Skip to main content

ABS Designs

  • Reference work entry
  • 589 Accesses

Synonyms

ABS – air bearing surface

Definition

The air bearing surface in a hard disk drive is the surface of the slider facing the disk and is aerodynamically lubricated.

Scientific Fundamentals

Modified Compressible Reynolds Equation

Lubrication theory and its application to journal bearings and the like was one of the primary means of the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century. This theory is based on the fluid mechanics of incompressible fluids (oil, etc.) in “thin” regions. The lubrication equation, commonly called the Reynolds equation, is derived from the incompressible form of the Navier–Stokes equations of fluid mechanics. For application to air or other gas bearings of hard disk drives (HDD), the lubrication equation for compressible fluids is required. This was recognized and developed by Gross (1959), and also in his subsequent book (Gross 1962), which are must reading for students or engineers entering the field of HDD air bearing design. It was recognized in the...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   1,799.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD   3,999.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • R.K. Brunner, J.M. Harker, K.E. Haughton, A.G. Osterlund, A gas film lubrication study: part III, experimental investigation of pivoted slider bearings. IBM J. Res. Dev. 3, 260 (1959)

    MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • D. Chen, D.B. Bogy, A phenomenological heat transfer model for the molecular gas lubrication system in hard disk drives. J. Appl. Phys. 105, 084303 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Fukui, R. Kaneko, Analysis of ultra-thin gas film lubrication based on linearized Boltzmann equation: first report-derivation of a generalized lubrication equation including thermal creep flow. ASME J. Tribol. 110, 253 (1988)

    Google Scholar 

  • S.C. Garcia, D.B. Bogy, F.E. Talke, Use of upwind finite element scheme for air bearing calculations. ASME/ASLE Proceedings SP-16, 90 (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  • W.A. Gross, A gas film lubrication study: part I, some theoretical analyses of slider bearings. IBM J. Res. Dev. 3, 237 (1959)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • W.A. Gross, Gas Film Lubrication (Wiley, New York, 1962)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • W.A. Gross, Origins and early development of air-bearing magnetic heads for disk-file digital storage systems. Tribology and Mechanics of Magnetic Storage Systems. ASLE SP-16, 63 (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  • J.M. Harker, D.W. Brede, R.E. Pattison, G.R. Santana, L.G. Taft, A quarter century of disk file innovation. IBM J. Res. Dev. 25, 667 (1981)

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Lu, Numerical simulation of slider air bearings, PhD Dissertation, Graduate Division, UC Berkeley, 1997

    Google Scholar 

  • D.W. Meyer, P.E. Kupinski, J.C. Liu, Slider with temperature responsive transducer position, US Patent 5,991,113, 1999

    Google Scholar 

  • W.A. Michael, A gas film lubrication study: part II, numerical solution of the Reynolds equation for finite slider bearings. IBM J. Res. Dev. 3, 256 (1959)

    MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • W. Srituravanich, L. Pan, Y. Wang, C. Sun, D.B. Bogy, X. Zhang, Flying plasmonic lens in the near field for high-speed nanolithography. Nat. Nanotechnol. 3, 733 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  • M.W. Warner, Flying magnetic transducer assembly having three rails, US Patent 3,823,416, 1974

    Google Scholar 

  • J.W. White, A. Nigam, A factored implicit scheme for the numerical solution of the Reynolds equation at very low spacing. Trans. ASME J. Lubr. Tech. 102, 80 (1980)

    Google Scholar 

  • L. Wu, D.B. Bogy, Effect of the intermolecular forces on the flying attitude of Sub-5 NM flying height air bearing sliders in hard disk drives. ASME J. Tribol. 124, 562 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David B. Bogy .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this entry

Cite this entry

Bogy, D.B., Chen, D. (2013). ABS Designs. In: Wang, Q.J., Chung, YW. (eds) Encyclopedia of Tribology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-92897-5_987

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics