A hydrostatic axial piston machine (1) utilizing a bent-axis construction has a driveshaft (4) with a drive flange (3) rotatable around an axis of rotation (R.sub.t) inside a housing (2). A cylinder barrel (7) has pistons (10) fastened in an articulated manner to the drive flange (3). The drive flange (3) is supported on a housing-side slide face (101) by an axial bearing (100) in the form of a hydrostatically relieved sliding bearing (102) having a plurality of slippers (105). Each of the slippers (105) is mounted in an articulated manner in the drive flange (3) so that when the drive flange (3) rotates, a compensating force (F.sub.FR) acts on the slipper (105) which is in the opposite direction to the centrifugal force (F.sub.F) acting on the slipper (105). The point of application (AP) of the compensating force (F.sub.FR) on the slipper (105) is selected so that there is no tipping moment on the slipper (105) or to compensate for some or all of any tipping moment that does occur.

A hydrostatic axial piston machine (1) utilizing a bent-axis construction has a drive shaft (4) with a drive flange (3) rotatable around an axis of rotation (R.sub.t) inside a housing (2). A cylinder barrel (7) is located inside the housing (2) and is rotatable around an axis of rotation (R.sub.Z). A drive joint (30) is located between the drive shaft (4) and the cylinder barrel (7). The drive joint (30) has at least one drive body (M1; M2; M3; M4) in the form of a slider or a roller body which is supported in the drive shaft (4) and the cylinder barrel (7). A lubrication device (80) is provided for the drive joint (30) and supplies lubricant from a lubricant port (81) located on the housing (2) of the axial piston machine (1) to the drive bodies (M1; M2; M3; M4) for cooling and lubrication of the drive bodies (M1; M2; M3; M4).

An axial piston machine is shown comprising a cylinder drum rotatable around an axis of rotation and having at least a cylinder, a piston arranged in said cylinder, a swash plate arranged in front of said cylinder drum, said piston being provided with a slipper (11) resting against said swash plate and having a pressure area (17) on a side facing said swash plate, wherein a cylinder axis of said cylinder is arranged on a circle line (27) around said axis of rotation (16). Such a machine should be made compact. To this end said pressure area (17) deviates from a circular form.

A spring return apparatus for elastically prestressing sliding pads against a sliding bearing face of an axial piston machine. The sliding pads are positioned on working pistons mounted axially movably in cylinders of a cylinder barrel that drives a drive shaft including a spring plate and a supporting plate. The spring plate includes a ring region surrounding a central opening, and levers extending radially from the ring region. The levers are arranged spaced apart or distributed uniformly in the circumferential direction, and are elastically flexible and/or elastically pivotable in the axial direction. Every two adjacent levers delimit a receiving region for receiving a tapered section of a working piston or a sliding pad. The supporting plate has a circular ring-shaped supporting region configured to support radially outer end sections of the levers if the supporting plate is arranged concentrically with respect to and axially adjacently to the spring plate.