Wear Particle Generation in Thin Film Computer Disk Drives: Experimental Study

Abstract

The availability of sensitive and accurate particle-detecting instruments has made possible the measurement of real-time wear at the computer disk/head interface. As a result of experimental wear particle measurement, it is demonstrated that particle technology is an effective new tool that can replace laborious quality assurance tests in the magnetic recording industry. In addition, many important and interesting friction and wear phenomena have been found in this study. The interdependence among friction, wear, and surface conditions has been examined very closely using the present experimental method.