Los Angeles, CA - November 19, 2007
--Material Technologies Inc. (OTCBB:
MTTG -News;
"MATECH") announced
that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassHighway)
had invited them to use their patented Electrochemical Fatigue
Sensor (EFS) technology to inspect a key bridge near Springfield,
Massachusetts, and this inspection was completed at the end
of this past summer.
This bridge had previously documented cracks at fatigue sensitive
details that had been retrofitted to mitigate fatigue cracking.
The overriding purpose for utilizing EFS as an analysis tool
here was to help MassHighway identify the effectiveness of
the retrofits and inspect similar fatigue sensitive details
for potential fatigue cracking. MATECH's EFS is the only practical
bridge inspection technology that can find growing cracks.
Of the state's 3000 steel bridges, almost 400 are considered
structurally deficient and another 140 functionally obsolete.
(Data as of year end 2006.) Each of these bridges must, by federal
law, be inspected every two years, but if there are apparent
problems the inspections are more frequent.
Most inspections are done visually. This is not an adequate
means of inspection, since 90 percent or more of the cracks that
are growing are completely missed with visual inspection alone,
according to the Federal Highway Administration.
MATECH's EFS measures the activity of growing cracks in metal
bridges under ordinary traffic conditions, similar to the way
an EKG monitors the heart. It has proven a very reliable way
to determine whether an observed crack in a metal structure is
growing or not. A growing crack is an indicator of fatigue damage,
and calls for a means of halting the growth by a repair or bridge
member replacement or adding local support.
Robert M. Bernstein, MATECH's CEO says, "MATECH has performed
more than twenty field tests on actual highway and railroad bridges
around the country, and we have every confidence that our EFS
can save many repair and rehabilitation dollars by its timely
use, as well as avoiding lane and bridge closures which can have
a devastating effect on local commerce, not to mention avoiding
potential tragedies of bridge failures."
The Springfield bridge inspection was done by MATECH as a subconsultant
to Lichtenstein Consulting Engineers, for the convenience of
MassHighway, and performed in conjunction with Lichtenstein's
routine visual inspection of the bridge. The EFS inspection demonstrated
to MassHighway officials the efficacy of using this technology
on all the state's steel bridges to determine the status of known
structural cracks, and to allow an estimate to be made of potential
savings by using EFS to prioritize needed repairs. Its history
and reliability in detecting growing cracks are well established.
About Material Technologies (MTTG.OB)
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 minute 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: http://www.publiccoreport.net/featured/MTNA/company.asp
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, President
Material Technologies, Inc.
1.310.208.5589
matech@matechcorp.com
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