Fractal behavior identification for monitoring data of dam safety

Under the interaction between dam body, dam foundation and external environment, the dam structural behavior presents the time-varying nonlinear characteristics. According to the prototypical observations, the correct identification on above nonlinear characteristics is very important for dam safety control. It is difficult to implement the description, analysis and diagnosis for dam structural behavior by use of any linear method. Based on the rescaled range analysis approach, the algorithm is proposed to identify and extract the fractal feature on observed dam structural behavior. The displacement behavior of one actual dam is taken as an example. The fractal long-range correlation for observed displacement behavior is analyzed and revealed. The feasibility and validity of the proposed method is verified. It is indicated that the mechanism evidence can be provided for the prediction and diagnosis of dam structural behavior by using the fractal identification method. The proposed approach has a high potential for other similar applications.