Dr Richard Collins
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Senior Lecturer in Water Engineering
r.p.collins@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 5715
+44 114 222 5715
Room F119, Sir Frederick Mappin Building (Broad Lane Building)
Full contact details
Dr Richard Collins
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Room F119
Sir Frederick Mappin Building (Broad Lane Building)
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Room F119
Sir Frederick Mappin Building (Broad Lane Building)
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
- Profile
-
Our water distribution systems are vitally important. My research helps to improve the quality and safety of our drinking water.
Dr Richard Collins
Richard graduated from the University of Sheffield with a degree in Aerospace Engineering in 2005. He completed his PhD on the use of smart materials in valves in the Departments of Materials and Mechanical Engineering.
In 2009 he joined our Department as a researcher looking into the risks of hydraulic transients in water distribution systems.
- Research interests
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Richard’s research helps to ensure our vitally important water distribution systems are durable and resilient enough to withstand the conditions they have to cope with.
In trying to understand the complex problems our ageing water infrastructure faces, he hopes to make a major contribution to improving operation, control and management of existing buried pipe infrastructure, maximising its performance and helping to guarantee the quality and safety of drinking water.
Richard’s current research interests are involved with the dynamics of water distribution systems and specifically the assessment and mitigation of risks of pressure transients. He studies pressure transients, measures changes in the properties inside pipes to detect pressure waves and aims to locate damage or blockages.
This covers all aspects of hydraulic transients, from probabilistically modelling their propagation, to assessing their potential to cause water quality failures. This work is funded by RCUK and relevant industrial partners.
In addition, Richard is part of projects exploring the future of water distribution, from smart infrastructure to autonomous robotic systems.
Activities and Research Projects:
- Probabilistic Transient Propagation
- Assessing the Underworld
- Twenty65
- Publications
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Journal articles
- Fatigue failure analysis of grey cast iron water pipes accounting for fatigue strength variation. Engineering Failure Analysis, 165. View this article in WRRO
- Proactive pipe management: multiaxial fatigue of water pipe grey cast iron. Engineering Integrity – Journal of the Engineering Integrity Society, 56, 12-17. View this article in WRRO
- Multiaxial fatigue of water pipe grey cast iron. International Journal of Fatigue, 178. View this article in WRRO
- City infrastructure ontologies. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, 104, 101991-101991.
- Assessing ground support of plastic pipes using ultrasound. Infrastructures, 6(2). View this article in WRRO
- An experimental study of how hydraulic transients cause mobilisation of material within drinking water distribution systems. Water Research, 194, 116890-116890.
- Predicting Crater Formation from Failure of Pressurized Water Mains through Analogy with Buried Explosive Events. Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering and Practice, 11(2), 04020013-04020013. View this article in WRRO
- Calibrating and validating a combined accumulation and mobilisation model for water distribution system discolouration using particle swarm optimisation. Smart Water, 4. View this article in WRRO
- A novel demonstration of adhered material mobilisation by hydraulic transients. Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, 5(12), 2132-2141. View this article in WRRO
- Experimental quantification of intrusion volumes due to transients in drinking water distribution systems. Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering and Practice, 10(1). View this article in WRRO
- Influence of Pipe Material on the Transmission of Vibroacoustic Leak Signals in Real Complex Water Distribution Systems: Case Study. Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering and Practice, 9(3). View this article in WRRO
- Experimental investigation into techniques to predict leak shapes in water distribution systems using vibration measurements. Journal of Hydroinformatics, 20(4), 815-828. View this article in WRRO
- Derivation and Validation of a Leakage Model for Longitudinal Slits in Polyethylene Pipes. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 144(7). View this article in WRRO
- Prediction of leak flow rate in plastic water distribution pipes using vibro-acoustic measurements. Structural Health Monitoring, 17(4), 959-970. View this article in WRRO
- Realistic Modeling of Leakage and Intrusion Flows through Leak Openings in Pipes. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 143(9). View this article in WRRO
- Experimental investigation into vibro-acoustic emission signal processing techniques to quantify leak flow rate in plastic water distribution pipes. Applied Acoustics, 119, 146-155. View this article in WRRO
- Experimental study exploring the interaction of structural and leakage dynamics. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering. View this article in WRRO
- Physical investigation into the significance of ground conditions on dynamic leakage behaviour. Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology - Aqua, 65(2), 103-115. View this article in WRRO
- Numerical transient analysis of random leakage in time and frequency domains. Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems, 33(1), 70-84.
- Experimental Quantification of Contaminant Ingress into a Buried Leaking Pipe during Transient Events. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 142(1). View this article in WRRO
- Characterisation of the Physical Composition and Microbial Community Structure of Biofilms within a Model Full-Scale Drinking Water Distribution System. PLOS ONE, 10(2), e0115824-e0115824. View this article in WRRO
- The Effect of Demand Uncertainty on Transient Propagation in Water Distribution Systems. Procedia Engineering, 70, 592-601.
