The spindle motor is one of the most important mechanical components in high-performance hard-disk drives. Hydrodynamic bearings could become a promising solution for low vibration spindle motors at today's ever increasing speeds. Many factors contribute to fluid bearing performance. It is well-known that the frictional response behavior curve is one of the most comprehensive characteristics. This paper describes the experimental methods and associated numerical algorithm to obtain the bearing frictional response characteristic curves, flying height, stiffness and run current. By analyzing the experimental results, advantages or disadvantages among different fluid bearing designs can be clearly identified and some potential problems inside bearings may be diagnosed.
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