Assessment of Health Risk and Presence of Metals in Water and Fish Samples from Doce River, Brazil, After Fundão Dam Collapse.

The rupture of the Fundão dam released about 50 million m3 of mining tailings in the Doce river basin. To assess the potential for environmental contamination and the risks of residual exposure of the human population generated by these tailings, water and fish samples from the Doce river were collected 25 days after the accident and analyzed the physicochemical parameters of the water and levels of metals by ICP-MS, in addition to the temporal variability of the concentration of these elements through other studies. This was the first study to carry out an assessment of the health risk associated with the consumption of fish contaminated by metals from the areas affected by the disaster. The values of turbidity (5460 NTU), electrical conductivity (74.8 µS cm-1), total dissolved solids (892 mg L-1) and total suspended solids (772 mg L-1) were above the maximum limit allowed by Brazilian legislation, due to the presence of large amounts of solid materials released after the dam rupture. The analysis of metals in water samples indicated high concentrations of Al (1,906.71 µg L-1), Mn (370.32 µg L-1), Fe (8,503.50 µg L-1) and Hg (34.25 µg L-1), while for the fish samples, only As (1,033.98 µg kg-1) and Hg (herbivorous: 505.32 µg kg-1; predatory: 1,184.09 µg kg-1) presented levels above those established by Brazilian legislation. The health risk assessment showed that the estimated daily intake for Hg was higher than the reference dose, reinforcing the need for monitoring the area affected by the disaster.

Structural Health Monitoring of Fatigue Cracks for Steel Bridges with Wireless Large-Area Strain Sensors.

This paper presents a field implementation of the structural health monitoring (SHM) of fatigue cracks for steel bridge structures. Steel bridges experience fatigue cracks under repetitive traffic loading, which pose great threats to their structural integrity and can lead to catastrophic failures. Currently, accurate and reliable fatigue crack monitoring for the safety assessment of bridges is still a difficult task. On the other hand, wireless smart sensors have achieved great success in global SHM by enabling long-term modal identifications of civil structures. However, long-term field monitoring of localized damage such as fatigue cracks has been limited due to the lack of effective sensors and the associated algorithms specifically designed for fatigue crack monitoring. To fill this gap, this paper proposes a wireless large-area strain sensor (WLASS) to measure large-area strain fatigue cracks and develops an effective algorithm to process the measured large-area strain data into actionable information. The proposed WLASS consists of a soft elastomeric capacitor (SEC) used to measure large-area structural surface strain, a capacitive sensor board to convert the signal from SEC to a measurable change in voltage, and a commercial wireless smart sensor platform for triggered-based wireless data acquisition, remote data retrieval, and cloud storage. Meanwhile, the developed algorithm for fatigue crack monitoring processes the data obtained from the WLASS under traffic loading through three automated steps, including (1) traffic event detection, (2) time-frequency analysis using a generalized Morse wavelet (GM-CWT) and peak identification, and (3) a modified crack growth index (CGI) that tracks potential fatigue crack growth. The developed WLASS and the algorithm present a complete system for long-term fatigue crack monitoring in the field. The effectiveness of the proposed time-frequency analysis algorithm based on GM-CWT to reliably extract the impulsive traffic events is validated using a numerical investigation. Subsequently, the developed WLASS and algorithm are validated through a field deployment on a steel highway bridge in Kansas City, KS, USA.

When DNA profiling is not enough? A case of same-sex siblings identification by odontological assessment after gas explosion-related building collapse.

We aimed to show the usefulness of odontological assessment in forensic investigation. Charred remains of two female siblings were found in a collapsed building after a gas explosion. Due to thermal damage of the bodies, the facial characteristics, fingerprints, height and weight could not be used to distinguish between siblings. Since the victims, 4 and 10-year-old, died simultaneously and all personal belongings were lost, DNA profiling performed with their parents only confirmed the relationship. As dental charts of siblings were not found, we could not easily discriminate which remains would be of the elder and which of the younger sister. The odontological examination enabled us to discriminate between the siblings based on differences in deciduous and permanent dentition. We conclude that although DNA profiling is becoming a standard method of personal identification in some cases it should be supported by additional methods to deliver comprehensive forensic reports.

Comparative assessment of impact analysis methods applied to large commercial aircraft crash on reinforced concrete containment.