- Influence of ground conditions on intrusion flows through apertures in distribution pipes. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 139(10), 1052-1061. View this article in WRRO
- Modelling both the continual erosion and regeneration of discolouration material in drinking water distribution systems. New Developments in IT & Water. View this article in WRRO
- How severe can transients be due to a sudden de-pressurization?. Journal of the American Water Works Association, 104(4), E243-E251.
- Twisting of non-linear elastic tubes using shape memory alloys. Journal of Smart Materials and Structures.
- Robot Localization in Water Pipes Using Acoustic Signals and Pose Graph Optimization. Sensors, 20(19), 5584-5584.
- CCWI2017: Demand forecasting, leakage and energy management.
- CCWI2017: F85 'A THEORY FOR REALISTIC MODELLING OF LEAKAGE AND INTRUSION FLOWS THROUGH LEAK OPENINGS IN PIPES'.
- CCWI2017: Figshare Repository.
- CCWI2017: Conference Booklet.
- CCWI2017: Conference Programme.
Conference proceedings papers
- Experimental validation of a model for predicting the bending fatigue strength of corroded grey cast iron water pipes. Proceedings of the 9th Engineering Integrity Society International Conference on Durability & Fatigue, Vol. 2 (pp 482-493). Cambridge, UK, 19 June 2024 - 19 June 2024. View this article in WRRO
- Propagating Uncertainties in Hydraulic Transient Modelling using a Non-Intrusive Polynomial Chaos Methods. 2018 WDSA / CCWI Joint Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1. Kingston, Ontario, Canada, 23 July 2018 - 25 July 2018.
- Transient Mobilisation of Replicated Biofilms. WDSA / CCWI Joint Conference 2018, 23 July 2018 - 25 July 2018. View this article in WRRO
- Leak detection in a long pipe system. 13th International Conference on Pressure Surges, Vol. 1 (pp 187-200)
- Comparison of probabilistic modelling techniques for transients in water distribution networks. 13th International Conference on Pressure Surges, Vol. 2 (pp 805-817)
- Robot mapping and localisation in metal water pipes using hydrophone induced vibration and map alignment by dynamic time warping. 2017 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 29 May 2017 - 3 June 2017. View this article in WRRO
- Can a valve closure transient cause mobilisation of adhered particles?. CCWI 2017 - 15th International Conference on Computing and Control for the Water Industry
- A theory for realistic modelling of leakage and intrusion flows through leak openings in pipes. CCWI 2017 - 15th International Conference on Computing and Control for the Water Industry
- Experimental Investigation into the Influence of Backfill Types on the Vibro-acoustic Characteristics of Leaks in MDPE Pipe. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 186 (pp 311-318) View this article in WRRO
- PipeSLAM: Simultaneous localisation and mapping in feature sparse water pipes using the Rao-Blackwellised particle filter. 2017 IEEE International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (AIM), 3 July 2017 - 7 July 2017. View this article in WRRO
- Robotic Mapping and Localisation in Feature Sparse Water Pipes. 19th World Conference on Non Destructive Testing, 13 March 2017 - 17 March 2017. View this article in WRRO
- Soil Saturation Detection from in Pipe Ultrasound Measurements. 19th World Conference on Non Destructive Testing
- Do transients contribute to turbidity failures of water distribution systems?. BHR Group - 12th International Conference on Pressure Surges (pp 297-308)
- A method to characterise transients from pressure signals recorded in real water distribution networks. BHR Group - 12th International Conference on Pressure Surges (pp 609-623) View this article in WRRO
- Occurrence of Transients in Water Distribution Networks. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 119 (pp 1473-1482) View this article in WRRO
- Feature extraction of leaks signals in plastic water distribution pipes using the wavelet transform. ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, Proceedings (IMECE), Vol. 13-2015
- Feature Extraction of Leaks Signals in Plastic Water Distribution Pipes Using the Wavelet Transform. Volume 13: Vibration, Acoustics and Wave Propagation, 13 November 2015 - 19 November 2015.
