A study of tribology of Travan heads in linear tape recording

Tape cycling experiments were performed with a Travan™ linear tape system using metal particle (MP) media. The effects of various environmental conditions, particularly water content, on the tribology of the head/tape interface were studied. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to characterise the chemical and physical surface changes that occurred at the head surfaces. Transfer of material from the media to the head was observed at each condition. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to identify the chemical changes that occurred at the media surface. This showed that in all areas of the tape, the amount of detected iron had increased, while the nitrogen (binder indicator) signal had decreased. Significant differences in elemental concentrations were also detected between areas directly in contact with the cartridge drive belt compared to those not in contact. Pole tip recession (PTR) was around 50–65 nm after 5000 passes, but increased at the higher water contents. AES results showed that stain is a function of water content, not relative humidity. It was noted that a larger ceramic grain size seemed to increase PTR.