According to the Federal Highway Administration, 2,160 of Pennsylvania’s 7,605 steel bridges are “structurally deficient,” and another 1,651 bridges aren’t even usable. Those numbers are staggering, yet the FHWA reports that 90% of fatigue cracks are overlooked by inspectors using visual methods, and 56% of ratings are inaccurate. For this reason, the FHWA chose Material Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: MTTG) to participate in the administration’s Steel Bridges Testing Program to study inspection methods capable of identifying existing and growing cracks in bridges.
Per the agreement, the FHWA will purchase Material Technologies’ Electrochemical Fatigue Sensor (EFS) technology, and will receive training and support from the Company regarding the system’s use and testing. The technology can detect small, growing fatigue cracks in metal structures including ships, bridges and more. Identifying these cracks can help prevent disaster and allow for needed repairs.
First used in Pennsylvania, the Company’s technology has also been evaluated in more than 20 field tests on highways and bridges across the nation, prompting use of the system in Utah, Massachusetts and New Jersey.
The company also acquired Nondestructive Assessment Technologies, which enables access to the Pulsed Eddy Current Instrument, a device that provides a visual display of fatigue in metal due to corrosion in the metallic and nonmetallic layers.
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