FLEXURAL AND TORSIONAL ANALYSIS OF 5 ACRYLICS FOR USE IN EXTERNAL SKELETAL FIXATION

Mechanical testing of five acrylics was performed to evaluate material property differences that might affect their use as support rods in e xternal skeletal fixation (ESF). Flexural and torsional analysis demon strated that differences existed in the stiffness of the acrylics with polyethyl/polymethylmethacrylate products being the stiffest and a po lyethylmethacrylate product bring least stiff. Increasing the amount o f inert filler also increased the stiffness. The inherent porosity of the individual acrylics did not have an effect on their mechanical pro perties. These differences in stiffness might affect fracture healing by affecting the amount of primary or secondary osteosynthesis that oc curs.