Effect of magnetic-head slot orientation on the pole tip recession and debris generation in linear tape drives

摘要

Pole tip recession (PTR) and debris generation lead to signal loss at the head-tape interface. Accelerated tape drive experiments and measurements of head-tape spacing were conducted using heads with different slot orientations. PTR was higher for blind-slotted (slots in the direction of tape travel) heads than for transverse-slotted (slots in the direction transverse to tape travel) heads. More tape debris was found on the surface of transverse-slotted heads, but most of this debris resided in the slots rather than on the bearing surface. The slots in the transverse-slotted heads act as tape cleaners, which accounts for the large debris buildup in the slots. This leaves fewer loose debris particles at the interfare for the transverse-slotted heads. Little difference was found in the head-tape spacing for the two types at the conditions used in the drive experiments. It is proposed that the greater amount of loose debris available at the interface for use in three-body abrasive wear; which is believed to cause PTR, results in higher PTR in blind-slatted heads.