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Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty

Dr. Balasingam Muhunthan

Balasingam Muhunthan

Department Chair
Professor
Director,

Washington Center for X-ray and Imaging Technology (WACXIT)

Director,

Washington State Transportation Center (TRAC)

Office:

Sloan 102

Phone:

(509) 335-9578

Fax:

(509) 335-7632

Email:

muhuntha@wsu.edu

Education

  • Ph.D., Civil Engineering, 1991 – Purdue University, Indiana
  • M.S.C.E., Geotechnical Engineering, 1987 – Purdue University, Indiana
  • B.Sc., Civil Engineering, First Class Honors, 1984 – University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

Certifications

  • Professional Civil Engineer, State of California, License No. C 057492

Professional Experience

  • Department Chairman, Civil Engineering, Washington State University, 5/2012 – present
  • Professor, Civil Engineering,Washington State University, 8/2004 – present
  • Visiting Professor, Engineering Science Department, University of Auckland, 1/2005 – 8/2005
  • Associate Professor, Civil Engineering, Washington State University, 8/97 – 2004
  • Visiting Professor, Engineering Department, Cambridge University, 8/98 – 8/99
  • Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering, Washington State University, 9/91 – 8/97
  • Visiting Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology, 5/92 – 8/92
  • Teaching Assistant, Civil Engineering, Purdue University, 8/86 – 8/91
  • Research Assistant, Civil Engineering, Purdue University, 1/88 – 8/91
  • Assistant Lecturer, Civil Engineering, Peradeniya University, 12/84 – 7/86

Awards

  • Fellow, American Society of Civil Engineers
  • Leon Luck Most Effective Professor, Civil and Env. Engineering, Washington State University (2003, 2008)
  • Crampton Prize, Institution of Civil Engineers, UK (2004)
  • Outstanding Research Faculty, Civil and Env. Engineering, Washington State University (2003)
  • International Research Fellowship, US National Science Foundation (1998)
  • Overseas Fellowship, Churchill College, Cambridge, UK (1998)
  • Outstanding Teaching Faculty, College of Engineering, Washington State University (1997)
  • Outstanding Teaching Faculty, Civil and Environ. Engineering, Washington State University (1997)
  • David Ross Fellowship, Purdue University (1988 & 89)
  • University Scholarship in Engineering, University of Peradeniya (1984)

Research Interests

  • Thermomechanics and Constitutive Modeling
  • Bifurcations and instabilities in geomechanics
  • Microstructure characterization and simulation of geomaterials
  • Pore-scale modeling of fluid flow
  • Micropiles
  • Fundamentals of soil behavior: critical state soil mechanics, micromechanics of soils, and physico-chemical behavior of clays

Teaching

  • Geotechnical Engineering
  • Foundations
  • Soil and Site Improvement
  • Numerical modeling of Geomaterials
  • Advanced Geomaterial Characterizationn

Publications

  • Muhunthan, B., and Worthen, D. (2010). Critical state framework for liquefaction of fine-grained soils, Engineering Geology.
  • Collins, I. F., Muhunthan, B., and Qu, B. (2010). Thermomechanical “State Parameter” model for sands, Geotechnique 60(8): 611 –622
  • Muhunthan, B., and Pillai, V. S. (2008). TETON DAM: Uncovering the Crucial Aspect of its Failure, Centennial Volume, Civil Engineering, Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, 161(11): 35-40.
  • Hawlader, B. C., Muhunthan, B., and Imai, G. (2008). “State Based Constitutive Model and the Numerical Solution of Self-weight Consolidation”, Geotechnique, 58(2): 133-141.
  • Collins, I. F., Muhunthan, B., Tai, A. T. and Pender, M. J. (2007). The Concept of a “Reynolds Taylor State” and the Mechanics of Sands. Geotechnique, 57(5): 437-447.
  • Al Hattamleh, O., Muhunthan, B., and Zbib, H.M. (2007). Multi-slip gradient formulation for microstructure effects on shear bands in granular materials, International Journal of Solids and Structures, 44(10): 3393-3410.
  • Razavi, M. R., Muhunthan, B., and Al Hattamleh, O. (2007). Representative elementary volume analysis of sands using X-ray computed tomography, Geot. Testing Jour., ASTM, 30(3): 212-219.
  • Collins, I.F, and Muhunthan, B. (2003). On the relationship between stress-dilatancy, anisotropy, and plastic dissipation for granular materials, Geotechnique, 53(7): 611-618 (Crampton Prize 2004)
  • Collins, I., and Muhunthan, B. (2003). On the relationship between stress-dilatancy, anisotropy, and plastic dissipation for granular materials, Geotechnique.
  • Masad, E., Muhunthan, B., and Martyz, B. (2000). Simulation of fluid flow and permeability of cohesionless soils. Water Resources Research, 36(4), pp. 851-864.