| 摘要 |
A method and apparatus is provided for accelerating the wear of gas lubricated surfaces that operate in intermittent contact. The method includes the generation of ultrasonic sound in the gaseous atmosphere surrounding the interface, and the further directing, focusing, or concentrating of said ultrasonic sound to impinge upon the gas bearing inlet. This method is capable of more accurate interface lifetime predictions than conventional methods, since, in contrast with conventional methods, the medial gas bearing properties, environmental parameters, and structural support conditions, present during testing, are unchanged from those present during typical operation. The present invention will also enable the evaluation of the effects of magnetic disk drive component design changes, in terms of head disk interface lifetime, even when a majority of the wear occurs during normal device operation and not during device starting or stopping. Conventional methods of wear acceleration cannot genuinely do this, and consequently distort the test results.
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