<p>The study was conducted to develop an optimized design method for the rapid arrangement of non-equidistant thrust systems in shield machines under complicated geological formation conditions, aiming to enhance the efficiency of thrust system reconfiguration. Firstly, mechanical principles for the rapid deployment of non-equidistant thrust systems were set, grounded of force transmission in the thrust system. Secondly, based on the principles, the optimizing model was propose on the minimal displacement and characteristics for the uniform arrangement was discussed in detail. Thirdly, the model was applied to a shield machine with a 6.15-m diameter and a 24-jack thrust system, where the stability was evaluated using the <i>CV</i> standard. Finally, a virtual prototype of the optimized thrust system was set up in ADAMS (Automatic Dynamic Analysis of Mechanical Systems) to validate the model. The results validate that the proposed layout optimization not only offers higher stability compared to traditional equidistant layouts but also meets the requirements for rapid deployment under complex geological conditions. This provides theoretical support for improving the deployment efficiency of the non-equidistant thrust system in shield machines operating in complex geological environments.</p>