The precise evaluation of the potential damage caused by large commercial aircraft crash into civil structures, especially nuclear power plants (NPPs), has become essential design consideration. In this study, impact of Boeing 767 against rigid wall and outer containment building (reinforced concrete) of an NPP are simulated in ANSYS/LS-DYNA by using both force time history and missile target interaction methods with impact velocities ranging from 100 m/s to 150 m/s. The results show that impact loads, displacements, stresses for concrete and steel reinforcement, and damaged elements are higher in case of force time history method than missile target interaction method, making the former relatively conservative. It is observed that no perforation or scabbing takes place in case of 100 m/s impact speed, thus preventing any potential leakage. With full mass of Boeing 767 and impact velocity slightly above 100 m/s, the outer containment building can prevent local failure modes. At impact velocity higher than 120 m/s, scabbing and perforations are dominant. This concludes that in design and assessment of NPP structures against aircraft loadings, sufficient thickness or consideration of steel plates are essential to account for local failure modes and overall structural integrity. Furthermore, validation and application of detail 3D finite element and material models to full-scale impact analysis have been carried out to expand the existing database. In rigid wall impact analysis, the impact forces and impulses from FE analysis and Riera's method correspond well, which satisfies the recommendations of relevant standards and further ensure the accuracy of results in full-scale impact analysis. The methodology presented in this paper is extremely effective in simulating structural evaluation of full-scale aircraft impact on important facilities such as NPPs.

Júri simulado como estratégia ativa de ensino de vigilância em saúde / Simulated jury as an active strategy for teaching health surveillance

As Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais para a graduação em Medicina no Brasil destacam que os profissionais de saúde devem estar aptos para realizar ações de promoção, prevenção, reabilitação e proteção em saúde, nas quais a Vigilância em Saúde desempenha papel fundamental. Nesse contexto, este relato de experiência aborda uma estratégia ativa de ensino que visa, por meio de um júri simulado, aplicar conceitos de Vigilância em Saúde (Epidemiológica, Sanitária e Ambiental); fomentar a discussão técnica sobre sua atuação; e discutir vigilância, risco e mitigação do risco em situações de desastres. A atividade foi realizada dentro da disciplina de Saúde Coletiva com participação de 60 discentes do quinto período do curso de medicina e 2 docentes, duração de 4 horas e teve como situação problema o rompimento da barragem do município de Mariana em 2015 e os danos à saúde da população dessa área. Para melhor organização do júri simulado e para assegurar a participação ativa do maior número de discentes nas discussões, os alunos foram divididos nas seguintes funções: júri popular, escrivães, acusação, defesa, testemunhas e peritos. Além disso, as arguições deveriam ser respaldas por literatura científica e aplicar os conceitos epidemiológicos, sanitários e ambientais na situação proposta. Assim, este júri simulado busca aprimorar o processo de ensino-aprendizagem em Vigilância em Saúde por meio de uma atividade prática sobre sua atuação, que ressalte a participação do médico nessa esfera da saúde pública.

The National Curricular Guidelines for medical graduation in Brazil emphasizes that physicians should be able to develop health promotion, prevention, rehabilitation, and protective actions in which Health Surveillance plays a pivotal role. Thereby, this experience report addresses an active teaching strategy that aims, through a simulated jury, at applying the concepts of Health Surveillance (Epidemiological, Sanitary, and Environmental); promoting the technical discussion about its roles; and discussing health surveillance, risk, and risk mitigation in disaster situations. The activity is part of the Public Health discipline, and it was developed with 60 medical students from the fifth period and 2 teachers. The jury lasted 4 hours and the topic was the rupture of a tailing dam in the city of Mariana in 2015, addressing the damages to the health of the population. For better organization of the simulated jury and to ensure the participation of the largest number of students, they were divided into the following roles: popular jury, clerks, prosecution, defense, witnesses, and criminal investigators. In addition, the arguments should be supported by scientific literature and should also apply epidemiological, health and environmental concepts. Thus, this simulated jury sought to improve the teaching-learning process in Health Surveillance with a practical activity about its duties and highlight the importance and the role of physicians in this public health area.

Ecotoxicological Assessment of the Doce River Surface Water After the Fundão Dam Collapse.

