The system identification method was applied to experimentally investigate
the dynamic characteristics of slider-air bearings in hard disk drives, The
transient responses of sliders were measured, and the modal frequencies an
d damping ratios that are directly related to the stiffness and damping of
the bearings were obtained by data processing and parameter identification.
The dynamic property of a particular advanced air bearing (AAB) slider was
measured and compared with simulation results. It was found that, contrary
to usual perception, the suspension assembly significantly affects the dyn
amic characteristics of the air bearings. Contacts between the load beam an
d the flexure may introduce a larger damping and nonlinear property. The pr
eliminary results also show that the proposed method is robust for experime
ntally evaluating the dynamic properties of slider-air bearings.