Disk Drive Suspension Dual Vibration Damper

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing disk drive suspensions face challenges in minimizing vibrations caused by spinning disks and windage, leading to off-track errors, which conventional vibration dampers with a single viscoelastic layer and constraint layer are insufficient in addressing effectively across varying temperatures and frequencies.

Innovation Solution

A dual vibration damper configuration featuring two layers of viscoelastic damping material and two constraint layers, stacked vertically, with each set optimized for different temperatures and frequencies to provide effective damping across multiple resonant modes, allowing for tailored material properties and geometries to enhance vibration attenuation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a single viscoelastic layer and constraint layer are used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the vibration damping effectiveness is insufficient across varying temperatures and frequencies

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevibration damping effectivenessVSAvoiddamper structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The vibration damper is segmented into multiple layers: a first viscoelastic layer, a first constraint layer, a second viscoelastic layer, and a second constraint layer. Each layer is optimized for specific temperature ranges and frequency ranges, allowing the damper to effectively reduce vibrations across varying operating conditions while maintaining a structured, manufacturable design.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The damper uses composite material construction with alternating viscoelastic and constraint layers. The viscoelastic layers provide damping properties tailored to specific temperature and frequency ranges, while the constraint layers provide structural support. This composite approach enables the damper to maintain reliability across varying temperatures and frequencies without excessive complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If damping material properties are optimized for a specific temperature, then damping effectiveness is maximized at that temperature, but performance degrades at different temperatures

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedamping effectivenessVSAvoidtemperature range adaptability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

Different viscoelastic layers are assigned different local qualities optimized for specific temperature ranges. The first viscoelastic layer is optimized for a first temperature range, while the second viscoelastic layer is optimized for a second temperature range. This local optimization allows the overall damper structure to maintain effective damping across a broader temperature spectrum.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If damping material properties are optimized for a specific frequency, then damping effectiveness is maximized at that frequency, but performance degrades at different frequencies

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedamping effectivenessVSAvoidfrequency range adaptability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

Different viscoelastic layers are optimized for different frequency ranges. The first viscoelastic layer provides peak attenuation at a first frequency, while the second viscoelastic layer provides peak attenuation at a second frequency. This frequency-specific local optimization enables the damper to effectively reduce vibrations across multiple resonant modes and a broader frequency spectrum.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

4Reliability

If more layers are added to the damper, then vibration damping effectiveness improves, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevibration damping effectivenessVSAvoidmanufacturing simplicity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The damper is segmented into a manageable number of alternating layers (two viscoelastic layers and two constraint layers). This segmentation provides improved vibration damping effectiveness across varying temperatures and frequencies while maintaining a structured approach that facilitates manufacturing. The repeated alternating pattern allows for standardized production processes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The dual vibration damper design significantly reduces torsion and bending windage vibrations, achieving more uniform and predictable performance across varying z-heights and operating conditions, compared to single-layer dampers, thereby minimizing off-track errors and improving disk drive stability.

Implementation Method 1

two layers of viscoelastic damping material

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectViscoelasticity: Viscoelasticity

Implementation Method 2

acts as a vibration damping material

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectVibration damping: Damping

Data Source

PatentUS9368129B1Disk drive suspension having dual vibration damper

Publication Date: 2016.06.14 MAGNECOMP CORP

AI summary

A vibration damper for a suspension has two different viscoelastic layers and two different constraint layers. The two viscoelastic layers can be tailored to have different properties, including different viscosities and/or peak vibration frequency damping at different frequencies. The vibration damper exhibits improved vibration damping as compared to a single layer damper having the same overall thickness at critical frequencies.