Thermomechanical finite element analysis of slider–disk impact in magnetic storage thin film disks

Oblique impact of a slider with a rotating disk in a hard disk drive was analyzed using the finite element method. A three dimensional, thermomechanical, impact model was developed to study the mechanical and thermal response during the impact of a spherical slider corner with a rotating disk. The model was validated by comparing the finite element results with analytical solutions for a homogeneous glass substrate disk. Impact penetration, stress and incurred flash temperature were obtained for various normal impact velocities. The effects of material layers on the disk were also investigated by introducing layers with different material properties and thicknesses. It was found that for a rounded slider corner and a critical normal impact velocity of 0.03 m/s studied in this work, the layers have insignificant effects on the mechanical response and small but predictable effects on the flash temperature.