Gearboxes for tunnel boring machines

ZOLLERN gearboxes power tunnel boring machines around the world that are used to bore tunnels for road and rail traffic or water and wastewater supply.

ZOLLERN tunnel boring drives are used as main drives, auger drives and erector drives. They are core components for hard rock TBMs, earth pressure (EPB) and micro-tunnel boring machines as well as combinations thereof.

  • 30% more compact design than conventional drive solutions
  • Drive torques up to 3,000,000 Nm (as a standard)
  • Hydraulic and electric drive variants
  • Liquid cooled for continuous use
  • Integrated holding brake and overload clutch
  • Holistic drive solutions with gearbox, synchronous motor (larger than 400 kW) and inverter
Product examples
Overview Zollern tunnel boring gearboxes

Overview Zollern tunnel boring gearboxes 
 

Hydraulic erector drive

Hydraulic erector drive 

Main gearbox with asynchronous-motor in the power range of 200 till 400 kW

Main gearbox with asynchronous-motor in the power range of 200 till 400 kW

Central drive for microtunneling with output torque upt tp 2.200 kNm

Central drive for microtunneling with output torque upt tp 2.200 kNm

compact main-gearbox with Zollern-syncronous motor in a power range of 200 till 250 kW

Compact main-gearbox with Zollern-syncronous motor in a power range of 200 till 250 kW

Hydraulic screw conveyor gearbox

Hydraulic screw conveyor gearbox 

Switch gearbox with ZOLLERN-syncronous motor, for changing geological conditions (hard rock, EPB, slurry) at a power range 200 kW till 400 kW

Switch gearbox with ZOLLERN-syncronous motor, for changing geological conditions (hard rock, EPB, slurry) at a power range 200 kW till 400 kW

Technical Data

Plug-on planetary-gearboxes
TypekW power up to

Output torque max. 

Static output torque max.Ratio for hard rock application Ratio for EPB application
5.2975 - 250 KW125 kNm185 kNm21 - 3545 - 112
5.31200 - 300 kW175 kNm225 kNm18 - 4054 - 147
5.32300 - 400 kW280 kNm 345 kNm29 - 4045 - 128
5.33350 kW300 kNm450 KNm  108
5.40670 kW2.200 kNm3.000 KNm 64

 

Planetary-gearboxes with integrated and supported output pinion
TypekW power up to

Output torque max. 

Static output torque max.RatioModul on output pinion
3.2285 KW16,8 kNm25,2 kNm21 - 4512 - 14
3.2760 - 100 kW80 kNm91,5 kNm11216
3.32300 - 400 kW280 kNm 345 kNm61 - 17725

 

Maintenance Concept

In order to avoid expensive downtimes when using gearboxes, ZOLLERN offers maintenance concepts that have been specially developed for gearboxes used in tunnel boring machines. 

Applications

Construction machine: Hard rock tunnel boring machine, earth pressure TBMs (EPB), micro tunnel boring machines double-, and single mode TBM’s.