About

Sunil K. Sinha is a Professor in the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department at Virginia Tech, where he has been serving since 2014. He is also the Director of the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Management (SWIM) Center at Virginia Tech, a position he has held since 2008. His educational background includes a BE in Civil Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology in India, an MASc in Civil Engineering from the University of Waterloo in Canada, and a PhD in Civil & Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo. His research interests encompass water and wastewater infrastructure systems, asset management, cyber infrastructure, pattern recognition, artificial intelligence, sensor informatics, information visualization, subsurface utility engineering, and rehabilitation and renewal engineering. Sinha has contributed significantly to the field through his work on sustainable water infrastructure management, development of performance prediction models for buried pipes, condition assessment of water transmission and distribution systems, and the rehabilitation of water and wastewater pipes. His professional career includes roles as a Project Engineer for the World Bank Cell in India, an Assistant and Associate Professor at Penn State, and a Professor at Virginia Tech. He has received numerous honors, including the NSF CAREER Award and fellowships from NSERC in Canada.

Research topics

• Chemistry
• Materials science
• Engineering
• Cell biology
• Biophysics
• Physical chemistry
• Nanotechnology
• Chemical engineering
• Inorganic chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Chromatography
• Physics
• Thermodynamics
• Biology
• Organic chemistry

Selected publications

• Numerical and experimental study of shut-off rod assembly of a typical Indian research reactor under multi-support seismic excitation

  Nuclear Engineering and Design · 2025-01-11

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• High-Temperature Creep Measurement in Metallic Alloys Using Pulsed Eddy Current Sensors: Influence of Geometry and Magnetic Properties

  Instrumentation Mesure Métrologie · 2024-04-25

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Due to limited space constraints, the creep measurement of test specimens in material testing reactors is done mostly by time consuming offline techniques viz.: air gauges, diameter gauges, etc.A new compact sensor based on pulsed eddy current testing technique is designed for online creep measurement during mechanical properties testing of metallic alloy specimens for future nuclear reactors.The pulsed eddy current sensors that are positioned opposite to the test specimen measure gaps to estimate creep, by analyzing the slopes of the signals near the Lift-off point of Intersection (LOI) region.The paper discusses the temporal shifts in pulsed eddy current signals when operated at room and high temperatures.Experiments were carried out at room temperature to study the effect of geometry change on test specimens on the linearity and sensitivity of the signals.Similarly, the effect of magnetic test specimens on measurement methodology and sensitivity is also briefed.The results of the study have provided us with confidence in using the online creep measurement sensor technology in material testing reactors with a molten metal coolant medium environment.This technology will help us evaluate the mechanical properties of metallic alloy test specimens, which are intended for use in future generation nuclear reactors.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Fuzzy Logic Applications for Water Pipeline Performance Analysis

  2023-03-17 · 4 citations

  otherOpen accessSenior author

  Data are crucial to any analysis but providing valuable information and knowledge from data requires an understanding of the system being studied to determine the framework and potential value in the analysis.This is also reinforced by the current data science frameworks that propose hybrid modeling as the new approach to scientific discovery.Every analysis is based on knowledge developed through an extensive review of literature and practice, which is the foundation of all data analyses in this chapter.In the past century, many technological advancements in engineering models, manufacturing, pipeline appurtenances, installation techniques, and improvement of national and international standards have affected the performance of water pipelines.Before performing any analysis, including data analysis to understand historical changes in break rates, of installation trends, these technological advancements should be considered to identify any drastic changes in the trends for pipeline performance.The research team is engaging experts in water utilities, consulting engineers, and pipeline manufacturing associations, and is leveraging the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Management Center (SWIM) knowledgebase to build a strong foundation for data analyses for this research. Water Transmission and Distribution Pipeline Infrastructure System ElementsThe purpose of water transmission and distribution systems is to supply water to customers and provide fire protection to communities with minimum disruptions and water losses.Three criteria guide this: Structural reliability: To maintain structural strength throughout the lifecycle with minimum costs. Functional reliability: To deliver water at sufficient pressures to customers with adequate hydraulic capability and minimize utility pumping costs. Safety requirement: To deliver water free of pathogens, contaminants from infiltration, and internal leaching from water pipelines.Water distribution systems generally consist of pipelines, pumps, valves, hydrants, storage tanks, reservoirs, water wells, treatment plants, meters, fittings, and other hydraulic appurtenances that help in connecting and managing water flow from the treatment plants or 10.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Generation-IV concepts: India