- Effect of voids on the bending response of buried flexible utility pipes. 68th Canadian Geotechnical Conference and 7th Canadian Permafrost Conference, 20 September 2015 - 23 September 2015. View this article in WRRO
- IMPROVING LEAK LOCATION ACCURACY BY OPTIMISING THE TIME DELAY MEASUREMENT OF ACOUSTIC EMISSION FROM LEAKS IN MOPE PIPE. PROCEEDINGS OF THE 22ND INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON SOUND AND VIBRATION
- Robot Mapping and Localisation for Feature Sparse Water Pipes Using Voids as Landmarks (pp 161-166) View this article in WRRO
- Non-Destructive In-Situ Condition Assessment of Plastic Pipe Using Ultrasound. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 119 (pp 148-157) View this article in WRRO
- Traditional Leakage Models for Leakage Modelling: Effective or Not?. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 119 (pp 35-42)
- Experimental quantification of intrusion due to transients in distribution systems. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 89 (pp 1306-1313). Bari, Italy, 14 July 2014 - 14 July 2014. View this article in WRRO
- Dynamic Leakage: Physical Study of the Leak Behaviour of Longitudinal Slits in MDPE Pipe. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 89 (pp 286-289)
- Effect of Uncertainty Demand Location on Transient behavior of WDS. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 89 (pp 1321-1328)
- Controlled, Realistic-scale, Experimental Study of How the Quantity and Erodibility of Discolouration Material Varies with Shear Strength. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 89 (pp 135-142)
- Transient Behavior in Complex Distribution Network: A Case Study. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 70 (pp 1582-1591)
- Transient source localisation methodology and laboratory validation. 12th International Conference on Computing and Control for the Water Industry, Perugia, Italy. Perugia, Italy
- Experimental proof of contaminant ingress into a leaking pipe during a transient event. Procedia Engineering(70) (pp 668-677). Perugia, Italy, 2 September 2013 - 4 September 2013.
- Time dependent area of leaks in MDPE pipes during transient events. BHR Group - 11th International Conferences on Pressure Surges (pp 113-125)
- The structure and stability of drinking water biofilms. 14th Water Distribution Systems Analysis Conference 2012, WDSA 2012, Vol. 1 (pp 455-467)
- Onset detection of transient waves using a novel experimental data set. BHR Group - 11th International Conferences on Pressure Surges (pp 707-720)
- Intrusion and leakage through cracks and slits in plastic (MDPE) pipes. 14th Water Distribution Systems Analysis Conference 2012, WDSA 2012, Vol. 2 (pp 807-815)
- Intrusion into water distribution systems through leaks and orifices: Initial experimental results. 11th Computing and Control in the Water Industry 2011. Exeter
- Intrusion modelling and the effect of groundwater conditions. 11th Annual International Symposium on Water Distribution Systems Analysis. Arizona, USA
- Characterizing the Impact of Hydrants on Transients. The 3rd International Joint Conference on Water Distribution Systems Analysis & Computing and Control for the Water Industry (WDSA/CCWI 2024) (pp 208-208)
- Modelling Consumer Demand in Intermittent Water Supply (IWS) Networks: Evidence from Nepal. The 3rd International Joint Conference on Water Distribution Systems Analysis & Computing and Control for the Water Industry (WDSA/CCWI 2024), Vol. 51 (pp 38-38)
- Experimental Investigation of the Fatigue Strength and Leakage Failure Mode of Corroded Cast Iron Water Pipes. The 3rd International Joint Conference on Water Distribution Systems Analysis & Computing and Control for the Water Industry (WDSA/CCWI 2024), Vol. 128–129 (pp 20-20)
- A Model of Intermittent Water Supply Simulating the Inequitable Distribution of Water. Proceedings - 2nd International Join Conference on Water Distribution System Analysis (WDSA)& Computing and Control in the Water Industry (CCWI), 18 July 2022 - 22 July 2022.
- Investigating an alternative to exhumed grey cast iron water pipes for small-scale fatigue tests. Proceedings - 2nd International Join Conference on Water Distribution System Analysis (WDSA)& Computing and Control in the Water Industry (CCWI), 18 July 2022 - 22 July 2022.
- CCWI2017: F11 'Can a Valve Closure Transient Cause Mobilisation of Adhered Particles?'
Reports
- Cratering associated with failure of pressurised water mains
- Literature review: cratering associated with failure of pressurised water mains
Software / Code
- Crater size calculator (Cratering associated with failure of pressurised water mains).
Datasets
Other
- Fatigue failure analysis of grey cast iron water pipes accounting for fatigue strength variation. Engineering Failure Analysis, 165. View this article in WRRO
- Research group
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Water Distribution Systems and Infrastructure
- Grants
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Past Grants
The EPSRC-funded Grand Challenge Centre for Water, comprising 6 UK universities and 100+ industrial partners working in collaboration to develop the sustainable water solutions of the future and to accelerate innovation uptake across the water sector.
This project is assisting Datatecnics with research and development of their Critical Infrastructure Pipeline Protection System® (CIPPS®) product, including support for development of a pipe fatigue model for water trunk and distribution mains and support for field testing of prototype fatigue monitoring devices at United Utilities.
- Potential PhD offerings
Unfortunately I am not seeking any PhD Students at this time, however please contact me if you are interested in doing a project in my research area.