Pin-on-disk wear tests on thin-film magnetic disks were performed usin
g transparent materials. Quartz glass (QG), transparent zirconia (TZ),
sapphire (SA), and synthesized diamond (DI) were used as pin material
s. In addition to friction, sliding condition and pin wear were contin
uously monitored with video camera. Simultaneous friction measurement
and video monitoring showed that friction dropped when wear debris int
ruded between pin and disk surfaces. Pin wear, from the measured diame
ter of wear scar on spherical pins, increased in the order of DI, SA,
QG, and TZ. This order of pin wear does not coincide with that of the
pin bulk hardness. Disk lifetime increased in the order of TZ, QG, SA,
and DI, and the smaller the pin wear, the longer the disk lifetime.