Flying Characteristics of the Transverse and Negative Pressure Contour (“TNP”) Slider Air Bearing

1997 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. White
Keyword(s):  
Negative Pressure ◽  
Ambient Pressure ◽  
Flying Height ◽  
Air Bearing ◽  
Skew Angle ◽  
Disk Radius ◽  
Pressure Contour ◽  
Side Rail ◽  
Slider Air Bearing ◽  
Bearing Stiffness

The TNP contour air bearing slider is composed of oversized transverse pressure contour (TPC) outer rails and a central negative pressure (NP) cavity. The NP cavity is separated from the TPC rails by an ambient pressure reservoir which serves two functions. First, it prevents direct hydrodynamic interaction between the various component air bearing surfaces and thus, eliminates pressure distortion and dilution, common causes of problems related to flying height and roll angle control. Second, the ambient reservoir allows the TPC rails and NP cavity to be configured and dimensioned independently so that they will track each other with a nearly constant force difference, resulting in a flying height that has significantly reduced sensitivity to altitude change. The multi-function TPC sections of the outside rails are able to overcome the effects of a changing radius and wide skew angle variation over the disk radius as well as a changing vacuum load and asymmetry of the NP cavity pressure, in order to provide a truly constant low flying height over the entire data surface. The combination of a high air bearing stiffness and a gradually developing cavity vacuum as disk velocity increases produces a rapid slider take-off from the disk surface. Dynamic stability of the TNP slider air bearing is enhanced by the unusual combination of a high air bearing stiffness and high air film damping in each of the three slider excursion modes. Finally, the TNP slider experiences a reduced sensitivity of flying height to manufacturing and operational tolerances as compared to non-NP type sliders. The entire TNP slider air bearing is created by a two-etch process. A shallow etch creates the TPC sections and leading edge step. A deeper etch forms the NP cavity, ambient pressure reservoir, and outermost edge of each side rail.

Performance of Sliders Flying Over Discrete-Track Media

2007 ◽  
Vol 129 (4) ◽  
pp. 712-719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianhua Li ◽  
Junguo Xu ◽  
Yuki Shimizu
Keyword(s):  
Estimation Method ◽  
Simulation Method ◽  
Measured Data ◽  
Flying Height ◽  
Height Loss ◽  
Air Bearing ◽  
Slider Air Bearing ◽  
Discrete Track ◽  
Flying Attitude ◽  
Manufacturing Variation

A simulation method in which grooves are virtually distributed on the slider air bearing instead of on the grooved medium surface has been developed and used to investigate the performance of sliders flying over the surface of a discrete-track medium. The simulated flying height loss due to a discrete-track medium coincides well with the measured data, whereas the average-estimation method overestimates flying height loss. Among the characteristics of a slider flying over the surface of a discrete-track medium that were studied are the flying attitude, the effect of groove parameters on flying profile, and the flying height losses due to manufacturing variation and altitude. The results indicate that when a slider is flying over the surface of a discrete-track medium, it will have a higher 3σ of flying height, be more sensitive to altitude, and will have a greater flying height loss.

An Efficient FE Analysis for Complex Low Flying Air-Bearing Slider Designs in Hard Disk Drives—Part I: Static Solution

2009 ◽  
Vol 131 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Puneet Bhargava ◽  
David B. Bogy
Keyword(s):  
Hard Disk Drives ◽  
Hard Disk ◽  
Static Solution ◽  
Flying Height ◽  
Air Bearing ◽  
Pressure Gradients ◽  
Disk Drives ◽  
Bearing Stiffness ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Mesh Refinements

Prediction of the steady state flying height and attitude of air-bearing sliders in hard disk drives via simulations is the basis of their design process. Over the past few years air-bearing surfaces have become increasingly complex incorporating deep etches and steep wall profiles. In this paper we present a novel method of solving the inverse problem for air-bearing sliders in hard disk drives that works well for such new designs. We also present a new method for calculating the static air-bearing stiffness by solving three linear systems of equations. The formulation is implemented, and convergence studies are carried out for the method. Mesh refinements based on flux jumps and pressure gradients are found to work better than those based on other criteria.

Design Optimization of the Taper-Flat Slider Positioned by a Rotary Actuator

1995 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 588-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sang-Joon Yoon ◽  
Dong-Hoon Choi
Keyword(s):  
Optimization Technique ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Flying Height ◽  
Air Bearing ◽  
Skew Angle ◽  
Optimum Configuration ◽  
Rotary Actuator ◽  
Design Variables ◽  
Augmented Lagrange Multiplier ◽  
Typical Configuration

In this paper, an optimization technique is utilized to find an optimum configuration of the taper-flat slider positioned by a rotary actuator for enhanced static air-bearing characteristics. The aim of optimization consists in simultaneously minimizing the variation in flying height from a target value, maximizing the smallest pitch angle, and minimizing the largest roll angle, over the entire magnetic recording band. As the design variables, the leading edge taper angle and rail width of a taper-flat slider, and the skew angle at the inside track are chosen since they seem to be the most influential parameters on air-bearing characteristics. The optimum design variables are automatically obtained by using the augmented Lagrange multiplier method, and the static characteristics of the optimally designed sliders are found to be superior to those of the taper-flat sliders of typical configuration over the entire recording band. Results obtained for three taper-flat slider models are reported, showing the effectiveness of the proposed design scheme.