  Elsevier eBooks · 2023-01-01 · 2 citations

  book-chapter
  PublisherDOI

• Fuzzy Logic-Based Model for Optimal Renewal Timing and Project Selection of Ferrous Water Mains

  Pipelines 2022 · 2022-07-28

  articleSenior author

  Today's water utility asset managers are faced with decisions that inherently define the nation's standard of living with regard to how best to maintain large diameter water pipes. Pipes have a life cycle that is not always well-defined or easily understood due to their unseen nature; hence, they are often replaced per leak rates or according to roadway surface management. This can result in the decommissioning of pipes that still have years of functional life remaining. In fact, some experts say that 90% of this type of pipe is replaced too early; this translates to tens of millions of dollars wasted each year nationwide. This paper presents the results of a study seeking to best define water main economic life by harnessing newly developed pipeline performance models, trained from data collected from across North America in an unprecedented manner as part of the PIPEiD Project. The models were used to drive a fuzzy logic-based algorithm for pipeline renewal project selection and timing based on economic life, which would then greatly reduce overall life cycle cost over the planning window.

  PublisherDOI

• Using Artificial Intelligence for Water Pipeline Infrastructure Asset Management

  Pipelines 2022 · 2022-07-28 · 7 citations

  articleSenior author

  It is critical for society that we transform our siloed water management and infrastructure systems into smart, connected, sustainable, and resilient systems. This transformation can help us to address the effects of increasing extreme climate events, ecosystem demands, rapid global urbanization, and infrastructure deterioration from age and neglect. As water utilities improve their asset management programs, it is imperative that the data-driven decision support systems represent the complexities within water pipeline infrastructure systems. Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques can enable modelers to train mathematical algorithms to learn complex patterns from data and represent the water pipeline infrastructure systems accurately. PIPEiD is a national database platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning techniques to assess the performance and risk of water pipelines to help utilities better assess pipe replacement decisions and allocate funding. PIPEiD (Pipeline Infrastructure Database) will assist water sector utilities to manage water pipeline infrastructure systems more effectively for performance, resiliency, and sustainability. PIPEiD will provide the secure, robust, and centralized web-based database platform to address all three major infrastructure asset management levels: strategic, tactical, and operational for utilities of all sizes (small, medium, and large) across the country. The research team collected field performance data for potable, raw, and reuse water pipelines made from materials reflecting the wide range of pipes currently in the ground throughout the US, including cast and ductile iron, prestressed concrete cylinder pipe, reinforced concrete, steel, thermoplastic, PVC, and asbestos. The researchers worked to collect data distributed across different ecological areas, or cohorts, organized based on the climatic conditions of the 500 water utilities’ locations. These cohorts included coastal, arid, Arctic, and mountainous regions. Researchers factored in environmental conditions, such as soil corrosivity, traffic loading, and frost action, that can affect pipelines. The team enhanced the data set out further with the help of external sources like the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Soil Survey Geographic Database from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and additional field data collected by a group of 25 water utilities across the country that were selected to validate the models and tools. This paper will present various applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms for advanced asset management of water pipeline infrastructure systems.

