Experimental Study of the Flow in a Simulated Hard Disk Drive

Instantaneous circumferential and radial velocity components of the air flowing past a symmetrical pair of suspension/slider-units (SSUs) attached to an E-Block/arm were measured in a specially designed corotating disk apparatus simulating a hard disk drive (HDD) using the particle image velocimetry technique. The geometrical dimensions of the components in the apparatus test section were scaled up by a factor of two, approximately, relative to those of a nominal $312$ inch HDD. Most of the measurements were obtained on the interdisk midplane for two angular orientations of the arm/SSUs: (a) One with the tip of the SSUs near the hub supporting the disks; (b) another with the tip of the SSUs near the rims of the disks. Data obtained for disk rotational speeds ranging from $250$ to $3000rpm$ (corresponding to $1250$ to $15,000rpm$⁠, approximately, in a $312$ inch HDD) were post-processed to yield mean and rms values of the two velocity components and of the associated shear stress, the mean axial vorticity, and the turbulence intensity (based on the two velocity components). At the locations investigated near the arm/SSUs, and for disk rotational speeds larger than $1500rpm$⁠, the mean velocity components are found to be asymptotically independent of disk speed of rotation but their rms values appear to still be changing. At two locations $90$ and $29deg$⁠, respectively, upstream of the arm/SSUs, the flow approaching this obstruction displays features that can be attributed to the three-dimensional wake generated by the obstruction. Also, between these two locations and depending on the angular orientation of the arm/SSUs, the effect of the obstruction is to induce a three-dimensional region of flow reversal adjacent to the hub. Notwithstanding, the characteristics of the flow immediately upstream and downstream of the arm/SSUs appear to be determined by local flow-structure interactions. Aside from their intrinsic fundamental value, the data serve to guide and test the development of turbulence models and numerical calculation procedures for predicting this complex class of confined rotating flows, and to inform the improved design of HDDs.