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Rock mechanics projects, excavations and rock mass monitoring are day-by-day concerns of professionals and scientists of rock engineer. Technological advances observed in the 20 and 21 centuries provided high precision equipment capable of establishing deformation and estimating the rock mass stress remotely and in real time. In addition, in order to confirm and study the data obtained with theses equipment, numerical programs of modeling became more accessible to schools, research centers and private companies. Monitoring an excavation requires, besides understanding fully the rock structure, precise definitions and goals: why, how, where. This article discusses concepts of monitoring, modeling and calibration, as well as presents examples of applications where these questions were successfully answered.

A determinação das subpressões, na base de barragens de concreto apoiadas em rochas contínuas permeáveis, exige a realização de uma análise de percolação. Esse tipo de análise é bastante complexo, principalmente pela presença dos drenos, perfurados em suas fundações, o que lhe confere um caráter tridimensional. Um enfoque numérico para esse problema é apresentado. Uma comparação com os resultados obtidos através de solução analítica, disponível na literatura, é realizada e os resultados obtidos mostram que a solução numérica proposta é adequada para utilização prática. Sugere-se que a solução proposta possa ser usada no projeto de barragens de concreto, assentes sobre materiais rochosos contínuos e permeáveis, incluindo aquelas cuja geometria e/ou condições geológicas não permitam a aplicação da solução analítica.
The determination of the uplift pressures in concrete dams, resting on continuous rocks, constitutes a complex three-dimensional seepage analysis problem due mainly to the presence of drains perforated in the foundations. Because of the difficulties involved, this type of analysis is seldom performed in dam design practice. A numerical approach to solve this problem is presented. A comparison with a closed form solution available in the literature is performed and the results obtained shows that the proposed numerical model is adequate for practical purposes. It is suggested that the proposed solution could be used in most cases of concrete dam design, including those where geological or geometrical conditions would not allow the use of the closed form solution

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