Radially loaded disc mounting system for a disc drive

In a method of mounting a disc on a hub of a disc drive, said method comprising the steps of:

• (1) providing a hub of a disc drive, said hub having a lower end at which a flange is located, an upper end, and a disc-receiving portion of the hub axially extending from the flange to the upper end;
• (2) lowering a disc toward the flange of the hub from the upper end of the hub;
• and
• (3) mounting the disc to the disc-receiving portion of the hub;
• the improvement comprising:
• mounting the disc to the disc-receiving portion of the hub in a manner such that a predetermined radial position relative to the hub is maintained rigidly fixed despite differential thermal expansion and large mechanical shocks.

In a method of mounting a disc on a hub of a disc drive, said method comprising the steps of:

• (1) providing a hub of a disc drive, said hub having a lower end at which a flange is located, an upper end, and a disc-receiving portion of the hub axially extending from the flange to the upper end;
• (2) lowering a disc toward the flange of the hub from the upper end of the hub;
• and
• (3) mounting the disc to the disc-receiving portion of the hub;
• the improvement comprising:
• mounting the disc to the disc-receiving portion of the hub with an improved means for mounting a disc to a hub.

A method of preventing radial shifting of a data disc relative to a hub of a disc drive assembly, despite differential thermal expansion and despite large mechanical shocks, said method comprising the steps of:

• (1) providing a hub of a disc drive, said hub having a lower end at which a flange is located, an upper end, and a disc-receiving portion of the hub axially extending from the flange to the upper end;
• (2) lowering a disc toward the flange of the hub from the upper end of the hub;
• and
• (3) mounting the disc to the disc-receiving portion of the hub with an improved means for mounting a disc to a hub.

A method of mounting a disc on a rotatable hub of a spindle motor of a disc drive, said method comprising the steps of:

• (1) providing a rotatable hub of a spindle motor of a disc drive, said hub having a lower end at which a flange is located and an upper end, a disc-receiving portion of the hub axially extending from the flange to the upper end;
• (2) lowering a disc toward the flange of the hub from the upper end of the hub;
• and
• (3) mounting the disc to the disc-receiving portion of the hub with a disc mounting system comprising:
• one or more spring elements, having a substantially C-shaped axial cross-section and formed as an arc of a circle, having a curvature along their lengths, at an outer radial contact surface thereof, both before and after final assembly, greater than or equal to the radius of the inner diameter of the discs, mounted to an inner diameter of the discs with at least a portion of the open C-shaped axial cross-section axially overlapping the inner diameters of the discs,
• the spring elements also including an inner radial surface near middle portions of the spring elements bearing directly against the spindle motor hub and the outer radial contact surface near end portions of the spring elements bearing directly against the inner diameter of the discs to radially position the discs relative to the spindle motor hub.