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Matech Corp. (fka MTCH) RSS Feed

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(MTTG) Material Technologies, Inc.

11661 San Vicente Boulevard
Suite 707
Los Angeles, CA 90049
USA


Website: http://www.matechcorp.com

Phone: (310) 208-5589
http://www.matechcorp.com/video.php?docId=11260596422565997 MTCH CEO ON FOX NEWS

http://www.matechcorp.com/video.php?docId=-7259436493960855271 MTCH COO ON FOX NEWS

http://www.matechcorp.com/video.php?docId=-323893484070709211 MTCH PROJECT Mgr. ON MSNBC

http://www.matechcorp.com/video.php?docId=-6319698361125173509 MTCH COO ON THE MORNING SHOW

ABOUT BRIDGES

To see an Acrobat File of the Joint Presentation of Northrop Grumman and Matech demonstrating Northrup's Sensor Information System of which MATECH's Electrochemical Fatigue Sensor is an important part, click here. http://www.matechcorp.com/doc/nycpresentationv1web.pdf

The nation's bridge infrastructure system is aging and needs extensive repair. There are approximately 600,000 bridges in the nation's inventory. 105,981 steel bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete in important areas, according to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). These bridges are a rapidly developing natural disaster, collectively comprising almost $400 billion of repair liability, impending accidents, and potential disruption of the nation's ability to conduct commerce. For more details, see Bridge Data. For some unfortunate examples of bridge neglect, see Horror Stories.

In 1997 the US Government spent in excess of $5 billion to rehabilitate existing bridges. The need for increased spending accelerates significantly each year as the infrastructure ages and as inflation increases. Analysis by infrastructure economic experts, including the Federal Highway Administration, confirms that approximately $9 billion per year is the minimum required to maintain the status quo with presently used construction methods.

The US client base for EFS-based monitoring consists of the US Government, the 50 states and their local government agencies, 42 bridge authorities, 3 military agencies, and 48 railroads. Recognizing the problem of our aging surface transportation system, Congress has enacted legislation for its rehabilitation including the Intermodal Surface Transportation and Efficiency Act (ISTEA) in 1991 and the Transportation Equity Act (TEA-21) in 1998.

The unacceptably high cost of retrofitting and replacing bridges impelled an ISTEA mandate that the States demonstrate they have an effective bridge management system in place in order to receive funding. To this date, final regulations to implement this mandate have not been published because no viable, dependable system to manage bridges has evolved.

The follow-on TEA-21 Act funded $200 billion for surface transportation, with $29 billion for the year 2000. Of this, $9 billion was budgeted for bridges; however, this funding was for the most part untapped because a proven, effective bridge management system had not been available. EFS-based monitoring will play a key role in this arena.

The US Government must now preside over the accelerating deterioration of the 610,389 bridges that make up the nationwide bridge infrastructure. Approximately 100,000 bridges are rated "structurally deficient" using Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) guidelines, and this number is increasing annually despite remedial actions taken. A specific population of what is defined as the average bridge - two and half spans - numbers 25,161 bridges, and require immediate repair. The cost, as estimated by the FHWA, reported in the NBI data, is $104 per square foot, or more than $20 billion.

In this context the excellent test results of Matech’s EFS and FF on bridges in several states is highly relevant and advantageous. See the Press Releases of November 17, 2004, September 27, 2004 and June 8, 2004 and Operational Considerations.

The FHWA study states:
     • at least 56% of all condition ratings are incorrect.
     • over 90% of fatigue cracks are missed with visual inspection.
     • 4 out of 5 times, areas are called on to be repaired which do not need it.


For all predictions, forecasts or other statements which are forward looking in time,
there are possible risks and uncertainties involved. See the Future Statements page.

Market Opportunity

EFS appears to be the only truly definitive metal fatigue assessment technology in the world. Until EFS, little progress had been made in gauging crack growth and the extent of this insidious and largely invisible strength-sapping phenomenon. It is believed to be possible with EFS to conduct the appraisal of steel structural members using a technique which does not require any knowledge of past structural or loading history for the object to be monitored. This provides an answer to the metal fatigue problems of a broad array of industries, as described below.

