Newswise — A recent report issued by the American Society of Civil Engineers—sent to Congress on the eve of the economic stimulus and recovery package vote—gave the nation's failing infrastructure an overall grade of "D." The report, which suggested that it might cost as much as $2.2 trillion to remedy America's ailing physical backbone, included everything from schools and parks, to bridges and dams, to levees and rail systems. While the barely passing grade is the same as the last time the group issued the report in 2005, report chairman Andrew Herrmann suggested that in reality the rating had slipped from a "high D" to a "low D."
While President Obama has pledged his efforts toward the passage of a nearly one trillion dollar American economic recovery and stimulus plan that promises a strong emphasis on "shovel-ready" projects, a strong argument could be made that the economic recovery package should focus more squarely on infrastructure repair rather than breaking ground on new projects.
"The roadworthiness of our nation's two hundred thousand existing metal bridges is a serious problem that does not receive nearly enough attention," says Marybeth Miceli, Chief Operating Officer of MATECH Corp, formerly Material Technologies, Inc., a Los Angeles-based engineering, research and development company that specializes in technologies that measure microscopic fractures in metal structures and monitor metal fatigue. "The August 2007 Minneapolis bridge collapse that resulted in thirteen deaths and nearly 150 injuries was only the most infamous recent large-scale bridge disaster."
There have been 1,500 partial or total bridge collapses between 1966 and 2005, an average of one bridge every ten days, according to the Texas Transportation Institute. Part of the reason for this is because while our nation's bridges are generally designed to have a fifty-year lifespan before major rehabilitation, most U.S. bridges are over fifty years old and were not designed to handle current traffic and load levels. While the National Bridge Inventory (NBI) requires biennial inspection, as mandated by National Bridge Inspection Standards, what may be surprising to many is that "subjective visual inspection" is the most commonly used inspection method, one that misses approximately 90% of fatigue cracks.
MATECH has pioneered a better way. The company's proprietary Electrochemical Fatigue Sensor (EFS) is a nondestructive inspection technology used to determine if actively growing fatigue cracks are present in bridges and other structures. The technology works like an EKG: EFS sensors are placed at critical parts of the bridge and are injected with an electrolyte. A small voltage is applied and the system subsequently monitors changes in the current response that results from the exposure of fresh steel during crack propagation. Abnormalities in the signal indicate growing cracks, just as abnormalities in an EKG signal indicate problems with the heart.
MATECH possesses the only field-testing device able to find growing cracks in structural members as small as 0.01 inches in length—critical information that allows structural engineers to isolate and repair steel bridges in the U.S., thereby saving bridge owners money through improving bridge management and public safety.
"The technology is easy to use and is currently being deployed on more than forty bridges," says Ms. Miceli. "Results help owners make the right fixes at the right time, potentially saving more than a quarter of their maintenance and repair budgets. Especially as the nation girds itself for infrastructure renewal, this solution can contribute toward improving public safety, prioritizing repair work, and stretching taxpayer dollars. It's a perfect example of fiscal responsibility."
For those covering this news, MATECH Corp makes available company Chief Operating Officer Marybeth Miceli to discuss a variety of topics including:
"¢ Describe some of the findings of the American Society of Civil Engineers report."¢ What are some of the implications of the American Society of Civil Engineers report as it relates to the economic stimulus and recovery package?"¢ How many metal bridges exist across America, and how frequently are they required to be inspected?"¢ What does it mean when a bridge is deemed "structurally deficient" or "functionally obsolete?" "¢ On average, how many partial or total bridge collapses occur in America each year?"¢ What is the most common method used for bridge inspection? What are some of the dangers surrounding "subjective visual inspections?" "¢ Describe new technology that can more accurately assess activity of cracks in metal structures and equipment."¢ How might these advances help extend the life of public works, improve public safety, prioritize repair work, and stretch public funding?
Expert Biography " Marybeth Miceli, Chief Operating Officer, MATECH Corp.Marybeth Miceli has over thirteen 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.
Ms. Miceli 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.
About MATECH Corp.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. Visit www.matechcorp.com to learn more.
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