More on MTTG
Weather forecast shows that more severe storms are still looming over the central states, many of the bridges in this area are going to have to be tested for their safety.
MTTG is the only company I know of that has this kind of technology to test bridges, that’s why I believe MTTG is undervalued at its current level!
MTTG's technology is critical to our economy and our safety!
Just last week MTTG acquired another company to add to their line up. Damage Assessment Technologies, Inc. holds an exclusive worldwide license for a structural damage assessment system, which was developed at the University of South Carolina.
Bridges require constant maintenance and observation to function effectively for long, continuous periods. As the bridges get older, this becomes more critical. Hard use, neglect and inadequate maintenance are steps towards a later disaster.
MTTG is in an industry that is dedicated to making our bridges safe and adequate for use.
MTTG realizes that many bridges in this country have deteriorated and are now jeopardizing our public safety.
On December 15,1967 at approximately 5 p.m., the U.S. Highway 35 bridge connecting Point Pleasant, West Virginia and Kanauga, Ohio suddenly collapsed into the Ohio River.
Thirty one of the thirty seven vehicles crossing that bridge fell with the bridge! Forty six individuals died and nine were seriously injured.
MTTG's leading edge metal fatigue detection, measurement and monitoring solutions can accurately test the integrity of metal structures such as bridges.
Over the years, stress corrosion and corrosion fatigue allowed a crack in that Highway 35 bridge to grow, causing the entire bridge to fall like a card deck!
MTTG specializes in technologies that measure microscopic fractures and flaws in bridges.
MTTG has a huge market right now. There are 105,981 steel bridges that are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete in important areas, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
The National Bridge Inventory (NBI) in 1996 estimated repair budget cost for the existing inventory at $168 billion to bring that bridge population to structural and safety compliance; however, this data is 8 years old. The data does not account for the cumulative effects of inflation, the real age of bridges, and the intervening effects of use. Considering overall inflation and added deterioration, 1987’s $168 billion becomes $436 billion today.
The general public takes companies like MTTG for granted and many do not realize that the bridges in this country are starting to fall apart.
MTTG believes that rather than wait until these bridges collapse, it would be best to start repairing them now!
MTTG's Electrochemical Fatigue Sensor technology can find growing cracks as small as 0.01 inches in steel bridges.
This is 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.
Fatigue damage in bridges can lead to structural failure and can be extremely dangerous. What makes MTTG unique is that they can examine the microscopic cracks in the structure.
MTTG knows that analysis alone cannot determine when the fatigue/stress limit is reached and when a fracture may occur.
In normal usage, damage occurs cumulatively at microscopic levels. This is why MTTG monitors metal fatigue in real time and concentrates on the microscopic levels.
MTTG 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.
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) advocates that the owners of public and private bridges fund a bridge safety program. Such programs should include regular programs of inspection and evaluation, that incorporate state-of-the-art investigative and analytical techniques, especially of older bridges which were not designed and constructed to current standards.
MTTG to date has used the EFS technique on 13 steel bridges across the U.S. in New York, Ohio, California, Utah, New Jersey, Colorado and Pennsylvania. It has been successfully used by MTTG bridge inspectors to check for cracks in welded joints, weld toes, and cracks.
For more information on MTTG, visit their website at:
http://www.matechcorp.com