Abstract
A parametric study has been conducted to understand the mass loading contribution to rotating disk vibrations in disk storage devices. With sector-shaped plates retaining air between the two plates and a rotating disk, results have shown frequency crossing of disk flutter modes with non-zero nodal diameters where significant modal pattern switching is observed. Extending the range of the analysis to sector geometries provides insight into the disk vibrations on the degree of frequency separation and mode switching as a span angle of the sector-shaped plates and disk rotating speed. Design guidelines are formulated to minimize this mode crossing phenomenon and thus minimize the number of spindle disturbances present during track follow or the servotrack writing process. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.