Patent ID: 7137590

Claim:
A lubrication installation for a tilting power box ( 13 – 17 ), intended to rotate at least a driven body ( 22 ) driven about an axis of rotation (A—A) that is itself designed to swivel about a tilting axis (B—B), more or less perpendicular to said axis of rotation (A—A) of said driven body ( 22 ), said power box including a tilting crankcase ( 23 ) mounted to tilt about said tilting axis (B—B) on a non-tilting rigid support ( 30 ), the installation comprising: at least one lubricating circuit ( 37 a, 37 b ) under pressure for at least one device to be lubricated that is housed in the tilting crankcase ( 23 ), said lubricating circuit comprising a radial transfer stage ( 47 a, 47 b ) for liquid lubricant under pressure, between two cylindrical journals ( 56 , 57 ) facing each other, approximately coaxial about the tilting axis (B—B), and of which one is a fixed journal ( 56 ) arranged on a fixed part ( 31 ) integral with said non-tilting support ( 30 ), and the other is a swiveling journal ( 57 ) mounted on a swiveling part ( 58 ) integral with the tilting crankcase ( 23 ), said radial transfer stage ( 47 a, 47 b ) comprising two annular seals ( 62 a, 63 a, 62 b and 63 b ) having a prone U-shaped cross-section, with the concavity of each turned to face the other and spaced from one another along the tilting axis (B—B), so that an annular chamber ( 64 a, 64 b ) of pressurized liquid lubricant is contained between said two annular seals ( 62 a, 63 a, 62 b and 63 b ) and the two journals ( 56 , 57 ), said annular chamber ( 64 a, 64 b ) being fed with liquid lubricant under pressure by an inlet hole ( 70 a, 70 b ) emerging in the fixed journal ( 56 ) between said two annular seals ( 62 a, 63 a, 62 b and 63 b ) and with the downstream end of at least one supply duct ( 46 e, 46 b ) integrated into said fixed part ( 31 ) and whose upstream end is connected to at least one source ( 34 a, 34 b ) of pressurized lubricant, and also, feeding the tilting crankcase ( 23 ) in liquid lubricant under pressure through an outlet hole ( 71 a, 71 b ) emerging in the swiveling journal ( 57 ) between said two annular seals ( 62 a, 63 a, 62 b and 63 b ) and at the upstream end at least one distribution pipe ( 48 a, 48 b ) extending into the swiveling part ( 58 ) and emerging in the tilting crankcase ( 23 ).