  PublisherDOI

• Consequence of Failure Modeling for Water Pipeline Infrastructure Using a Hierarchical Ensemble Fuzzy Inference System

  Journal of Infrastructure Systems · 2022-10-21 · 7 citations

  articleSenior author

  Risk-based asset management of water pipes is important to support pipe renewal prioritization decisions. Risk is a function of the likelihood and consequence of failure. Certain gaps were observed from the literature and a practice review of the consequences of failure modeling related to lack of data used, methodologies used, and the model testing quality. This study proposes a novel fuzzy inference system (FIS)–based consequence of failure model to assess the comprehensive failure impacts of a water pipe based on economic impacts, social impacts, environmental impacts, operational characteristics, and renewal complexity and ranks pipes into a 0 = insignificant to 5 = catastrophic scale. The 20 input parameters categorized into five modules and the 381 fuzzy rules are based on published literature, secondary data, and interviews with 25 experts from large water utilities, consultancies, and pipe associations. The model results can also be visualized on a geographic information system (GIS) for each pipe segment in the water distribution and transmission network. The applicability of the proposed model was evaluated based on data from a large water utility in the US, and the sensitive parameters were also identified. The results from model validation indicated that the proposed fuzzy-based methodology was useful for accurately modeling the consequences of failure of water pipes achieving a high root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.96.

  PublisherDOI

• Transient Vibratory Response of Turbofan Engine Rotor Impacted by Bird Strike

  Journal of Aerospace Engineering · 2021-03-24 · 6 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  This paper presents a semiclosed-form physics-based rotordynamic analysis which determines the transient bird-strike load at the blade root and at the support bearings of a rotating fan shaft. This research considered a turbofan aeroengine application of a continuous fan shaft supported at multiple bearing locations and subjected to an impact loading caused by bird ingestion during normal flight operation of the aircraft. The mathematical formulation of the governing equation considers inertial effects as well as all circulatory terms involving gyroscopic and Coriolis forces. In the numerical simulation, the incoming bird was a cylindrical projectile and the blade was the target. The large impulsive load generated by the bird-strike incident traveled through the airfoil, fan disk, rotor shaft, rolling element bearings, and finally to the entire engine support structure. The structural details of the fan disk and shaft were treated as an overhung spinning beam supported on three bearings system. The highly nonlinear transient dynamic numerical results for all the relevant dynamical design parameters have been presented for a typical large commercial jet engine. It has been shown that the dynamic magnification factor for the transient vibratory response of the fan rotor impacted by a bird strike can be as much as 3 times that of the normal steady-state response of the similar unbalance.

  PublisherDOI

• Ion transport in solid polymeric lithium ion electrolytes

  Bulletin of the American Physical Society · 2020-03-02

  article
  Publisher

• Development of an intelligent system for pipeline management

  2020-08-11

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding

  Beneath North America’s roads, lie miles of pipe that brings purified water to homes and carry away wastewater (sewage and storm water). For the most parts, these systems have been functioning longer than their intended design life, with little or no repair. They are in a state of deterioration. Neglecting regular maintenance of these underground utilities adds to life-cycle costs and liabilities, and in extreme cases causes stoppage or reduction of vital services. A systematic approach for the determination of deterioration of pipeline systems and an integrated management system are necessary to fully understand the complete status of this underground pipeline system. This paper discusses the major aspects of integrated management for municipal pipeline systems, namely, condition assessment technologies for underground pipelines, development of an automated pipeline inspection system, and pipeline deterioration prediction methodology. The integrated pipeline management system is necessary to ensure that critical pipeline sections are repaired or replaced before they fail.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• FRG: X-Ray Scattering Studies of Structure and Dynamics of Polymer Interfaces

  NSF · $495k · 2002–2007

• CAREER: Sustainable Water Infrastructure Management System (SWIMS)

  NSF · $430k · 2007–2012

• Collaborative Research: Structure and Dynamics of Liquid Interfaces Studied by X-Ray and Neutron Scattering

  NSF · $300k · 2007–2010

Frequent coauthors

• Laurence Lurio

  Northern Illinois University

  78 shared

• Hyunjung Kim

  Sogang University

  58 shared

• Zhang Jiang

  49 shared

• Sujoy Roy

  Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

  49 shared

• Suresh Narayanan

  Argonne National Laboratory

  41 shared

• Eric E. Fullerton

  University of California, San Diego

  39 shared

• Jyotsana Lal

  Argonne National Laboratory

  34 shared

• Sergio Montoya

  University of California, San Diego

  33 shared

Awards & honors

• NSF CAREER Award
• Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Can…
• Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Can…
• Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS), Ontario, Canada