Likewise, the Fatigue Fuse is of value in monitoring aircraft, ships, bridges, conveyor systems, mining equipment, cranes, windmills, turbine engines etc. It is easy to put into operation because no special training is needed to qualify individuals to report any broken segments of the Fatigue Fuse to the appropriate engineering authority for any necessary action.

MATECH's technology could be marketable to many market sectors such as bridges and aerospace as well as ships, cranes, power plants, nuclear facilities, chemical plants, mining equipment, metal windmills, and "heavy iron."

For all predictions, forecasts or other statements which are forward looking in time, there are possible risks and uncertainties involved. See the Future Statements page.



 
 


 

Business History
The Electrochemical Fatigue Sensor (EFS™)
In 1992, Dr. Campbell Laird and Dr. Yuanfeng Li invented the EFS™. The EFS™ relies on a patented electrical test method, which monitors the current flow at the surface of a metal while it is being mechanically flexed. The output current resembles a heart’s EKG pattern and can be interpreted to indicate the degree of fatigue as well as the presence of cracks in their earliest stages of development. It promises to revolutionize critical structural member inspection methods, and its potential for improved diagnostic accuracy, compared with existing inspection systems, fits perfectly with growing concerns over the aging infrastructure. In 1993, MATECH entered into an agreement for an exclusive worldwide license in perpetuity with the University of Pennsylvania to develop and market the EFS™. In 1993, the Company began to brief the US Military and Congress regarding the benefits of the technologies under development by the Company.
 

The Fatigue Fuse (FF™)
The late Dr. Maurice A. Brull, a world class aeronautical and mechanical engineering scholar and founding Dean of the School of Engineering at the University of Tel Aviv, first conceived of the fatigue fuse in 1982 during his tenure at the University of Pennsylvania. Before Dr. Brull’s invention there was no known way to monitor fatigue directly or to track it in real time. The only methods available were indirect and not economical for wide use. Dr. Brull’s device (FF™) is a thin piece of metal consisting of a series of parallel metal strips connected to a common base, much as fingers are attached to a hand. Each of the fingers has a different geometric pattern. By applying the laws of physics in predetermining the geometric contour of each finger, the fatigue life of each of the fingers are finite and predictable. When the fatigue life for a given finger (or fuse) is reached, the fuse breaks. By using different geometry for each finger, different increments of fatigue life are measurable. Typically, these fingers are constructed to fail at increments of 20% of the metal’s fatigue life. By mechanically attaching or bonding these devices, the Fuse undergoes the same strain sequence as the structure. As the fuses break, they indicate the increment of fatigue life reached for that area of the structure.

   
Funding and Research
In 1985, a research and development partnership was formed to provide $750,000 of funding for the initial research and development of the fuse. In 1986, the company became a public corporation through a reverse merger with an existing publicly traded concern. The name of the company was changed to Tensiodyne Corp. During the period 1985 -1989, the company engaged in its initial development work. In 1989, Robert M. Bernstein became the Chief Executive Officer and controlling shareholder of Tensiodyne Corp. In 1989, the Company entered into an agreement with Hughes Aircraft Co. and developed a remote monitoring system. As an outcome of this work successful tests were performed for bridge components at the University of Rhode Island under the aegis of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, calibration tests at Battelle Laboratories, and on a helicopter frame at Westland Helicopter Co. in England. Supporting further development efforts covering the years 1989 through 1996 in excess of $1.0 million was invested by private sources in the form of equity. It is management’s opinion that the Fatigue Fuse is ready for commercialization in the bridge industry.
 

In August 1996, MATECH entered into a teaming arrangement with Southwest Research Institute of San Antonio, Texas (a nonprofit research facility with annual gross revenues in excess of $230 million) and the University of Pennsylvania. On February 25, 1997, the Team was awarded a $2.5 million Phase I contract from the US Air Force to "determine the feasibility of the EFS™ to improve the United States Air Force capability to perform durability assessments of military aircraft, including both air frames and engines through the application of the EFS™ to specific military aircraft alloys."

 
Through December 31st 2000, MATECH has generated approximately $8 million from the US Government for this R & D effort.
 
For all predictions, forecasts or other statements which are forward looking in time, there are possible risks and uncertainties involved. See the Future Statements page.


