Mechanism studies of the multiple flying states of the air bearing slider

The multiple flying states of a negative pressure air bearing slider is demonstrated and verified by simulation. It is observed that a slider may have one to three balanced flying states under certain conditions. One of these states is the intended flying state, while the other two are much higher and could make the read/write operations unreliable. It is observed that there is no suction force when the slider is at the highest flying state, but there is a small or no suction force in the median flying state. It is noticed that these three states could interchange with each other under certain circumstances. Some aspects of their physical meanings and characteristics are discussed. Simulations were done for loading forces of 2.5 and 1.5 g, respectively. Negative air bearing stiffness is found in certain regions, and the regions could affect the load/unload performance of the slider.