Flying characteristics of a slider over textured surface disks

The effects of circumferentially ridged disk surfaces on a slider's flying characteristics are studied. Adding the circumferential ridges increases the trailing edge fly height and decreases the pitch because of the reductions in the effective flow area and restrictions in side-flows. The rates of of change of fly height and pitch increase rapidly as the disk velocity decreases. The ridged disk surfaces increase the air bearing damping ratios more in the vertical and roll directions than the pitch direction through the enhancement of the viscous shearing across the ridges.