On the simulation of the pivot bearing inside HDD

Abstract The pivot bearing is an important mechanical component in HDD. Several quasi-rigid (QR) body motion modes of the HDD are related to the stiffness of the pivot bearing such as the axial translation mode, the lateral translation mode and the rocking mode. In the shock simulation of the HDD, the pivot bearing is often simplified to identical theoretical models wherein the bearing is simulated with springs or beams. The overall axial stiffness and the radial stiffness of these models are often carefully checked and match well with the experimental values. However, how well these theoretical models represent the rotational stiffness of the bearing is still not fully understood. This is partly due to the difficulties in obtaining the experimental rotational stiffness of the pivot bearing. In this paper, three different theoretical models are examined for the simulation of the bearing. The rotational stiffness of these three theoretical models is derived analytically. The theoretical formulations are verified with the finite element analysis results.