On 5 November 2015, the Samarco Fe ore mining operations released approximately 50 million cubic meters of mining waste into the environment, due to a dam collapse. Aiming at understanding the potential effects on the Doce River, different regions of the course of tailings were monitored using acute and chronic ecotoxicological tests with 4 species: Ceriodaphnia dubia, Daphnia similis, Danio rerio, and Vibrio fischeri. The results showed no acute toxicity for water column organisms. However, chronic toxicity was observed with the tests with the microcrustacean C. dubia, mainly related to the physical effects of the passage of flood wave and increased suspended solids, given that toxicity was reduced after filtering the samples. The results showed different magnitudes of impact among the upper, middle, and lower Doce River, with greater impact close to the dam failure area. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:608-614. © 2020 SETAC.

Em 5 de novembro de 2015, aproximadamente 50 milhões de m3 de resíduos provenientes da barragem de rejeitos das operações de mineração de minério de ferro da Samarco atingiram o meio ambiente decorrente do seu rompimento. Com o objetivo de compreender os potenciais efeitos sobre o rio Doce, o monitoramento foi realizado, através de testes ecotoxicológicos com quatro espécies de diferentes, das regiões atingidas pela pluma de turbidez. Os resultados demonstraram, de modo geral, ausência de ecotoxicidade aguda para organismos de coluna de água. Entretanto, foi evidenciada ecotoxicidade crônica com o microcrustáceo Ceriodaphnia dubia, que esteve relacionada principalmente aos efeitos físicos da passagem da onda de cheia e ao aumento de sólidos em suspensão na coluna d'água. Os resultados mostraram que a magnitude do impacto foi diferente nas três regiões do rio Doce (alta, média e baixa), com maior intensidade na região mais próxima da área do rompimento da barragem. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:608-614.

Ecotoxicological assessment after the world's largest tailing dam collapse (Fundão dam, Mariana, Brazil): effects on oribatid mites.

Worldwide, environmental tragedies involving mining dam ruptures have become more frequent. As occurred a few years ago in Brazil (on 5 November 2015, in Minas Gerais state) the Fundão Dam rupture released 60 million m3 of tailings into terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Since then, little information on the ecotoxicity of these tailings has been disclosed. In the laboratory, the acute, chronic and bioaccumulation effects of increased Fundão tailing concentrations on oribatid mites (Scheloribates praeincisus) were assessed. Additionally, the bioaccumulation of 11 trace metals (Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) and the total density of oribatid mites found in the areas contaminated by the Fundão tailings were determined. The percentages of mite survival and reproductive inhibition were higher than 60% and 80%, respectively, in all contaminated areas with the highest concentration (100% mine tailings). Field studies showed an expressive reduction in the total density of oribatids per m-2 (up to 54 times) in the contaminated areas compared with the reference area. Metal accumulations in the field were 5.4 and 3.2 higher (for Ni and Hg, respectively) and up to two times higher (for most metals) than those in the laboratory for 42 days. The mite responses to the Fundão tailings found in this study suggest long-term interference in their biological development. In this sense, we can conclude that the introduction of mine tailings onto soils tended to compromise the functionality of the mites in the ecosystem, which causes imbalances to cascade other organisms of the trophic web.

Methods for Postdisaster Impact Assessment: A Case Study of the Impacts of the Fundão Dam Failure on Terrestrial Species Threatened with Extinction.

The Fundão tailings dam held back approximately 50 million cubic meters of tailings from an Fe ore mine in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The dam failed on 5 November 2015, releasing tailings into the Rio Doce watershed and causing an environmental disaster in a biodiversity hotspot. To guide conservation action following the event, Brazilian authorities demanded an impact assessment focused on terrestrial species threatened by extinction. Postdisaster impact assessment is substantially more challenging than predevelopment impact assessment. Predisaster baseline data were sparse, and much was unknown about how the Fundão dam failure impacted terrestrial species threatened with extinction. Baseline reconstruction and impact pathway validation and characterization was critical. Ecosystem reconstruction revealed that 1580 ha of terrestrial ecosystems were destroyed, including approximately 480 ha of Atlantic rainforest. Collaboration with local experts identified 346 species of vertebrates, invertebrates, and vascular plants threatened with extinction that were impacted or potentially impacted. Species composition and impacts varied within 4 distinct segments of the Rio Doce watershed. Nine potential impact pathways were identified using data and literature review combined with information provided by regulators, experts, and media. Not all were valid. Validating and characterizing each pathway within each watershed segment involved data evaluation, an ecological risk screening, and field assessments. Impact pathway evaluation proved critical to dispelling misconception, accurately understanding postdisaster impacts, and directing conservation action; the importance of this step cannot be overemphasized. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:676-680. © 2020 SETAC.

