Hydraulic apparatus

Claim 1

A SLIPPER BEARING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A WEAR MEMBER AND A HYDRAULICALLY BALANCED SLIPPER MOVABLE RELATIVELY TO THE WEAR MEMBER, EACH HAVING A SURFACE FOR SEATING WITH SLIGHT CLEARANCE ON THE COMPLEMENTAL SURFACE OF THE OTHER BY GENERATION HYDRAULICALLY OF THE PARTING THRUST IN THE LEAKAGE PATH BETWEEN THE COMPLEMENTAL SURFACES TO OPPOSE A MECHANICAL THRUST URGING THE SLIPPER ON, TO THE WEAR PLATE MEMBER''S SURFACE, SAID SLIPPER INCLUDING A CIRCULAR RECESS WITHIN THE SLIPPER''S SURFACE WHICH DEFINES WITH THE WEAR MEMBER''S SURFACE A PRESSURE CHAMBER AND DIVIDES THE SLIPPER''S SURFACE INTO INNER AND OUTER PORTIONS, A PORT OPENING CENTRALLY INTO THE INNER PORTION OF THE SLIPPER''S SURFACE AND ADAPTED FOR CONNECTION TO A SOURCE OF HYDRAULIC LIQUID AT PRESSURE, THE RADIALLY OUTER PORTIONS OF THE COMPLEMENTAL SURFACES COMMUNICATING WITH A LOW PRESSURE REGION TO INDUCE OUTWARD FLOW THROUGH THE LEAKAGE PATH, AND AT LEAST TWO RESTRICTOR GROOVES IN THE INNER PORTION OF THE SLIPPER SURFACE WHICH, WITH THE WEAR MEMBER''S SURFACE, DEFINE PASSAGES EXTENDING FROM THE PORT TO THE CIRCULAR RECESS, THE CROSS SECTIONAL AREA OF EACH RESTRICTOR GROOVE BEING CONSIDERABLY SMALLER THAN THE CROSS SECTIONAL AREA OF THE CIRCULAR RECESS WHEREBY LIQUID FLOWING FROM THE PORT THROUGH THE RESTRICTOR GROOVE TO THE CIRCULAR RECESS LOSES PRESSURE TO ESTABLISH WITHIN THE CIRCULAR RECESS A PRESSURE LOWER THAN THE PRESSURE WITHIN THE PORT WHOSE VALUE WILL VARY INVERSELY WITH THE SMALL CLEARANCE IN THE LEAKAGE PATH BETWEEN THE WEAR MEMBER''S SURFACE AND THE SLIPPER''S SURFACE.