Large telescope elevation structure lateral hydrostatic guidance system

Large structure lateral hydrostatic guidance system for realising the lateral guidance system of the elevation axis of a large telescope made with at least two guide rings, characterised in that:

• it comprises hydrostatic supports each comprising a base and a runner which is hydrostatically coupled to a lateral surface of the guide ring;
• each hydrostatic support comprising an hydraulic chamber acting between the base and the runner,
• the runner is fastened to a restraining shaft which is connected to the base in an unrestrained way so that the runner is able to translate axially in relation to the base;
• the hydraulic chamber is supplied through a hole from which oil can enter or exit determining a floating movement of the runner in such a way that all the hydrostatic supports are tilting and floating and no ball joint is present in them,
• the hydrostatic supports are split into two groups, a preloading group and a reaction group;
• the hydrostatic supports of the preloading group being located on one side of the guide rings and the hydrostatic supports of the reaction group being located on the other side of the guide rings;
• the hydraulic chambers of the hydrostatic preloading supports being supplied at a preloading pressure,
• all the hydraulic chambers of the hydrostatic supports of the reaction group are connected the one to another,
• one or more supply resistances exist of the hydraulic chambers of the preloading group which has a value low enough to allow the slow variations in thickness of the guide rings, but high enough to obtain a high lateral dynamic rigidity of the lateral hydrostatic guidance system.