A barragem de Fundão armazenava milhões de metros cúbicos de rejeitos de uma mina de ferro no estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil. A barragem se rompeu em 5 de novembro de 2015, liberando rejeitos para a bacia do rio Doce, provocando um desastre ambiental em um hotspot de biodiversidade. Visando orientar ações de conservação após o evento, autoridades ambientais brasileiras demandaram uma avaliação de impactos com foco em espécies ameaçadas de extinção. Avaliações de impacto pós-desastre são substancialmente mais desafiadoras do que avaliações padrão, que antecedem a execução de empreendimentos. No caso de Fundão, dados da linha de base anterior ao desastre eram escassos, e pouco se sabia a respeito de como os vetores de impacto relacionados ao rompimento poderiam ter afetado a biodiversidade terrestre, incluindo a sua magnitude, duração e abrangência espacial. Consequentemente, a reconstrução da linha de base e a validação e caracterização dos potenciais vetores de impacto foram os primeiros passos essenciais. A reconstrução da linha de base para ecossistemas, feita a partir de imagens de satélite, revelou que aproximadamente 1580 ha de ecossistemas terrestres foram suprimidos, incluindo ~480 ha de mata atlântica. Por meio de colaboração com especialistas na biodiversidade local e utilizando fontes diversas de dados e literatura, foram identificadas 346 espécies de vertebrados, invertebrados e plantas vasculares ameaçadas de extinção ocorrentes ou potencialmente ocorrentes nas áreas afetadas. A composição em espécies variou entre quatro distintos segmentos da bacia do rio Doce, assim como os impactos incidentes. Nove potenciais vetores de impacto foram identificados utilizando-se dados e revisões da literatura, além de informações fornecidas por órgãos ambientais e especialistas, e pela mídia. A validação e caracterização de cada vetor de impacto em cada segmento da bacia envolveu a avaliação de dados, uma análise preliminar de risco ecológico, e avaliações em campo. A avaliação de vetores de impacto mostrou-se fundamental para dirimir equívocos de interpretação e acuradamente entender os impactos pós-desastre; a importância desta etapa não pode ser menosprezada. O cruzamento de características biológicas e ecológicas das espécies terrestres ameaçadas de extinção, em cada segmento da bacia, com a caracterização dos vetores de impacto, permitiu a atribuição de consequências dos impactos, constituindo uma maneira efetiva de priorizar medidas mitigadoras com vistas ao alcance de metas de conservação pós-desastre. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:676-680.

An Approach Based on the Protected Object for Dam-Break Flood Risk Management Exemplified at the Zipingpu Reservoir.

Dam-break flooding is a potential hazard for reservoirs that poses a considerable threat to human lives and property in downstream areas. Assessing the dam-break flood risk of the Zipingpu Reservoir in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, is critically important because this reservoir is located on the Longmen Shan fault, which experiences high seismic activity. In this paper, we develop an approach based on the protected object for dam-break flood risk management. First, we perform a numerical simulation of dam-break flooding in four possible dam break scenarios. Next, the flood areas are divided into 71 analysis units based on the administrative division. Based on the numerical simulation results and the socio-economic demographic data affected by a flood, the importance and risk level of each analysis unit is confirmed, and the flood risk map is established according to the classification results. Finally, multi-level flood risk management countermeasures are proposed according to the results of the unit classification shown in the map.

Combining subsidence theory and slope stability analysis method for building damage assessment in mountainous mining subsidence regions.

