ABSTRACT
The rock mass foundation of concrete dams must present an adequate structural and hydraulic behavior, in order to guarantee the safety conditions of these structures. For the interpretation of this behavior it is important to know the principal characteristics of the rock mass, namely its deformability and its permeability. Back analyses provide significant contributions through the estimation of parameters related to these properties using monitoring data. This paper presents a general back analysis methodology for the determination of the deformability and of the permeability of concrete dam foundations, using a numerical model of the dam behavior and monitoring data collected through the normal observation activities. Two case studies are presented, one corresponding to the evaluation of the deformability of the foundation using vertical displacements observed during the construction of the concrete blocks, and the other corresponding to the estimation of the permeability of the foundation using uplift and flow measurements.
