Support device positioned between an element of large mass and a fixed support

Claim 1

Support device positioned between an element of predetermined mass (1) and a fixed support (12), enabling limitation of displacements and accelerations of said element with respect to said support upon movements caused by severe stresses, said device comprising (a) cylindrical rollers (14, 15, 17, 18) arranged horizontally in two superposed sets of at least two parallel rollers, the rollers of one set (14, 15) having their axes perpendicular to the axes of the rollers of the other set (17, 18); and (b) a set of three superposed support elements totally independent of one another and having on their facing sides roller tracks (9, 20, 21, 24) inclined to the horizontal, the rollers (14, 15) of said one set being arranged between the uppermost (4) of said support elements carrying said element of large mass (1) and the intermediate one (10) of said three support elements in contact with said roller tracks (9, 20); the rollers (17, 18) of said other set between said intermediate support element (10) the lowermost (11) of said support elements resting on said fixed support (12), in contact with said roller tracks (21, 24) provided on said elements; (c) each of said rollers (14, 15, 17, 18) comprising in axial direction a central portion of revolution (15a) and two end portions of revolution (15b, 15c) flared outwardly inclined at an acute angle to the horizontal plane, said roller tracks (9, 20, 21, 24) having profiles corresponding to those of said rollers in the longitudinal direction of the latter.