Reduction of flow-induced excitation force on head actuator in hard disk drives

Abstract

Currently, hard disk drives (HDDs) are widely used as an auxiliary storage device. HDDs are still in great demand owing to their large capacity and low price. To achieve more recording capacity in HDDs, a more precise positioning accuracy of the magnetic heads is necessary. However, rotation of the disks causes an air-flow between the disks, and the head positioning accuracy deteriorates due to the air-flow-induced carriage vibration. In previous studies, experimental results confirmed that positioning error was improved by attaching linear protrusions on the leading edge of the carriage arms. However, the mechanism of this phenomenon has not yet been elucidated. In the current research, we evaluated the effect of leading-edge protrusions on the flow-induced carriage vibration by finite element method (FEM) analysis.