Disk Drive Head Suspension Damping via Hinge Constraint Layer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional disk drive head suspensions experience undesirable resonance vibration, and there is a need for improved designs that can efficiently and economically reduce this vibration.
Innovation Solution
A disk drive head suspension with a load beam, flexure, base mounting structure, hinge, and damping material, where the hinge's constraint layer portion acts as a damping mechanism by loading the damping material between itself and the load beam, dissipating vibration energy through shear loading, thereby reducing resonance vibrations in torsion and sway modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional damping structures are added to reduce resonance vibration, then vibration damping performance is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge and constraint layer are merged into a single integrated component. The hinge structure incorporates the constraint layer as an integral part, eliminating the need for separate constraint layer components while maintaining the damping function. This reduces assembly steps and structural complexity while preserving vibration damping performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge serves multiple functions: it provides mechanical articulation for the load beam and simultaneously acts as the constraint layer for the damping material. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate constraint layer components, reducing device complexity while maintaining effective vibration damping.
2Reliability
If conventional damping structures with separate constraint layers are used, then resonance vibration is reduced, but manufacturing steps and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge and constraint layer are combined into one component, reducing the number of parts that need to be manufactured and assembled. This integration simplifies the manufacturing process while maintaining the resonance vibration reduction capability through the damping material positioned between the hinge and load beam.
3Reliability
If additional constraint layers are added to the head suspension, then damping effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge performs dual functions as both a mechanical articulation component and a constraint layer for the damping material. This eliminates the need for additional separate constraint layer components, maintaining damping effectiveness while reducing the total number of components and assembly steps.
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 described damping structure effectively reduces resonance vibrations in first and second torsion modes and sway mode, offering improved performance over conventional designs while simplifying manufacturing by eliminating the need for additional constraint layers and reducing manufacturing steps.
Implementation Method 1
dissipating vibration energy through shear loading
Implementation Method 2
damping material is located between and in contact with the constraint layer portion of the hinge and the load beam for damping resonance vibrations of the head suspension
Data Source
AI summary
A disk drive head suspension includes a load beam, a flexure for carrying a magnetic head slider, a base mounting structure for coupling the head suspension to a disk drive actuation system, a hinge, and a damping material. The load beam includes a proximal end portion and a distal end portion. The flexure is attached to and supported by the load beam. The hinge is attached to the base mounting structure and to the load beam and includes a constraint layer portion extending toward the distal end portion of the load beam. The damping material is located between and in contact with the constraint layer portion of the hinge and the load beam for damping resonance vibrations in the head suspension.