MATECH creates technologies which, when applied, better monitors metal fatigue to improve public and private safety and to realize maintenance economies in all types of structures and equipment.

From airplanes to bridges, from ships, trains, and trucks to nuclear reactors and steel buildings, in the United States and abroad, MATECH's technologies offer increased safety and economy.

 

Mission

MATECH Corp. (OTCBB: MTCH) ("MATECH") is engaged in the research and development of metal fatigue detection, measurement, and monitoring technologies. Its mission is to apply its comprehensive system of technologies to monitor and measure metal fatigue cracks and crack growth.

MATECH's technology is designed to determine the fatigue status of a metal component in a wide variety of structures and equipment. This suite of technologies is composed of several products. See the Solutions Page. The Fatigue Fuse (FF) is a small, passive device that continuously monitors fatigue life at specific points in a structural member, revealing the accumulation of fatigue in that structural member over time. The Electrochemical Fatigue Sensor (EFS) is an instrument that detects cracks in the metal component of a structure. In the laboratory it can find cracks in metals at a resolution of a few microns, exceeding the current state of the art by ten times or more. Both devices are pioneering, cutting-edge solutions in the fatigue field. The Electrochemical Fatigue Sensor and the Fatigue Fuse monitor the most minute possible cracks in structural metal and the accumulation of metal fatigue, respectively, in metal components of structures.

MATECH's marketing focus is in the field of bridge inspections. However, MATECH technology is applicable to many other market sectors internationally, such as general aerospace, ships, cranes, power plants, nuclear facilities, chemical plants, mining equipment, and "heavy iron." All of these fields are subjects of MATECH's current marketing programs.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Bridges

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.

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.

 

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.

 

The Management & Advisors

The management team, led by Robert M. Bernstein, President, CEO and Chairman of the Board since 1988, is a group of experienced executives, engineers and consultants with specific backgrounds in transportation, engineering and technology. In addition, renowned experts in infrastructure, bridge design and construction, multi-disciplinary endeavors, and chief researcher for EFS.

Bob Bernstein, President, CEO and Chairman of the Board, received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1956. In 1985, he formed a research and development partnership for Tensiodyne Corp., MATECH's predecessor, funding approximately $750,000 for research on the Fatigue Fuse. In 1988 he became President and CEO of MATECH. Since that time Mr. Bernstein has been responsible for obtaining in excess of $8,000,000 from the US Government for research and development, congressional sponsorship for the technology, US Air force interest for using the technology in its aging aircraft project, and support from the Federal Highway Administration for Bridge Monitoring Systems.

Anthony Cataldo, Co-Executive Chairman, served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of VoIP, Inc (OTC BB:VOII) from September 2006 through April 2008. During the past five years, Mr. Cataldo has served as non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of BrandPartners Group, Inc. (OTC BB:BPTR), a provider of integrated products and services dedicated to providing financial services and traditional retail clients with turn-key environmental solutions from October 2003 through August 2006. Mr. Cataldo also served as non-executive Co-Chairman of the Board of MultiCell Technologies, Inc. (OTC BB: MUCL), a supplier of functional, non-tumorigenic immortalized human hepatocytes from February 2005 through July 2006. Mr. Cataldo has also served as Executive Chairman of Calypte Biomedical Corporation (AMEX: HIV), a publicly traded biotechnology company, involved in the development and sale of urine based HIV-1 screening tests from May 2002 through November 2004. Prior to that, Mr. Cataldo served as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Miracle Entertainment, Inc., a Canadian film production company, from May 1999 through May 2002 where he was the Executive Producer or Producer of several motion pictures. From August 1995 to December 1998, Mr. Cataldo served as President and Chairman of the Board of Senetek, PLC (OTC BB:SNTKY), a publicly traded biotechnology company involved in age-related therapies

