Effects of operating speed and tension and sources of lateral tape motion in a linear tape drive

Demand for increased storage capacity is forcing tape drive manufacturers to design future drives that operate at higher speed and lower tension than the current state of the art. Operating speed and tension are known to affect tape wear, head-tape spacing, and tape guiding performance. The objective of the current study is to determine the effects of operating speed and tension on tape durability, guiding, and magnetic performance. Damage to the tape edge is monitored and quantified using optical microscopy. A technique for measuring lateral tape motion (LTM) is used to explore the effects of speed and tension and to determine other sources of LTM within the drive. RMS head output and signal dropouts are monitored to gauge changes in magnetic performance during tape cycling.