 

THE METAL FATIGUE PROBLEM

Fatigue is a consequence of a metal undergoing repeated cyclic stress. In a commercial context this stress results from a large number of cycles of loading and unloading. Sudden fracture can result. Fatigue damage and the compromise of stability and integrity of the structural member present the constant potential for structural failure.

It is presently not possible, under any generally acceptable theory of fatigue phenomena, to predict by analysis alone when the fatigue/stress limit is reached and when a fracture may occur. Further, in normal usage, damage occurs cumulatively, at microscopic levels, and can only be detected in its early stages by examining the microscopic structure.

This difficulty has caused designers of structures subject to fatigue to avoid this problem by "over-designing" structures to limit the stresses in critical areas to a level well below the known endurance limits of the material employed. This results in extreme expense through overbuilding. In spite of this, catastrophic fatigue failures still occur. Thus, there is a need to measure the microscopic level of fatigue status, since other available levels of analysis do not address this level of necessary detail. There is also an obvious need to inspect the subsurface areas and components of a particular structure or item of equipment, beyond the boundaries of surface visual inspection.


 

 
The Electrochemical Fatigue Sensor

EFS is a nondestructive crack inspection technology, similar in concept to a medical EKG, which is used to determine if actively growing fatigue cracks are present. An EFS sensor is first applied to the fatigue sensitive location on the bridge or metal structure, and then is injected with an electrolyte, at which point a small voltage is applied. The system subsequently monitors changes in the current response that results from the exposure of fresh steel during crack propagation. The EFS system consists of an electrolyte, a sensor array and potentiostat for applying a constant polarizing voltage between the bridge and sensor, as well as data collection and analysis software. The current response from the sensor array, which consists of a crack measurement sensor and a reference sensor, are collected, analyzed and compared with the system software. An algorithm, specifically written for this system, automatically indicates the level of fatigue crack activity at the inspection location.

Benefits:

  • Increases the safety of the infrastructure and the efficiency of bridge management through better and more timely fatigue crack detection.
  • Replaces “wait and see” approach by allowing immediate detection of growing cracks at known and unknown locations, as well as at repairs.
  • More accurate assessment of condition ratings – extends the life of the structure through early identification and repair of growing cracks.
  • Determines which cracks need immediate attention and which repairs can be deferred or eliminated; helps bridge owners utilize repair and rehabilitation funds more effectively.
  • Repairs/retrofits can be verified immediately – no re-inspection needed.

Schematic Drawing of the EFS

 

The Fatigue Fuse

A set of notched  metal strips, with varying stress concentration factors, bonded to a structure.

  • Each strip experiences structural strains until a crack initiates and severs the connection.
  • The number of load cycles before separation is a measure of fatigue damage experienced by the structure since the Fatigue Fuse was installed.
  • Fatigue Fuses recently applied to an aluminum bridge for US Army, made by a division of General Dynamics, Inc; now being evaluated at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD.

.

OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

EFS is very useful in detecting cracks in structures under live loads, as for example, a highway bridge. EFS can detect cracks in the field as small as 0.01 inches in an actual structure (too small to be seen with the unaided eye), and requires no skilled operator. EFS can detect cracks in steel, aluminum, titanium alloys, and other metals.

The Fatigue Fuse is of value in monitoring aircraft, ships, bridges, conveyor systems, mining equipment, cranes, etc. No special training is needed to qualify individuals to report any broken segments of the Fatigue Fuse to the appropriate engineering authority for any necessary action.

To date, certain organizations have included MATECH's EFS in test programs, obtaining excellent results. These beta tests were on actual bridges and confirmed results that were found in the laboratory, namely that EFS accurately detects growing cracks in bridge steels. In testing for bridges on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and in CA, NY, and OH, EFS results were verified with more conventional inspection methods. In at least one instance EFS found cracks that were not detected by an eddy current survey. For more details on these tests see the Press Releases of November 17, 2004, September 27, 2004 and June 8, 2004.

Tests of the Fatigue Fuse for welded steel civil bridge members have been completed by the University of Rhode Island. Westland Helicopter, a British firm, successfully tested the Fatigue Fuse on helicopter hub housings; the legs of the Fuses failed in sequence as predicted. Fatigue Fuses are currently being used on portable aluminum bridges for the US Army.

