Contamination mitigation cap for a hard disk drive actuator pivot assembly

摘要

A contamination mitigation cap for a hard disk drive actuator pivot assembly is affixed to the rotatable carriage of an actuator assembly and, in conjunction with a bearing hub cap, forms a labyrinth seal for retaining pivot bearing contamination. Consequently, the risk of such contamination migrating to the head-disk interface and causing read/write problems is mitigated, especially in the context of sleeveless pivot bearing assemblies. Various shapes of the contamination mitigation cap may be utilized, such as a flat ring, an S-section ring, and an L-section ring.

主权项

1. A hard disk drive actuator pivot assembly comprising:
a rotatable actuator comb comprising a carriage having a bore therethrough; a pivot bearing assembly disposed in said carriage bore and comprising a stationary shaft to which a lower cap is fixed; and a contamination mitigation cap bonded to said rotatable carriage and configured, in positional relation with said lower cap, to form a labyrinth for retaining contamination.