Hydraulic rotary barrel pumps or motors

Claim 1

A hydraulic pump or motor of the rotating and floating barrel type, comprising a cylindrical fixed casing provided with a bottom having a slide-face with first and second orifices therein; a barrel supported in said casing for rotation about an axis; said barrel having cylinders and slidable pistons in said cylinders; means for placing said cylinders into communication alternately with said first and second orifices in said slideface; means including an inclined plate for reciprocally moving said pistons in said cylinders and producing forces on said pistons having components acting as shear forces applied to said barrel; a rotatable shaft having opposite ends; connecting means between said barrel and one of said ends of the shaft for transmitting rotatiOnal drive therebetween; a support interposed between between said barrel and said shaft and in coaxially spaced relation with said shaft to provide a clearance therewith; means rigidly securing said support to said casing; a first bearing between said support and the other end of said shaft rotatably supporting said shaft in the support, said shaft extending in cantilever fashion from said first bearing; and a second bearing within the barrel between said support and said barrel, said second bearing being of small diameter and disposed at the point of application on the axis of said barrel of the resultant of the shear forces applied to said pistons to resist said shear forces and transmit the same to said support and prevent application of load to said shaft, said second bearing being constructed to permit said barrel to make slight angular movements with respect to said support and thereby with respect to said axis of rotation of the shaft, said first bearing being axially displaced with respect to the second bearing on the side remote relative to the slide face, said shaft being freely rotatable and unsupported from the first bearing to the connection means, said connecting means being constructed to provide radial play of the shaft to accommodate said angular movements of the barrel.