Pseudo contact negative pressure air bearing slider with divided negative pressure pockets

A negative pressure air bearing slider, comprising:

• a slider body for flying above a surface of a recording disc during relative rotation of the recording disc, the slider body having a principal surface for confronting the disc surface, the principal surface having a lead portion, a rear portion, a first side portion and a second side portion, wherein the lead portion is spaced upstream of the rear portion relative to a longitudinal direction of the slider body which is coincident with a tangential rotational direction of the recording disc, and wherein the first side portion is spaced from the second side portion relative to a lateral direction of the slider body;
• first and second projections extending from the lead portion of the principal surface of the slider, wherein the first and second projections are spaced apart from each other in the lateral direction of the slider body, each of the first and second projections defining a central negative pressure air cavity and a forward negative pressure air cavity for the slider body, each of the first and second projections comprising,
• a wide leading edge air bearing surface and a wide trailing edge air bearing surface connected by an elongate narrow exterior air bearing surface, and
• an elongate narrow interior air bearing surface connected to the narrow exterior air bearing surface,
• wherein the narrow interior air bearing surface and the narrow exterior air bearing surface form a generally U-shaped projection so as to define the central negative air pressure cavity, and
• wherein the connection between the narrow exterior air bearing surface and the wide leading edge air bearing surface defines the forward negative pressure cavity;
• a third projection extending from the rear portion of the principal surface of the slider body at a position centrally located in the lateral direction of the slider body;
• and
• a transducer mounted on a rear edge of the third projection so as to establish pseudo contact with the disc surface while the slider body is flying above the disc surface.

A negative pressure air bearing slider, comprising:

• a slider body for flying above a surface of a recording disc during relative rotation of the recording disc, the slider body having a principal surface for confronting the disc surface, the principal surface having a lead portion, a rear portion, a first side portion and a second side portion, wherein the lead portion is spaced upstream of the rear portion relative to a longitudinal direction of the slider body which is coincident with a tangential rotational direction of the recording disc, and wherein the first side portion is spaced from the second side portion relative to a lateral direction of the slider body;
• first and second projections extending from the lead portion of the principal surface of the slider, wherein the first and second projections are spaced apart from each other in the lateral direction of the slider body, each of the first and second projections defining a central negative pressure air cavity and a forward negative pressure air cavity for the slider body, each of the first and second projections comprising,
• a wide leading edge air bearing surface and a wide trailing edge air bearing surface connected by an elongate narrow exterior air bearing surface, and
• an elongate narrow interior air bearing surface connected to the narrow exterior air bearing surface,
• wherein the narrow interior air bearing surface and the narrow exterior air bearing surface form a generally U-shaped projection so as to define the central negative air pressure cavity, and
• wherein the connection between the narrow exterior air bearing surface and the wide leading edge air bearing surface defines the forward negative pressure cavity
• a third projection extending from the rear portion of the principal surface of the slider body at a position centrally located in the lateral direction of the slider body;
• and
• a transducer mounted on a rear edge of the third projection so as to establish pseudo contact with the disc surface while the slider body is flying above the disc surface;
• wherein the narrow exterior air bearing surface connects to the wide leading edge air bearing surface proximate to a central longitudinal axis of the slider, and connects to the wide trailing edge air bearing surface proximate to the side portion of the slider body,
• wherein a rear edge of the wide trailing edge air bearing surface is spaced from the rear portion of the slider body,
• wherein distal ends of the narrow interior air bearing surfaces of the first and second projections are configured to define an opening therebetween,
• wherein the first and second projections are asymmetrically configured on opposite sides of the central longitudinal axis of the slider body,
• wherein the respective wide leading edge air bearing surfaces of the first and second projections have different surface areas and are asymmetrically configured on opposite sides of the central longitudinal axis of the slider body,
• wherein the respective wide trailing edge air bearing surfaces of the first and second projections have different surface areas and are asymmetrically configured on opposite sides of the central longitudinal axis of the slider body,
• wherein the respective narrow exterior air bearing surfaces of the first and second projections have different surface areas and are asymmetrically configured on opposite sides of the central longitudinal axis of the slider body, and
• wherein the respective narrow interior exterior air bearing surfaces of the first and second projections have different surface areas and are asymmetrically configured on opposite sides of the central longitudinal axis of the slider body.