ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Earth Sci.
Sec. Geohazards and Georisks
Numerical Modeling-Based Deformation Prediction for Tunnel Portal Talus Slopes
Liangkai Qin 1,2,3
Junyong Li 4
Xing Qin 5
Dapeng Zhu 6,3
1. Tongji University, Shanghai, China
2. Chengdu Construction Engineering Group Co., Ltd, Chengdu, China
3. Hubei Key Laboratory of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China
4. Cccc Urban Investment Holding Company Limited, Guangzhou, China
5. Cccc (Guangzhou) Construction Co., Ltd., Guangdong, China
6. School of Geoscience and Technology, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, China
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Abstract
To predict the deformation behavior of the talus slope under varying reservoir water levels and dynamic train loads during tunnel operation, this study investigates the talus slope at the Daqianshiling tunnel portal section. Initially, the excavation process of the tunnel portal section was simulated using numerical modeling, with simulation outcomes systematically compared to in situ monitoring data. Subsequently, the numerical model was iteratively calibrated to ensure overall concordance with field conditions. Upon calibration, the model was employed to simulate talus slope deformation under diverse water level and train load scenarios encountered during operation. The results indicate that deformation during the reservoir filling phase is markedly greater than that observed during the drawdown phase. Slope stability is substantially reduced when train loading coincides with elevated water levels. The methodological framework in provides a robust basis for the prediction of deformation in analogous engineering projects.
Summary
Keywords
Deformation prediction, Dynamic load, FLAC3D, Numerical modeling, Talus slope, tunnel portal section, Waterlevel fluctuation
Received
30 December 2025
Accepted
06 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Qin, Li, Qin and Zhu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Liangkai Qin
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