Maximum Entropy Method for Operational Loads Feedback Using Concrete Dam Displacement

Safety control of concrete dams is required due to the potential great loss of life and property in case of dam failure. The purpose of this paper is to feed back the operational control loads for concrete dam displacement using the maximum entropy method. The proposed method is not aimed at a judgement about the safety conditions of the dam. When a strong trend-line effect is evident, the method should be carefully applied. In these cases, the hydrostatic and temperature effects are added to the irreversible displacements, thus maximum operational loads should be accordingly reduced. The probability density function for the extreme load effect component of dam displacement can be selected by employing the principle of maximum entropy, which is effective to construct the least subjective probability density distribution merely given the moments information from the stated data. The critical load effect component in the warning criterion can be determined through the corresponding cumulative distribution function obtained by the maximum entropy method. Then the control loads feedback of concrete dam displacement is realized by the proposed warning criterion. The proposed method is applied to a concrete dam. A comparison of the results shows that the maximum entropy method can feed back rational control loads for the dam displacement. The control loads diagram obtained can be a straightforward and visual tool to the operation and management department of the concrete dam. The result from the proposed method is recommended to be used due to minimal subjectivity. OPEN ACCESS Entropy 2015, 17 2959