a hydrostatic support structure of a liquid - cushion load - carrying apparatus ( fig1 ) comprises a housing 1 defining an inner space 2 for the formation of a liquid cushion and a piston 3 disposed for a vertical movement in the inner space 2 . a sealing member 4 defining the liquid cushion is rigidly secured to the housing 1 along the perimeter of the inner space 2 . the piston 3 has its own sealing member 5 intended to hermetically seal the gap between the piston 3 and the housing 1 . the hydrostatic support structure comprises also a pipe 6 adapted to supply the liquid which forms the liquid cushion ; used as the liquid may be ordinary water . in winter , at low temperatures , low - freezing liquids should be employed , such as aqueous solutions of sodium chloride , antifreeze , or mineral oils . to reduce the friction between a supporting surface 7 of the sealing member 4 and a bearing surface 8 whereon the hydrostatic support structure travels , it is advisable to employ aqueous solutions of soap or mineral oils as the liquid . the bearing surface 8 should be smooth , without depressions and bulges . insignificant irregularities of the bearing surface 8 are admissible when the liquid cushion is high enough . the bearing surface 8 may be the surface of steel or plastic sheets , concrete plates , asphalt covering , etc . thus , 3 mm thick steel sheets laid onto any smooth floor capable of withstanding said load or onto pre - rammed ground may be used . irregularities of the sheet surface within ± 3 mm are tolerable . fig2 illustrates the most simple modification of the sealing member 4 with an annular collar on its supporting surface facing the inner space . the member 4 may be made of rubber , plastic , or some other resilient material . the annular collar 9 on the inner surface of the member 4 is clearly seen in the figure . such a sealing member 4 is most simply secured by vulcanization , for which purpose an annular groove ( fig3 ) should be provided in the end face of the housing 1 . sealing member 4 includes an inwardly extending lip 4 &# 34 ; that bears against bearing surface 8 . fig4 shows in section a fragment of the hydrostatic support structure wherein the sealing member 4 has one more annular collar so that it is of a c - shaped configuration . the sealing member 4 is secured by means of a flanged joint 10 . in this case , an annular shoulder 11 whereto the upper annular collar of the member 4 is pressed by means of the flanged joint 10 is provided on the inner surface of the housing 1 , defining the inner space 2 . such fastening makes it possible to quickly and simply replace the sealing member . fig5 illustrates another alternative modification of fastening of the sealing member which has two annular collars 9 and 9 &# 34 ; disposed so that the sealing member is of an essentially z - shaped configuration . in this case , an annular shoulder 12 whereto the top annular collar 9 &# 34 ; of the member 4 is pressed by means of the flanged joint 10 is provided on the outer surface of the housing 1 . to make the sealing member 4 more resilient , it is advisable that its annular collar disposed along the supporting surface has a tapered configuration . fig6 shows a modification of the proposed hydrostatic support structure with stops defining the extreme lower position of the piston 3 , disposed between the housing 1 and the piston 3 . according to this modification , the support structure is provided with a shock - absorbing element which may comprise one compression spring 13 or a plurality of such springs . there may be provided only one stop as shown in fig6 . this stop is formed by the annular shoulder 11 provided on the inner surface of the housing 1 and by an annular shoulder 14 provided on the outer surface of the piston 3 . in this case one or more compression springs are installed between these shoulders . the stops may be variously otherwise constructed . for example , if there is a sealing member for sealing the gap between the housing and the piston , the stops are made in the form of protrusions on the piston and respective protrusions on the inner surface of the housing . the annular shoulder 11 may function as the latter protrusions . proceeding from the data of the accompanying drawings , the latter modification of the proposed support structure can be easily constructed by those skilled in the art . therefore this modification is not illustrated by a separate figure of the drawings . these modifications of the proposed hydrostatic support structure of a liquid - cushion load - carrying apparatus ensure a reliable pressing of the sealing member 4 against the bearing surface 8 at the initial period of formation of the liquid cushion , which reduces both the liquid consumption rate and the time required to form the liquid cushion . the compression spring 13 may be a coiled one installed so as to encompass the piston 3 . when the support structure is of large dimentions , it is advisable to install not less than three compression