Reduction of Friction and Experimental Evaluation of Ultrasonic Vibration Drum

Abstract

To record as much information as possible on a very small area, it is necessary to reduce the thickness of magnetic tape and smooth its surface. However, the smoothed tape surface can increase the friction between the tape and the fixed drum, and cause instability in running the tape. We have devised an ultrasonic vibration drum (USV drum) designed to reduce the contact area between the tape and the drum by generating infinitesimal ultrasonic vibration on the drum's surface. We performed recording/reproduction tests using the USV drum in the actual transport of a VHS video tape recorder. As a result of the experiment, we decreased the friction coefficient to less than one third, and we achieved stable tape running and excellent recording/reproduction characteristics.