Ground subsidence and surface cracks caused by coal mining are typical man-made geological hazards that can severely damage the ecological environment and buildings. In China, within the theme of sustained and stable development, accurate assessment of mining-related building damage is paramount in order to address the contradiction between coal mining enterprises and building owners. Previous research in China focused mainly on the mining areas of plains, and only a few studies have considered building damage caused by intensive mining in mountainous areas. First, based on field investigation, this study located ground surface cracks and assessed the damage to buildings in the village of Nanyetou in Shanxi Province (China) attributable to the exploitation of the 15110 working face of the Baiyangling coal mine. Second, based on the mining subsidence law and boundary angle, the surface influenced boundary caused by underground mining was determined. However, as the existing subsidence theory cannot adequately explain the phenomenon of building damage, the damage was investigated from the perspective of slope stability analysis, and the slope safety factor before and after working face mining were calculated using the Janbu method. The analytical results showed that slope instability due to a decrease of the safety factor because of the coal mining activity was the principal reason for damage to the village buildings, a finding that was confirmed by field survey and InSAR monitoring displacement. The results of this study could provide guidance and reference for the assessment of building damage caused by underground mining in mountain areas.

Assessment of bridge scour in the lower, middle, and upper Yangtze River estuary with riverbed sonar profiling techniques.

Riverbed scour of bridge piers can cause rapid loss in foundation strength, leading to sudden bridge collapse. This study used multi-beam echo sounders (Seabat 7125) to map riverbed surrounding the foundations of four major bridges in the lower, middle, and upper reaches of the 700-km Yangtze River Estuary (YRE) during June 2015 and September 2016. The high-resolution data were utilized to analyze the morphology of the bridge scour and the deformation of the wide-area riverbed (i.e., 5-18 km long and 1.3-8.3 km wide). In addition, previous bathymetric measurements collected in 1998, 2009, and 2013 were used to determine riverbed erosion and deposition at the bridge reaches. Our study shows that the scour depth surrounding the bridge foundations progressed up to 4.4-19.0 m in the YRE. Over the past 5-15 years, the total channel erosion in some river reaches was up to 15-17 m, possessing a threat to the bridge safety in the YRE. Tide cycles seemed to have resulted in significant variation in the scour morphology in the lower and middle YRE. In the lower YRE, the riverbed morphology displayed one long erosional ditch on both sides of the bridge foundations and a long-strip siltation area distributed upstream and downstream of the bridge foundations; in the middle YRE, the riverbed morphology only showed erosional morphology surrounding the bridge foundations. Large dunes caused deep cuts and steeper contours in the bridge scour. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that the high-resolution grid model formed by point cloud data of multi-beam echo sounders can clearly display the morphology of the bridge scour in terms of wide areas and that the sonar technique is a very useful tool in the assessment of bridge scours.

Long-Term Structural Health Monitoring System for a High-Speed Railway Bridge Structure.

Nanjing Dashengguan Bridge, which serves as the shared corridor crossing Yangtze River for both Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway and Shanghai-Wuhan-Chengdu railway, is the first 6-track high-speed railway bridge with the longest span throughout the world. In order to ensure safety and detect the performance deterioration during the long-time service of the bridge, a Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system has been implemented on this bridge by the application of modern techniques in sensing, testing, computing, and network communication. The SHM system includes various sensors as well as corresponding data acquisition and transmission equipment for automatic data collection. Furthermore, an evaluation system of structural safety has been developed for the real-time condition assessment of this bridge. The mathematical correlation models describing the overall structural behavior of the bridge can be obtained with the support of the health monitoring system, which includes cross-correlation models for accelerations, correlation models between temperature and static strains of steel truss arch, and correlation models between temperature and longitudinal displacements of piers. Some evaluation results using the mean value control chart based on mathematical correlation models are presented in this paper to show the effectiveness of this SHM system in detecting the bridge's abnormal behaviors under the varying environmental conditions such as high-speed trains and environmental temperature.

Evaluation of seismic performance and effectiveness of multiple slim-type damper system for seismic response control of building structures.

This paper presents the evaluation of seismic performance and cost-effectiveness of a multiple slim-type damper system developed for the vibration control of earthquake excited buildings. The multiple slim-type damper (MSD) that consists of several small slim-type dampers and linkage units can control damping capacity easily by changing the number of small dampers. To evaluate the performance of the MSD, dynamic loading tests are performed with three slim-type dampers manufactured at a real scale. Numerical simulations are also carried out by nonlinear time history analysis with a ten-story earthquake excited building structure. The seismic performance and cost-effectiveness of the MSD system are investigated according to the various installation configurations of the MSD system. From the results of numerical simulation and cost-effectiveness evaluation, it is shown that combinations of the MSD systems can effectively improve the seismic performance of earthquake excited building structures.

Seismic performance of RC beam-column connections with continuous rectangular spiral transverse reinforcements for low ductility classes.

