Influence of Fault–Tunnel Intersection Angle on the Spatial Response of the Seepage Field in Tunnel Surrounding Rock

Fault fracture zones can act as preferential groundwater flow paths and significantly modify the seepage field around tunnels. To investigate the influence of the fault–tunnel intersection angle on pore water pressure distribution in tunnel surrounding rock, a three-dimensional steady-state Darcy seepage model was established using the F4 fault section of the Yinggeling Tunnel as a representative engineering background. Four cases were considered: a fault-free tunnel and tunnels intersecting fault fracture zones at fault–tunnel intersection angles of 45°, 90°, and 135°. Pore water pressures were extracted at the tunnel crown, invert, and left and right sidewalls at radial distances of 0.2 m and 10 m from the excavation boundary to characterize the near-field and intermediate-to-far-field responses. The results show that the fault fracture zone acts as a preferential drainage pathway and reduces the pore water pressure around the tunnel. Under the baseline permeability condition, the 90° intersection case produces the strongest pressure-relief effect, with peak pore pressure reduction ratios of 23.66–24.24%, followed by the 45° case with reductions of 20.54–22.22%, whereas the 135° case shows a weaker reduction of 4.74–5.36%. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the 90° case generally maintains the strongest pressure-relief effect under most fault-to-rock permeability ratios, although the differences among some intersection-angle cases decrease at high permeability ratios. The near-field surrounding rock exhibits rapid pressure dissipation controlled by tunnel drainage and fault-guided flow, whereas the intermediate-to-far field shows a smoother and more attenuated response. These findings clarify the seepage-control mechanism of the fault–tunnel intersection angle and provide a reference for waterproofing and drainage design in tunnels crossing fault fracture zones.