Multifractal scaling behavior analysis for existing dams

•The MF-DFA is introduced to analyze the in situ observed data of existing dam.•The multifractal feature of the in situ observed data is revealed.•The long term behavior of existing dam is obtained.

The fractal theory was used to describe long term behavior of dam structures by means of determining (mono-) fractal exponents. Many records do not exhibit a simple monofractal scaling behavior, which can be accounted for by a single scaling exponent. In this paper the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA) is employed to analyze the time series of in situ observed data of existing dam which intrinsically reflects its long term behavior and structural evolution law. Deformation analysis of one gravity dam is taken as an example, the multifractal characteristic of the time series is obtained. The results show that this method can reliably determine the multifractal scaling behavior of time series of existing dams. The fractal theory can be applied to predict and diagnose dam behavior.