Multivariate analysis of the displacements of a concrete dam with respect to the action of environmental conditions

A review of the concrete dam’s structural performance is a complex issue comprised of many dimensions. This article proposes a method to assist in monitoring the displacements of structures and foundations of dams, considering the action of environmental conditions. Multivariate techniques are used to analyze the data pendulums, extensometer bases and multiple rods extensometer, along with environmental variables of the concrete surface temperature, ambient temperature and the reservoir water level. Specifically applies to Canonical Correlation Analysis to evaluate the influence of environmental variables in the displacement of structures and foundations. Factor Analysis identifies the factors inherent to the variability of the data. This technique makes it possible to order the variables considering the action of factors. This applies also to Cluster Analysis on the data of dates of measurements, according to the similarities present in the observations. Then, Discriminant Analysis evaluates the formed groups for uniformity. The results demonstrate that the method can distinguish the dam responses and identify the effects of variations in environmental conditions over the displacements of structures and foundations.