springs 13 , equally spaced from one another , between the shoulders 11 and 14 . the springs may be plate - type ones and may be secured either to the shoulder 14 of the piston 3 ( fig7 ) or to the shoulder 11 of the housing 1 ( fig8 ). fig9 illustrates a modification of the hydrostatic support structure incorporating a device for controlling the stroke of the piston 3 ; this device is a shutoff valve 15 ( for clarity , the valve is enlarged with respect to the support structure as a whole ), installed at the inlet to the pipe 6 secured to the piston 3 and communicating with the inner space 2 via a passage 16 provided in the piston 3 . the construction of the valve 15 is such that its shutoff member 17 comprising a spring - loaded rod 18 which in the working position of the support structure contact a stop 19 secured to the housing 1 closes the valve when the desired height of the liquid cushion has been reached . providing the rod 18 of the shutoff valve 15 with a threaded end piece 20 ( fig1 ) makes the height of the liquid cushion easily adjustable . fig1 shows also an inlet nozzle 21 and an outlet nozzle 22 of the shutoff valve 15 . in the modification of the hydrostatic support structure incorporating the shutoff valve 15 , the process of formation of the liquid cushion of the desired height proceeds automatically . in addition , obviating the need for a permanent communication of the inner space 2 with the supply line allows the support structure to be self - contained ; to accomplish this , a shutoff valve ( not shown ) is to be installed between the inlet of the valve 15 and the supply line . the possibility of making the support structure self - contained greatly expands its operating potentialities . fig1 shows a liquid - cushion load - carrying apparatus wherein the hydrostatic support structure of the invention is utilized . the apparatus comprises a frame 23 mounted on the above - described support structures which communicate with a source of liquid for the formation of a liquid cushion . serving as the source of liquid may be a hydraulic accumulator . the drawing shows an alternative embodiment of the invention wherein the frame 23 is a hollow body to be filled with a liquid used for the formation of the liquid cushion . in this case the frame 23 functions as a hydraulic accumulator . such a construction of the frame makes the apparatus more self - contained . fig1 also shows valves 24 for controlling the supply of the liquid to the hydrostatic support structures . the above - described hydrostatic support structure of the liquid cushion load - carrying apparatus functions in the following way . the hydrostatic support structure is placed onto the bearing surface 8 underneath the load to be conveyed . the piston 3 is in the extreme lower position and via the compression springs 13 presses the housing 1 with the sealing member 4 against the bearing surface 8 ( fig6 ). the nozzle 21 of the shutoff valve 15 is by means of a valve ( not shown ) connected to a pressure line which supplies liquid under pressure into the passage 16 . the liquid forced in causes the piston 3 with the load to lift , with the result that a liquid cushion ( fig1 ) defined along the perimeter by the sealing member 4 and the housing 1 is formed between the bottom face of the piston 3 and the bearing surface 8 . as the load has been lifted to the desired height , the supply of the liquid into the inner space 2 is shut off , and then the pressure line is disconnected from the shutoff valve 15 . the hydrostatic support structure is thus ready to convey the load . after the load has been conveyed to the point of destination , the liquid from the inner space 2 is allowed to escape , with the result that the piston 3 gradually descends and comes to the extreme lower initial position ( fig6 ). a specific feature of operation of the liquid - cushion load - carrying apparatus wherein the hydrostatic support structure is used consists in that its hollow frame 23 is filled with the working liquid and compressed gas before operation . the use of the proposed hydrostatic support structure in liquid - cushion load - carrying apparatus provides a means for considerably increasing their load - carrying capacity without increasing their dimensions and weight . the proposed hydrostatic support structure of the invention differs from similar prior art devices by a simplicity of the construction and fastening of the sealing member defining the liquid cushion , which makes it possible in service to easily replace said members in the event of their failure . the features of the construction of the support structure make it convenient in operation . it is to be understood that the present invention is not intended to be limited by the particular embodiments thereof , described and shown hereinabove , and that various other modifications and embodiments of the hydrostatic support structure of a liquid - cushion load - carrying apparatus are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims .