Load Allocation and Equilibrium for Planetary Gear Reducers of Earth-Pressure-Balance Shield Machine

To optimize the 3-stages planetary gear reducer (PGR) in the Earth-Pressure-Balance Shield Machine (EPBSM), it is necessary to firstly define the EPBSM environment. The needed torque of the cutter-head, therefore, is analyzed when the EPBSM cutting the earth body. The load of any PGR is allocated according to the equivalent principle in the size between the force and its response one and the distributing uniformity of the PGRs around the main axle gear. Because the structure of the main drive system is equal to a huge planet-gear reducer made of 8 planetary gears, for the main axle connected with it gear, one side is connected with a bidentate coupling, the other is connected with an elastic shaft to realize the dual connection floatability of the main axle gear and support the whole main axle gear so that the relative displacement can be compensated to high degree among the PGRs resulting from the uneven force when the cutter-head cuts earth body. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier B. V. Selection and/or peer review under responsibility of American Applied Science Research Institute