Head-disk interface modeling with lattice Boltzmann method

Molecular rarefaction within gaseous lubricating films is critical to the analysis of the head-disk interface (HDI) as the spacing between the slider and the disk becomes extremely small in order to achieve higher areal recording density. The molecular rarefaction was incorporated via the Boltzmann transport equation (BTE), by Fukui & Kaneko (1987) and Kang et al. (1999), to describe a slip flow using the Knudsen number (Kn) and surface accommodation factor and was implemented to accurately simulate slider attitude. Since the trailing edge fly height is only a few times greater than the lubricant thickness, it is desirable to invent an innovative rarefied gas dynamics model by incorporating molecular information of the lubricant layer.