 ONLINE AND DOWNLOADABLE PRESENTATIONS: http://www.matechcorp.com/downloads.html

Officers:


Robert M. Bernstein, President/CEO
Joel R. Freedman, Secretary


Cusip: 0001036668

Outstanding Shares: 119,4548,741 as of 11-20-2009

Float :31,181,171 as of 11-20-2009

Number of Shareholders: 2,300 as of 2007-04-03














Press Releases





• CEO of Materials Technologies, Inc. to Air in Live MN1 Interview
Marketwire (Fri, Jul 13)
Thu, Jul 12, 2007
• Los Angeles Business Journal Reports on Material Technologies, Inc. and Its Leading EFS Technology
Business Wire (Thu, Jul 12)
Tue, Jul 10, 2007
• Material Technologies, Inc. Completes Bridge Inspection for MassHighway Department
Business Wire (Tue, Jul 10)
Mon, Jul 9, 2007
• Material Technologies, Inc. Acquires License for a Pulsed Eddy Current Instrument
PR Newswire (Mon, Jul 9)
Tue, Jul 3, 2007
• MATERIAL TECHNOLOGIES INC /CA/ Files SEC form 8-K, Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement, Completion of Acquisit
EDGAR Online (Tue, Jul 3)
Mon, Jul 2, 2007
• UTEK Corporation Completes Technology Transfer with Material Technologies, Inc.
Business Wire (Mon, Jul 2)
Wed, Jun 27, 2007
• Utah Interested in MATECH's Patented EFS Technology to Find Growing Fatigue Cracks in Highway Bridges
PR Newswire (Wed, Jun 27)
Tue, Jun 19, 2007
• Material Technologies, Inc.'s Chief Engineer to Present at Railway Engineering 2007 Conference in London, UK
Business Wire (Tue, Jun 19)
Thu, Jun 7, 2007
• MATERIAL TECHNOLOGIES INC /CA/ Financials
EDGAR Online Financials (Thu, Jun 7)
Fri, Jun 1, 2007
• Material Technologies Retains The Investor Relations Group of New York
Business Wire (Fri, Jun 1)
Wed, May 30, 2007
• Material Technologies EFS System - The Right Tool for Montana DOT Bridges
PR Newswire (Wed, May 30)
Thu, May 24, 2007
• Shazamstocks.com Announces Profile Launch of Material Technologies, Inc.
PrimeNewswire (Thu, May 24)
Mon, May 21, 2007
• MATERIAL TECHNOLOGIES INC /CA/ Files SEC form 10QSB, Quarterly Report
EDGAR Online (Mon, May 21)
Mon, May 14, 2007
• Material Technologies Receives Significant Interest From Entities in the People's Republic of China
PR Newswire (Mon, May 14)
Tue, May 8, 2007
• MATERIAL TECHNOLOGIES INC /CA/ Files SEC form 8-K, Unregistered Sale of Equity Securities
EDGAR Online (Tue, May 8)
Fri, May 4, 2007
• MATERIAL TECHNOLOGIES INC /CA/ Files SEC form 8-K, Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement, Completion of Acquisit
EDGAR Online (Fri, May 4)
Wed, May 2, 2007
• Material Technologies, Inc. Acquires License for a Structural Damage Assessment System
PR Newswire (Wed, May 2)
Mon, Apr 23, 2007
• Material Technologies to Verify Fatigue Crack Repairs for the Alabama DOT
PR Newswire (Mon, Apr 23)
Tue, Apr 17, 2007
• Material Technologies, Inc. Completes EFS Inspection of Bridge in New Jersey
PR Newswire (Tue, Apr 17)
Tue, Apr 3, 2007
• MATERIAL TECHNOLOGIES INC /CA/ Files SEC form 10KSB, Annual Report
EDGAR Online (Tue, Apr 3)

•03.06.2007 -- New York to Engage MATECH'S Patented EFS Technology to Find Growing Fatigue Cracks in Highway Bridges
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=17791651

•02.28.2007 -- Pennsylvania to Engage MATECH'S Patented EFS Technology to Find Growing Fatigue Cracks in Highway Bridges
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=17487232
 

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