9622373 Schadler This Research Equipment Grant will be utilized by the Department of Materials Engineering at Drexel University to upgrade an existing Micro Raman Spectrometer (MRS). the upgraded MRS will be used for current projects on micromechanical behavior of graphite/epoxy composites, developing MRS to measure three dimensional states of stress and to study toughening of biocompatible bone implant materials for potential prosthesis applications. The potential for a breakthrough in understanding of interfacial phenomena is promising. The capability for measuring, interfacial stress, strain and three dimensional stress in fiber composites is important in understanding micromechanisms of failure of fiber composites under loading. The equipment will also be used by other investigators interested in diamond films. Because MRS is an unique technique for measuring the mechanical behavior of two phase systems the results obtained can used to test micromechanical models which require the data that can obtained from this technique for verification and refinement. ***
