Magnetic Head Slider with Negative-Pressure Cavity for Flying Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
In magnetic disk drives, fluctuations in environmental pressure can cause the magnetic head to reduce its flying height, potentially leading to contact with the disk surface, resulting in vibration and adhesion issues.
Innovation Solution
The magnetic head features a slider with a negative-pressure cavity, leading and trailing step portions, side and skirt portions, and an enclosure step portion, which together maintain a stable flying height and reduce vibration by enhancing airflow dynamics and damping forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the pressure within the disk drive is reduced, then the flying height of the head is reduced, but the head may touch down or contact the disk surface causing vibration and adhesion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of pressure reduction into a beneficial stabilizing force by creating a negative-pressure cavity that generates dynamic pressure. The cavity structure transforms the ambient pressure fluctuations into a stabilizing force that maintains consistent flying height, turning the harmful environmental pressure changes into a beneficial stabilizing mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs pneumatic principles by utilizing airflow dynamics and pressure differentials. The negative-pressure cavity generates dynamic pressure through controlled airflow, creating a pneumatic cushion that stabilizes the head's flying height and prevents touchdown during pressure fluctuations
2Stability of the object's composition
If a negative-pressure cavity is formed near the center of the facing surface, then slider flying stability is improved, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The facing surface is segmented into distinct functional zones: a central negative-pressure cavity for stability, a leading pad for inflow control, side pads for lateral support, and skirt portions for edge management. This segmentation allows each zone to perform its specific function optimally while maintaining overall simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the slider are given different local properties and functions. The central cavity provides stability, the leading pad handles inflow, the side pads provide lateral support, and the skirts manage edge effects. Each local region is optimized for its specific purpose, achieving overall stability without excessive complexity
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
This configuration improves the magnetic head's stability and prevents adhesion to the disk surface, maintaining a consistent flying posture and reducing resonance frequencies, thereby enhancing the head's reliability and performance.
Implementation Method 1
negative-pressure cavity or groove producing dynamic pressure
Implementation Method 2
based on the principle of air lubrication
Implementation Method 3
airflow is produced between the rotating disk and slider. Thereupon, a force (positive pressure) to fly the slider above the recording surface of the disk acts on the facing surface of the slider
Implementation Method 4
based on the principle of air lubrication
Implementation Method 5
the enclosure step portion, which effectively reduces resonance frequencies to suppress vibration of the slider in the rolling direction
Data Source
AI summary
According to an embodiment, a head includes a slider and a head portion on the slider. A facing surface of the slider includes a negative-pressure cavity defined by a recess in the facing surface, a leading step portion on an upstream side of the negative-pressure cavity, a pair of side portions extending in a first direction from the leading step portion, a trailing step portion on an outflow side of the negative-pressure cavity, a pair of skirt portions extending in the first direction from the side portions toward the outflow end of the slider, and an enclosure step portion continuously arranged along an outflow end edge and opposite side edges of the facing surface from the trailing step portion to opposite sides of the skirt portions and outsides of the side portions and formed deeper than the skirt portions and shallower than the negative-pressure cavity.