Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is widely used in the
preservation
and exhibition of cultural relics in museums. Accurately predicting
its service life can help avoid many negative effects caused by PMMA
aging. To study the change in the yellowing index of PMMA after aging
in a UV light environment, an aging experiment was conducted. A prediction
model for the service life of PMMA was established using nonlinear
curve fitting and a back propagation (BP) neural network. By comparing
the goodness of fit, simulation and modeling capabilities of the initial
data, and the predictive ability for new data, it was found that the
BP neural network prediction model outperformed the nonlinear curve
fitting prediction model. In this study, the service life of newly
produced PMMA samples was calculated as 7.83, 8.47, and 8.42 years,
based on the yellowing index of retired PMMA as a benchmark and using
the output data from the BP neural network prediction model. At this
time, the performance and exhibition effect of the PMMA are poor,
and the batch of PMMA needs to be updated.