Computer analysis of bouncing vibration and tracking characteristics of a point contact slider model over random disk surfaces

This study is a computational analysis of the bouncing vibration of a point contact slider model over computer generated random disk surfaces and the design conditions of slider to disk interface parameters necessary for contact recording. The Gaussian random surface of a disk with various standard deviations and frequency characteristics is generated by using a modified midpoint displacement algorithm. From the calculated results of bouncing vibration of a slider for various parameter values, it was found that the decrease in contact stiffness and increase in slider load can significantly reduce the bouncing vibration as well as the increase in contact damping and the smoothness of the surface. It was also found that the bouncing vibration spectrum of a contact slider over a simulated disk surface agreed closely with the experimental results presented in a previous study by the authors. The maximum and mts values of the spacing and the contact force were examined for various design parameters. The design conditions of the contact pad to the disk interface were discussed in terms of tracking ability and wear durability for slider loads of 0.5 mN and 5 mN.