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
Type kW power up to

Output torque max. 

Static output torque max. Ratio for hard rock application  Ratio for EPB application
5.29 75 - 250 KW 125 kNm 185 kNm 21 - 35 45 - 112
5.31 200 - 300 kW 175 kNm 225 kNm 18 - 40 54 - 147
5.32 300 - 400 kW 280 kNm  345 kNm 29 - 40 45 - 128
5.33 350 kW 300 kNm 450 KNm    108
5.40 670 kW 2.200 kNm 3.000 KNm   64

 

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

Output torque max. 

Static output torque max. Ratio Modul on output pinion
3.22 85 KW 16,8 kNm 25,2 kNm 21 - 45 12 - 14
3.27 60 - 100 kW 80 kNm 91,5 kNm 112 16
3.32 300 - 400 kW 280 kNm  345 kNm 61 - 177 25

 

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.