Los Angeles, CA - August 2, 2007
--Brent Phares, Ph.D., Chief Engineer of Material
Technologies Inc., (OTCBB:
MTTG.OB -
News), a developer of advanced technology to monitor and measure
metal fatigue, commented on today's highway bridge collapse
in Minneapolis, calling the disaster a sign of America's widespread
problem with its aging infrastructure. Company Chief Engineer
Brent Phares made his comments during and after an interview
Wednesday night on Fox News at 11:00 PM ET.
Phares said it is too early to tell exactly what caused Minnesota
DOT Bridge 9340, which carries Interstate 35 W over the Mississippi
River just east of downtown Minneapolis, to collapse suddenly
during rush hour. But he pointed out that the bridge was 40 years
old and was built at a time when vehicular traffic and weights
were much less than they are today and at a time when bridge
steels and redundancy where not at today's standards. At the
time of the collapse, trucks, buses and passenger vehicles were
bumper-to-bumper on the bridge. The bridge also had fatigue-susceptible
details which were difficult to inspect.
"Our first thoughts after this horrific event must go toward
the injured, the families of the victims and the heroic people
who have worked to save lives at the disaster scene and at hospitals," Phares
said today. "As authorities analyze the collapse and determine
its cause, however, they will have to come to terms with the
fact that bridge failures are not isolated, rare events, and
that the risk of new tragedies from unseen metal fatigue inevitably
grows as steel bridges age. There is a growing, urgent need to
inspect bridges with the most advanced technology in order to
prevent more tragedies like today's collapse."
Phares noted the following facts about bridges in the U.S.:
•Visual inspection is the primary method of checking
bridges for possible metal fatigue and potential catastrophic
failure.
•One study by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) found
that over 90% of fatigue cracks were missed with visual inspection.
•Of all the methods (visual and non-visual) used to detect
cracks, only Material Technologies' Electrochemical Fatigue
Sensor system can determine whether the cracks are growing.
EFS can determine not only whether cracks are growing but whether
they are growing slowly or rapidly.
•Over the past 10 years, on average, there have been one bridge
failure in the U.S. every week.
•According to federal data, 39% of the bridges in the U.S.
are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete
•Federal law mandates that bridges over 20 feet long be inspected
every other year, but it does not require any particular method
of inspection.
•SAFETEA-LU, the federal transportation bill currently in effect,
mandated that the FHWA carry out a program to identify technologies
that detect growing fatigue cracks in bridges. Material Technologies'
EFS is part of that program and already has been used in Pennsylvania.
It also has been used in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Utah.
Overseas, bridge owners in Australia, the U.K. and elsewhere
have shown interest in deployment of the EFS in the near future.
About Material Technologies
Material Technologies Inc. (OTCBB:MTTG.OB - News), also known as
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. For more information about Material Technologies,
Inc., please visit its website at www.matechcorp.com.
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:
Robert M. Bernstein
Material Technologies, Inc.
1.310.208.5589
matech@matechcorp.com or
or
Investor or Media Relations
Omar Tajyar, 818-382-9704
Cell: 818-201-7455
otajyar@irintl.com |