Slider Air Bearing Design Enhancements for High Speed Flexible Disk Recording

2005 ◽  
Vol 127 (3) ◽  
pp. 522-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
James White
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Numerical Solutions ◽  
Hydrodynamic Pressure ◽  
Flying Height ◽  
Air Bearing ◽  
Mechanical Shock ◽  
Current Effort ◽  
Slider Air Bearing ◽  
Flexible Disk ◽  
Air Film

The current effort was motivated largely by the fact that computing and communication platforms are becoming more portable and mobile with increased demands for both speed and disk storage. This work makes use of an asymmetric opposed slider arrangement to provide both static and dynamic improvements to the recording head air bearing interface for high speed flexible disk applications. The combination of a longitudinally slotted rail opposed by an uninterrupted rail that functions as a noncontact hydrodynamic pressure pad causes the disk to deflect at the submicron level over critical areas of the slider interface. This allows the required static minimum flying height to be focused over the recording transducer while higher clearances are positioned elsewhere, resulting in minimized exposure to contact between slider and disk. The high stiffness and low flying height of the air film at the recording element together with the low stiffness and high flying height of the opposing air film provides a noncontact air bearing interface that is especially immune to mechanical shock. A computer code called FLEXTRAN was developed that provides both static and dynamic numerical solutions of the air bearing interface composed of two opposed gimbal mounted sliders loaded against a high speed flexible disk. Simulations of the asymmetric opposed slider configuration are presented and compared with those of other slider air bearing designs.

Heater AC Voltage Induced Flying Height Modulations

2013 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Hua ◽  
Kang Kee Ng ◽  
Shengkai Yu ◽  
Weidong Zhou ◽  
Kyaw Sett Myo
Keyword(s):  
Electrostatic Force ◽  
Laser Doppler Vibrometer ◽  
Drive Level ◽  
Flying Height ◽  
Air Bearing ◽  
Skew Angle ◽  
Frequency Method ◽  
Disk Interface ◽  
Height Control ◽  
Disk Contact

For a thermal flying-height control (TFC) slider, its heater is usually provided with DC voltage. However, recently, both DC and AC voltages may be supplied to the heater. Unlike supplying AC voltage to the slider and disk in the past, the AC voltage to the heater will not only produce a thermal protrusion on the slider, but also leaves a part of the AC voltage on the slider/disk interface. The voltage acts as the electrostatic force and can be used for further control of the slider, even in the drive level. Simulations show that the flying height modulation is highly related to the AC frequency. By sweeping the AC frequencies while monitoring the flying height and pitch angle modulations, the first and second pitch modes of air bearing frequencies can be experimentally obtained without slider/disk contact. The roll mode frequency is also obtainable when the skew angle is not zero. The simulation results agree well with the experimental results obtained by a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV). Therefore, the sweeping AC frequency method provides a practical scheme to obtain the air bearing frequencies without any slider/disk contact, even in the drive level.

Dynamic Stability and Spacing Modulation of Sub-25 nm Fly Height Sliders

1997 ◽  
Vol 119 (4) ◽  
pp. 646-652 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Hu ◽  
David B. Bogy
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Stability ◽  
Hard Disk Drives ◽  
Dynamics Simulation ◽  
Inertia Force ◽  
Roll Motion ◽  
Air Bearing ◽  
Skew Angle ◽  
Disk Interface ◽  
Bearing Stiffness ◽  
Fly Height

Designing a reliable sub-25 nm spacing head/disk interface for today’s magnetic hard disk drives demands a greater dynamic stability and a smaller spacing modulation. An air bearing dynamic simulator with multiple features is developed to investigate the dynamic characteristics of three shaped-rail negative pressure sub-25 nm fly height sliders. Various simulations including air bearing stiffness, impulse response, surface roughness induced spacing modulation, bump response, and track seeking dynamics are performed. The results indicate that the roughness induced spacing modulation decreases with the increase of the air bearing stiffness and the decrease of the slider size. The suspension dynamics is integrated into the air bearing dynamics simulation for the track accessing motion by modal analysis. It is concluded that the fly height modulation during a track accessing event is attributed to many factors such as the effective skew angle, the seeking velocity, and the roll motion caused by the inertia of the moving head. The extent of the roll motion effect depends on the air bearing roll stiffness and the level of the inertia force of the moving head. Larger roll stiffness and smaller inertia force produce a smoother track accessing performance.

Optimal Design of HDD Air-Lubricated Slider Bearings for Improving Dynamic Characteristics and Operating Performance

2000 ◽  
Vol 123 (3) ◽  
pp. 541-547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tae-Sik Kang ◽  
Dong-Hoon Choi ◽  
Tae-Gun Jeong
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Dynamic Characteristics ◽  
Optimization Technique ◽  
Operating Performance ◽  
Flying Height ◽  
Air Bearing ◽  
Skew Angle ◽  
Weighting Method ◽  
Lubrication Equation ◽  
Target Values

Flying attitudes of the slider, which are flying height, pitch, and roll, are affected by air-flow velocity, skew angle, and manufacturing tolerances. In the traditional design process of air-bearing surfaces, we have considered only the steady state flying attitude over the recording band. To reduce the flying height variation during track seek as well as in steady state, we design a new shape for air-bearing surfaces. An optimization technique is used to improve the dynamic characteristics and operating performance of the new air-bearing surface shapes. The quasistatic approach is used in the numerical simulation of the track seek operation because the skew angle effect dominates the inertial effect even at high seek velocities. The perturbation method is applied to the lubrication equation to obtain the air-bearing stiffness. We employ the method of modified feasible directions and use the weighting method to solve the multicriteria optimization problem. The optimally designed sliders show enhanced flying and dynamic characteristics. The steady state flying heights are closer to the target values and the flying height variations during track seek operation are smaller than those for the original ones. The pitch and roll angles are kept within suitable ranges over the recording band during track seek operation as well as in steady state. The air-bearing stiffnesses of the optimally designed sliders are larger than those of the original ones.

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