Reproduction of slider vibrations during head/disk interactions using PZT sensors

The use of piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) sensors to generate plate-mode vibrations in a slider has been investigated. It is shown that individual plate modes of the slider can be excited by applying a sinusoidally varying voltage to a PZT transducer bonded to the slider. An additional square-wave input to the transducer produces asperity-hitlike vibrations in the slider. The generated signals are compared and contrasted in both the time and frequency domains with actual PZT sensor signals obtained while flying the slider over disk defects. It is concluded that slider vibrations caused by asperity hits during flying can be reproduced in the manner described.<>