Reducing position error signal (PES) due to disk vibration using an air shroud

The advances in magnetic recording technology demand higher magnetic head positioning accuracy and faster disk rotation speed. However, the higher rotational speed of disk generates the greater flow-induced vibration known as disk flutter, which causes the increase of the track misregistration (TMR). To overcome the issue, an air shroud is presented to reduce disk vibration and position error signal (PES) for magnetic recording. Computational fluid mechanics simulations are performed to study the flow pattern surrounding a disk with an air shroud for different openings. The air-bearing stiffness and damping effects of the disk spindle assembly with an air shroud are evaluated. Based on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation, the air shroud is prototyped and the disk vibrations with and without the air shroud at different disk rotation speeds are experimentally investigated using a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV). Significant disk vibration reductions are attained while a shroud is installed onto a disk at certain disk rotation speeds. PESs are also measured for the cases with and without an air shroud during servo implementation. Reductions of PESs are observed when an air shroud is installed at some disk rotation speeds.

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