In this first part of a two-part report, some aspects of the volumetric behavior of bone cement during its curing process are examined as a prelude to an analysis for the transient and residual stresses and displacements in stem fixation systems. Experiments show that stress generation in the cement is associated with its temperature while curing and that during the cooling phase, the stresses are mainly due to thermal as opposed to bulk shrinkage. The appropriate coefficient of thermal expansion of bone cement has been evaluated from measurements in a simulated fixation system in conjuction with a thermoelastic analysis.