Natural frequencies of sliders and transducers used to detect slider-disk contacts

The natural frequencies of the various transducers and sliders were studied by finite element modeling and experimentation. Finite element analysis shows that the lowest ringing frequency of a 3370 slider is around 310 kHz. This value has been verified by the laser Doppler vibrometer and AE (acoustic emission) measurements. It is determined that the lowest natural frequency of a mini-Winchester slider is around 130 kHz. The 140-kHz frequencies reported in the literature using the two-rail sliders with piezoelectric transducers attached to the slider and the 160-kHz frequencies reported using AE transducers attached to the suspension mount are associated with the natural frequencies of these transducers and not of the sliders.<
>