MTTG
Follow-Up Testing at Railroad Facility Confirms EFS Technology's Worth for Accurate Bridge Crack Detection
LOS ANGELES, April 10, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Material Technologies, Inc., (OTC Bulletin Board: MTTG) ("MATECH") performed a follow-up demonstration of its Electrochemical Fatigue Sensor (EFS(TM)) technology, a patented crack detection system, at the American Association of Railroad's Transportation Technology Center ("TTC") in Pueblo, Co.
In 2006, MATECH had demonstrated its technology at TTC's FAST Track Bridge, which had previously exhibited cracking in steel members. At the time, 17 of 20 cracked locations were evaluated with the EFS system. MATECH determined that 5 of the 17 were actively growing, including one in a facture critical location.
MATECH was invited back to attend the recent conference at the TTC facility, at which time a follow-up demonstration was performed on the FAST Track Bridge. The demonstration indicated that 4 of the 5 locations originally called out as growing cracks were still growing. The fifth crack had grown to a point where it could no longer be examined by EFS due to its location, but had clearly grown since the last inspection with EFS.
Additionally, areas indicated as showing little to no crack growth during the 2006 inspection were verified as still not showing active growth. This inspection was a confirmation of the information provided to the TTC back in 2006.
Currently, MATECH is in negotiations with the American Association of Railroad and the Federal Railroad Administration to further develop the EFS hardware and software, so that it interfaces with the railroads' long-term health monitoring system.
To-date, MATECH has used the EFS technique on 13 steel bridges across the U.S. in New York, Ohio, California, Utah, New Jersey, Colorado and Pennsylvania. It has been successfully used by MATECH bridge inspectors to check for cracks in welded joints, weld toes, and cracks. Over the last decade, the Federal Government has awarded MATECH $8.3 million in contracts for research, testing and validating of EFS technology.
MATECH is an engineering, research and development company specializing in technologies to measure microscopic fractures and flaws in metal structures and monitor metal fatigue in real time. The company's leading edge metal fatigue detection, measurement and monitoring solutions can accurately test the integrity of metal structures and equipment including bridges, railroads, airplanes, ships, cranes, power plants, mining equipment, piping systems and heavy iron.
MATECH owns the only nondestructive testing technology able to find growing cracks as small as 0.01 inches -- critical information that allows structural engineers to isolate and repair the more than 100,000 steel bridges in the US which have been classified as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete by the Federal Highway Administration. MATECH has exclusive rights to seven patents along with $8.3 million in already completed contracts from the US Government for research, testing and validation of its innovative solutions.
To hear more about MTTG from CEO/President Robert M. Bernstein go to: publiccoreport.net or visit the company's website at www.matechcorp.com . |
