and ultimately to localized failure. Moreover, analyses considering variations in shear location and shear-plane size further clarify the relationship between shear stress–strain response and damage patterns, revealing that more peripheral loading and smaller shear planes sustain higher load-carrying capacity due to differences in crack propagation pathways. Finally, parametric investigations demonstrate that loading rate, porosity, and BaSO4 content exert systematic influences on the macroscopic stress–strain response and damage development. These findings suggest that the VLSM can transfer a compression-calibrated parameter set to shear loading, enabling analysis of the shear mechanical response and damage evolution of PMMA-based BC.