The seismic performance of RC columns could be significantly improved by continuous spiral reinforcement as a result of its adequate ductility and energy dissipation capacity. Due to post-earthquake brittle failure observations in beam-column connections, the seismic behaviour of such connections could greatly be improved by simultaneous application of this method in both beams and columns. In this study, a new proposed detail for beam to column connection introduced as "twisted opposing rectangular spiral" was experimentally and numerically investigated and its seismic performance was compared against normal rectangular spiral and conventional shear reinforcement systems. In this study, three full scale beam to column connections were first designed in conformance with Eurocode (EC2-04) for low ductility class connections and then tested by quasistatic cyclic loading recommended by ACI Building Code (ACI 318-02). Next, the experimental results were validated by numerical methods. Finally, the results revealed that the new proposed connection could improve the ultimate lateral resistance, ductility, and energy dissipation capacity.

Integrated system of structural health monitoring and intelligent management for a cable-stayed bridge.

It is essential to construct structural health monitoring systems for large important bridges. Zhijiang Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that was built recently over the Hangzhou Qiantang River (the largest river in Zhejiang Province). The length of Zhijiang Bridge is 478 m, which comprises an arched twin-tower space and a twin-cable plane structure. As an example, the present study describes the integrated system of structural health monitoring and intelligent management for Zhijiang Bridge, which comprises an information acquisition system, data management system, evaluation and decision-making system, and application service system. The monitoring components include the working environment of the bridge and various factors that affect bridge safety, such as the stress and strain of the main bridge structure, vibration, cable force, temperature, and wind speed. In addition, the integrated system includes a forecasting and decision-making module for real-time online evaluation, which provides warnings and makes decisions based on the monitoring information. From this, the monitoring information, evaluation results, maintenance decisions, and warning information can be input simultaneously into the bridge monitoring center and traffic emergency center to share the monitoring data, thereby facilitating evaluations and decision making using the system.

Structural health monitoring of civil infrastructure using optical fiber sensing technology: a comprehensive review.

In the last two decades, a significant number of innovative sensing systems based on optical fiber sensors have been exploited in the engineering community due to their inherent distinctive advantages such as small size, light weight, immunity to electromagnetic interference (EMI) and corrosion, and embedding capability. A lot of optical fiber sensor-based monitoring systems have been developed for continuous measurement and real-time assessment of diversified engineering structures such as bridges, buildings, tunnels, pipelines, wind turbines, railway infrastructure, and geotechnical structures. The purpose of this review article is devoted to presenting a summary of the basic principles of various optical fiber sensors, innovation in sensing and computational methodologies, development of novel optical fiber sensors, and the practical application status of the optical fiber sensing technology in structural health monitoring (SHM) of civil infrastructure.

Study on typhoon characteristic based on bridge health monitoring system.

Through the wind velocity and direction monitoring system installed on Jiubao Bridge of Qiantang River, Hangzhou city, Zhejiang province, China, a full range of wind velocity and direction data was collected during typhoon HAIKUI in 2012. Based on these data, it was found that, at higher observed elevation, turbulence intensity is lower, and the variation tendency of longitudinal and lateral turbulence intensities with mean wind speeds is basically the same. Gust factor goes higher with increasing mean wind speed, and the change rate obviously decreases as wind speed goes down and an inconspicuous increase occurs when wind speed is high. The change of peak factor is inconspicuous with increasing time and mean wind speed. The probability density function (PDF) of fluctuating wind speed follows Gaussian distribution. Turbulence integral scale increases with mean wind speed, and its PDF does not follow Gaussian distribution. The power spectrum of observation fluctuating velocity is in accordance with Von Karman spectrum.

Time-frequency methods for structural health monitoring.

Detection of early warning signals for the imminent failure of large and complex engineered structures is a daunting challenge with many open research questions. In this paper we report on novel ways to perform Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of flood protection systems (levees, earthen dikes and concrete dams) using sensor data. We present a robust data-driven anomaly detection method that combines time-frequency feature extraction, using wavelet analysis and phase shift, with one-sided classification techniques to identify the onset of failure anomalies in real-time sensor measurements. The methodology has been successfully tested at three operational levees. We detected a dam leakage in the retaining dam (Germany) and "strange" behaviour of sensors installed in a Boston levee (UK) and a Rhine levee (Germany).