Marybeth Miceli, Chief Operating Officer, has over 12 years experience in nondestructive evaluation and testing of civil infrastructure. She was formerly the Director of Infrastructure Engineering for Sam Schwartz Engineering PLLC in New York City. Prior to her time there, she worked for Lucius Pitkin, Inc. where she was the Quality Assurance Manager and performed failure analysis and remaining life assessment of civil infrastructure and railroad assets, as well as interfaced with state and federal government agencies on safety, regulations, and testing. She is a Materials Science Engineer by training with a background in civil infrastructure, nondestructive evaluation, failure analysis, quality assurance, and transportation and traffic engineering. She has extensive experience with nondestructive evaluation management and methods and is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the American Society for Nondestructive Testing. Ms. Miceli obtained her M.S. from Virginia Polytechnic and State University and her B.S. from The Johns Hopkins University. She has published and presented numerous papers on NDE/NDT of civil infrastructure.

William Berks, Project Manager - Vice President and Board Member, retired from TRW, Inc. in November 1992, after 26 years of service. Bill Berks' last assignment was as a project manager in the Advanced Systems Division of TRW's Space and Technology Group. He has over 30 years experience in spacecraft mechanical systems engineering, including work on large geostationary satellites, small three axis spacecraft and their subsystems, and commercial satellite operations. He has done manpower planning for spacecraft programs and flight hardware fabrication and testing. He has managed independent research and development projects (antennas, materials, solar arrays) and holds six patents. Berks also serves as an arbitrator for the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD).

Monty Moshier, Ph.D., Chief Technologist, obtained his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. He Managed the High Cycle Fatigue Lab at the Air Force Research Laboratory of Materials & Manufacturing Directorate at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. As owner of Southern Utah Engineering Experts, LLC he is responsible for the Research, Development, and Application of MATECH's Electrochemical Fatigue Sensor.

Samuel I. Schwartz, P.E., is President of Sam Schwartz Co., consulting engineers, primarily in the bridge industry. He received his B.S. in Physics from Brooklyn College in 1969 and his Masters in Civil Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1970. From 1986 to 1990, he was Chief Engineer/First Deputy Commissioner, New York City Department of Transportation and from 1990 to the present has been a director of The Infrastructure Institute, Cooper Union College, New York City.

Campbell Laird. Ph.D.. Chief Researcher, received his BS in 1959, his MA in 1963 and his Ph.D. in 1963 from the University of Cambridge. He has been a Senior Lecturer, Cambridge College of Arts and Technology; a tutor, University of Cambridge; a Senior Research Scientist, Ford Motor Company; a Battelle Visiting Professor (Electron Microscopy), Ohio State University; a Professor, University of Pennsylvania, where he was Chairman, Department of Metallurgy & Materials Science; Gast-Professor of Physics, University of Vienna; and Visiting Professor of BioMetallurgy, University of Sorbonne, Paris. He is presently Professor and Graduate Group Chairman, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Pennsylvania. His research has focused on the strength, structure and fatigue of materials, in which areas he has published in excess of 250 papers.

Ted Nicholas, Ph.D., was Senior Scientist with the Air Force Materials Laboratory (AFRL) in the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate at Wright Paterson Air Force Base. He is the author of over 260 technical papers as well as the co-author of two books. His major research interests have been in high cycle fatigue, foreign object damage, damage tolerance, and structural integrity and durability.

Andrew Whitney, Ph.D., earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania where he has been working on the development of the EFS System since 1999. He wrote his dissertation on, "Electrochemical Fatigue Sensor Study of Fatigue in Copper and Ti-6Al-4V under Variable-Amplitude Loading." Dr. Whitney is a materials fatigue expert with expertise in sensors and data acquisition. Dr. Whitney has undergraduate degrees in Materials Science and Engineering as well as Slavic Languages and Literature from Northwestern University. He also served three years in the U.S. Peace Corps, teaching English at a technical university in Vladivostok, Russia. Dr. Whitney is heading up the development of several other technologies for MATECH.

