A Model for a Hard Disk Drive for Vibration and Shock Analysis

We propose a model for a hard disk drive (HDD) based on a flexible multibody dynamics formulation. All the main components in the HDD, i.e., the spindle head actuator, spindle disk, and base are considered flexible components connected by bearing joints. The model takes into account nonlinearity and discontinuity caused by the contact between the dimple and flexure. The air bearing force is obtained by solving the Reynolds equation using the finite volume method and considering Intermolecular force. We found that the intermolecular force will lower the flying height. We investigated the effect of the base stiffness on the shock tolerance of the HDD and found that a stiffer base will benefit the increase of the shock tolerance.