Shrink-fit disk-clamp for hard disk drives
US5940244A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 29, 1997 |
| Grant date | Aug 17, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 29, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B17/038
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A ring shaped-disk clamp for clamping a disk stack to a spindle motor. The ring-shaped disk clamp is referred to as a shrink-fit disk clamp and must be expanded by heating prior to being inserted onto the hub of a spindle motor. Once inserted onto the hub of the spindle motor, an external axial load is applied to the disk clamp. As the disk clamp cools while applying the external load, the clamp contracts and provides a gripping force on the hub of the spindle motor. Subsequently, the external load is removed. The ring-shaped disk clamp includes a top surface, a bottom surface for contacting the disk stack, and an inner peripheral surface for contacting the hub. The inner peripheral surface contacts the hub at a hub contact area that is optimized to provide a localized gripping force on the hub. By optimizing the location of the hub contact area, the disk clamp can provide a relatively high gripping force with a low coefficient of friction between the disk clamp and the hub.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.