Surface Texture Effect on the Static Characteristics of Air Bearing Film in Magnetic Disk Drive with Ultra-Low Flying Heights

As the spacing between the flying head/slider and the rotating disk in hard disk drives (HDDs) continues to decrease, the effect of surface texture on the static characteristic of the air bearing film becomes significant. A simplified Reynolds equation is solved by using a mesh-less method. Effect of surface texture on the static characteristic of the air bearing film in HDDs with ultra-low flying height is investigated. Numerical results of the surface texture effect on the pressure distribution and load-carrying capacity of the air bearing film are presented.