 

Mon, Nov 30, 2009

MATECH Featured in Report by University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies
Marketwire (Mon, Nov 30)

 

Thu, Nov 26, 2009

MATECH CORP. Financials
EDGAR Online Financials (Thu, Nov 26)

 

Tue, Nov 24, 2009

MATECH's Electrochemical Fatigue Sensor Eliminates Subjectivity of Current Bridge Inspections
Marketwire (Tue, Nov 24)

 

Mon, Nov 23, 2009

MATECH Holds Numerous Meetings With High Level Officials at North American Strategic Infrastructure Leadership Forum
Marketwire (Mon, Nov 23)

 

Fri, Nov 20, 2009

MATECH CORP. Files SEC form 10-Q, Quarterly Report
EDGAR Online (Fri, Nov 20)

 

Thu, Nov 19, 2009

MATECH Says a Bridge Fails Every 10 Days in U.S.
Marketwire (Thu, Nov 19)

 

Wed, Nov 18, 2009

MATECH Exhibits at Annual Conference Sponsored by the American Association of State and Highway Officials
Marketwire (Wed, Nov 18)

 

Tue, Nov 17, 2009

MATECH CORP. Files SEC form 8-K, Change in Directors or Principal Officers
EDGAR Online (Tue, Nov 17)

MATECH in Discussions With Major Transportation Agency Regarding Year-Long Bridge Monitoring Program
Marketwire (Tue, Nov 17)

 

Mon, Nov 16, 2009

MATECH Performs EFS Testing on Bridges for Federal Highway Administration
Marketwire (Mon, Nov 16)

 

Wed, Oct 21, 2009

MATECH's Revolutionary EFS Technology Is the Only Nondestructive Inspection Method That Can Detect Growing Cracks as Small as 0.01 Inches in Steel Bridges
Marketwire (Wed, Oct 21)

 

Thu, Oct 15, 2009

MATECH Expects to Benefit Significantly From Federal Transport Bill
Marketwire (Thu, Oct 15)

 

Wed, Oct 14, 2009

MATECH CORP. Files SEC form 8-K, Change in Directors or Principal Officers
EDGAR Online (Wed, Oct 14

)MATECH Presents at Department of Homeland Security's Aging Infrastructure Conference at Columbia University
Marketwire (Wed, Oct 14)

 

Tue, Oct 13, 2009

MATECH to Form Brazilian Subsidiary to Market Its Electrochemical Fatigue Sensor in Brazil and South America
Marketwire (Tue, Oct 13)

 

Mon, Oct 12, 2009

MATECH to Penetrate New Bridge Monitoring Markets by Developing Longer Lasting Electrolyte Gel
Marketwire (Mon, Oct 12)

 

Fri, Oct 9, 2009

MoneyTV with Donald Baillargeon, 10/9
Marketwire (Fri, Oct 9)

 

Thu, Oct 8, 2009

Skymark Research Initiates Independent Research Coverage On MATECH Corp.
GlobeNewswire (Thu, Oct 8)

MATECH Retains Washington, D.C. Strategy Firm to Market Its Electrochemical Fatigue Sensor to Transportation Agencies Throughout the U.S.
Marketwire (Thu, Oct 8)

 

Wed, Oct 7, 2009

MATECH to Perform EFS Testing for Renowned Engineering Consulting Firm Pennoni Associates and Drexel University
Marketwire (Wed, Oct 7)

 

Tue, Oct 6, 2009

MATECH and Northrop Grumman in Discussions to Perform EFS Testing on a New York City Bridge
Marketwire (Tue, Oct 6)

 

MATECH Performs EFS Testing on Harrisburg Bridge for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
Marketwire (Tue, Oct 6)

 

Mon, Oct 5, 2009

MATECH Performs EFS Testing on Bridges in Australia for New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority
Marketwire (Mon, Oct 5)

 

MATECH Signs Contract to Perform EFS Testing on a Landmark Bridge
Marketwire (Mon, Oct 5)

 

Fri, Oct 2, 2009

MATECH and Northrop Grumman to Present MATECH's Breakthrough Electrochemical Fatigue Sensor to Major Civil Engineering Firms
Marketwire (Fri, Oct 2)

 

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Contact MTCH.OB

www.matechcorp.com
Address:
11661 San Vicente Blvd.,
Suite 707
Los Angeles.
CA 90049
Email: matech@matechcorp.com
Phone: 310.208.5589
Fax: 310.473.3177

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