Statics of Gas-Lubricated Slider Bearings in Magnetic Recording Disk Files

This paper presents theoretical and experimental analyses of the static characteristics of gas-lubricated slider bearings. An implicit scheme, based on the Patankar-Spalding method, which is commonly utilized in the numerical heat transfer and fluid flow, is developed for the numerical solution of the Reynolds equation. Further investigations on the steady static minimum flying height and the pitch angle are presented by use of a transient response analysis. Theoretical results are experimentally verified to be correct and reliable. By comparing a grooved slider with a non-grooved one in the surface of bearing rails, it is concluded that the grooves in the surface of bearing rails may effectively improve statics of gas-lubricated slider bearings in magnetic disk storages.