A study on the efficacy of flow mitigation devices in hard disk drives

We report on large eddy simulations of the turbulent flow of air in hard disk drives (HDDs) using a commercial CFD code. In particular, we focus on HDD casings in which flow-induced vibrations are reportedly reduced by small geometrical modifications. The modifications investigated are M1: a blocking plate situated between the disks, M2: a spoiler (or deflector) located behind (downstream of) the actuator arm, and M3: a similar deflector upstream of the arm. We observed that M1, M2, and M3 significantly modify the mean flow patterns in the drives. M1 reduces velocity magnitudes in most parts of the drive, the modification of M2 causes How reversal in regions close to the hub, while M3 causes the shedding of vortices upstream of the actuator arm. Our analysis points to M1 as the best candidate for mitigating the effects of turbulent airflow. This is because M1 is more effective in reducing the root-mean-square velocity fluctuations near the suspension. M1 is also more effective in reducing the pressure fluctuations near the base-plate and suspension region. This reduction, however, is at the cost of approximately 20% higher windage. Finally, we note that M3 has the adverse effects of increasing velocity and pressure fluctuations and hence is not the ideal candidate for mitigating airflow effects, among the modifications considered here.