A force identification method for slider/disk contact force measurement

Slider/disk contacts existing during operation in almost all current disk drives significantly affect drive reliability and performance. We propose a force identification method to measure the contact force from a single impact. Laser Doppler Vibrometers (LDV) are used to measure the slider´s response. A procedure, which combines experiment and FE analysis, is proposed to model the system, and it is claimed to have many advantages over other methods. The proposed method is successfully applied to measure the contact forces of two nano sliders when they make contact with a bump on a disk. A smaller contact force was noted with the negative pressure slider. Also, the contact force is smaller at higher rpm for these two sliders