Accelerometer with liquid hydrostatic gimbal support

An accelerometer including a liquid hydrostatic bearing system, comprising:

• a sleeve and a pair of opposite end plates having annular grooves and surfaces defining recesses, said sleeve and end plates arranged to provide a substantially cylindrical chamber;
• a float disposed within the chamber in slightly spaced relation to the sleeve and end plates and including shaft members at opposite ends thereof disposed in spaced relation to the corresponding recesses defined by end plate surfaces, said space between the chamber and float and shaft members and recesses being both axial and radial;
• a pendulous mass supported by the float relative to mutually perpendicular accelerometer input, output and pendulous reference axes for pendulousity about the output axis in response to a sensed acceleration;
• the chamber including at least two longitudinally extending channels and radially disposed ports at opposite ends of the float connecting one of said channels with the space;
• a casing surrounding the chamber and including opposite end sections;
• a pump mounted in one of the end sections and including outlet ports open to the one channel and inlet ports open to the other channel, a connecting port, and the pump being effective for pumping a liquid from the pump outlet ports through the connecting port, channel and space to the pump inlet ports to provide axial and radial lift for the float;
• and
• a pickoff and torquer operably connected to the float shaft member and being supported in the other of the end sections, and means electrically connecting the pickoff and torquer, with the torquer current being indicative of the sensed acceleration.