Mechanism for preventing shock damage to head slider assemblies and

Abstract

In a magnetic disk drive in which a cantilevered arm for mounting a magnetic head slider assembly is pivoted to move the slider assembly between a loaded position adjacent a rigid magnetic disk and an unloaded position spaced apart from the disk, a mechanism is provided for limiting the extent of movement of the slider assembly relative to the arm to prevent damaging contact of the slider assembly with the disk when the arm is in the unloaded position and the disk drive is subjected to shock loads. The slider assembly is mounted in gimballed fashion at a free outer end of the arm by a flexure element having different portions secured to the arm and to the slider assembly and a gimballing protuberance engaging the arm. The mechanism for limiting movement of the slider assembly relative to the arm includes a pair of wing elements mounted on an opposite pair of raised shoulders of the slider assembly and an elongated support element mounted on the arm and terminating in an end portion disposed between the opposite wing elements and a central portion of the slider assembly to limit downward motion of the slider assembly away from the arm as well as rotational motion of the slider assembly relative to the arm. In alternative arrangements the mechanism for limiting movement comprises a single limit element mounted either on or between the opposite pair of raised shoulders and operative to engage the arm to limit movement of the slider assembly.