Quantum Corporation

Other

Digital Equipment Corporation

Ewaryst Z Polch

Carl D Williams

Theodore Ernst Bruning

Nanjappa Bakthavachalam

Richard E Mills

Jackie Cordova

Robert George Ducharme

Chad Everett Dewitt

The viscoelastic spacer is made of a layer of viscoelastic material and a layer of wear-resistant, low coefficient of friction material which together form a unitary structure for damping vibration. Spacers are placed at the top and bottom of a storage module containing a disk drive. Upon slidable insertion of the storage module into an enclosure, features on the inner surface of the enclosure engage with the spacer in a way which subjects the spacer to both compression and shear forces generated by vibration of the disk drive and of other vibration sources in the environment of the storage module.

Energy absorbing viscoelastic spacer for reducing vibration to disk

A composite shelf in a shelf frame supports a plurality of disk drives and attenuates vibrations in the shelf. In the composite shelf, there is a double wall having an outer wall and an inner wall for supporting the disk drives mounted on the shelf. A stiffener between the inner wall and outer wall strengthens the composite shelf to reduce flexure in the composite shelf when the shelf is loaded by disk drives mounted on the shelf. A damping layer is placed between the stiffener and one of the inner wall or outer wall. This damping layer attenuates vibrations in the composite shelf so as to reduce vibrations transmitted from the composite shelf to the disk drives supported by the composite shelf. A second damping layer is placed between the stiffener and the other wall. Both damping layers attenuate vibrations in the composite shelf so as to reduce vibrations transmitted from the composite shelf to the disk drives supported by the composite shelf. A third damping layer may be placed within the stiffener. The damping layers may be formed of adhesive damping layers, or a damping layer sandwiched between two adhesive layers. Alternatively, the stiffener is a spacer member between the inner wall and the outer wall.

Attenuating vibrations in a mounting shelf for multiple disk drives

A hydrodynamic bearing journaling a shaft includes a rotatable bushing journaling the shaft and thrust plates on the shaft at opposite ends of the bushing. The bushing is encased in a cylindrical sleeve. Lubricant containing clearance spaces are formed between the shaft, bushing, sleeve, and thrust plates. An internal radial chamber in the sleeve between the bushing and sleeve stores lubricant and collects foreign particles. Radial ports through the bushing provide for flow of lubricant between the journal bearing and the shaft and thrust plates.

Bearing with particle trap

An improved hydrodynamic bearing comprising a longitudinally extending sleeve and an elongated shaft with the shaft being disposed within the sleeve for rotation relative thereto. A first thrust plate is coupled to one end of the shaft and a second thrust plate is coupled to the opposite end. A lubricant is disposed between the shaft and the sleeve as well as between the first and second thrust plates and the sleeve. The first thrust plate extends radially outward adjoining a corresponding first end of the sleeve forming a gap for containing the lubricant therebetween and the first thrust plate further extends axially inward toward a center of the bearing along an outer surface of the sleeve defining a surface tension seal forming gap therebetween. In a particular embodiment, the surface tension seal forming gap may be tapered to grow wider as it extends axially inward toward the center of the bearing to form a surface tension seal. The inverted surface tension seal configuration allows for an increased distance between the centers of force acting at the upper and lower bearing journals, thereby resulting in an enhanced tilt stiffness.

Growing community of inventors

Monument, CO, United States of America

Ewaryst Z Polch