Deformation characteristics of surrounding rock in the intersection area between main tunnel and construction adit of the Xianglushan tunnel

The construction adit plays a pivotal role in enhancing the working face during the excavation of long-distance and deep hydraulic tunnels. However, the intersection zone between the main tunnel and the construction adit exhibits more intricate deformation patterns in surrounding rock, posing a significant threat to stability during excavation. Taking the Xianglushan tunnel in Yunnan Province, China, as a case study, the FLAC3D software is employed to simulate the excavation process at the intersection. The simulation results are verified combined with the field deformation monitoring results, and the spatial distribution of tunnel rock deformation in the intersection area are analyzed. Five excavation conditions with different intersection angles are simulated, and the surrounding rock deformation of the tunnel intersection area with different intersection angles is analyzed, and its influence range is discussed. The results show that: (1) The surrounding rock deformation in the intersection area increases rapidly during the tunnel excavation. With the increase of construction distance, the deformation of intersection area is gradually stable. (2) The deformation distribution of the tunnel rock is uneven, and the deformation of main tunnel near the intersection area is larger than that far away from the intersection area. (3) With the increase of the intersection angle, the surrounding rock deformation of the tunnel intersection and its influence range decreases gradually. The research results have certain guiding significance for the construction safety of the tunnel intersection area.