Los Angeles, CA-February 5, 2009
- While President Obama has pledged himself toward
the passage of a nearly one trillion dollar economic stimulus
plan, a strong argument could be made that the economic recovery
package should focus more squarely on infrastructure repair
rather than breaking ground on “shovel-ready” new
projects.
“The roadworthiness of our nation’s two hundred
thousand existing metal bridges is a serious problem that does
not receive nearly enough attention,” says Marybeth Miceli,
Chief Operating Officer of MATECH
Corp., formerly
Material Technologies, Inc., a Los Angeles-based engineering,
research and development company that specializes in technologies
that measure microscopic fractures in metal structures and
monitor metal fatigue. “The
August 2007 Minneapolis bridge collapse that resulted in thirteen
deaths and nearly 150 injuries was only the most infamous recent
large-scale bridge disaster.”
There have been 1,500 partial or total bridge collapses between
1966 and 2005, a staggering average of one bridge every ten days,
according to the Texas Transportation Institute. Part of the
reason for this is because while our nation’s bridges are
generally designed to have a fifty-year lifespan before major
rehabilitation, most U.S. bridges are over fifty years old and
were not designed to handle current traffic and weight bearing
levels.
While the National Bridge Inventory (NBI) requires biennial
inspection, as mandated by National Bridge Inspection Standards,
what may be surprising to many is that “subjective visual
inspection” is the most commonly used inspection method,
one that misses approximately 90% of fatigue cracks.
MATECH has pioneered a better way. The company’s proprietary
Electrochemical Fatigue Sensor (EFS) is a nondestructive inspection
technology is used to determine if actively growing fatigue cracks
are present in bridges and other structures. The technology acts
something like an EKG: a small voltage is applied and the system
subsequently monitors signal abnormalities that indicate growing
cracks, just as abnormalities in an EKG reading might indicate
serious heart problems. MATECH’s solution is the only field-testing
device able to find growing cracks in structural members as small
as 0.01 inches in length and some non-surface breaking cracks.
“The technology is easy to use and is currently being
deployed on more than forty bridges worldwide,” says Ms.
Miceli. “Especially as the nation girds itself for infrastructure
renewal, this solution can contribute toward improving public
safety, prioritizing repair work, and stretching taxpayer dollars.” For
more information visit www.matechcorp.com.
About Matech Corp. (MTCH.OB)
MATECH Corp, formerly Material Technologies, Inc., was founded
in 1983 and is based in Los Angeles. It is an engineering, research
and development company that specializes in technologies to measure
microscopic fractures in metal structures and to monitor metal
fatigue. The Company has already completed significant work for
the federal government -- generating $8.3 million to develop
technology to detect metal fatigue in aircraft. It has also received
$5 million in private investments. Building on that base, it
is now marketing its technologies to companies and government
agencies involved in the inspection of metal highway and railroad
bridges.
Forward-Looking Statements:
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters
discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements.
Such statements are indicated by words or phrases such as "believe," "will," "breakthrough," "significant," "indicated," "feel," "revolutionary," "should," "ideal," "extremely" and "excited." These
statements are made under "Safe Harbor" provisions
of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual
results may differ materially from those described in forward-looking
statements and are subject to risks and uncertainties. See the
Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission
including, without limitation, the Company's recent Form 10-K
and Form 10-Qs, which identify specific factors that may cause
actual results or events to differ materially from those described
in the forward-looking statements.
Contact:
IRG
Mike Graff, 212-825-3210
Robert M. Bernstein, President
Material Technologies, Inc.
11661 San Vicente Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90049
1.310.208.5589
matech@matechcorp.com
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