Assessment of the safety of earth dams

Abstract The assessment of safety of earth dams based on the results of preliminary inspections is analyzed by fuzzy calculus. Fuzzy sets are used to represent the engineer's judgement on the seriousness (gravity) of observed defects and their relation to dam dafety. Two analytical models are proposed and applied to three earth dams exhibiting different types of defects. The results of the calculations are compared with the engineer's recommendations.