Study on Vibration Characteristics and Mechanism of TBM Main Bearing Under Uneven Load

The main bearing is the key component of the TBM main drive system to realize the continuous tunneling operation, and the harsh service environment of the TBM main bearing will subject it to uneven load, resulting in fatigue wear of the main bearing, which will affect the service life of the main bearing and the operational reliability of the TBM. In this paper, a multi-body dynamics model of TBM main bearing considering the effect of uneven load is established based on the multi-body dynamics model of bearing proposed by Gupta. The difference of the vibration characteristics between the main bearing under even load and uneven load is clarified. In addition, the mechanism of the influence of roller wear, roller dislodged, bearing clearance is further investigated, which helps to describe the real motion of the TBM main bearing more systematically and accurately. Finally, the main bearing dynamics model is verified by simulation analysis and the main bearing scaling test rig experiment analysis, and the experimental results show that the established model has good accuracy. The model is of great significance for the safe and reliable operation of the TBM and the optimized design of the main bearing structure.