Diamagnetic Oil Seal for Pivot Bearings of Hard Disk Drives

In this paper, we focused on the diamagnetism of grease oil for pivot bearings in hard disk drives (HDDs) and investigated the effect of a magnetic field on oil vapors. We vaporized the grease oil and compared the amounts of oil adsorbed on disk surfaces through two slits-one with magnets and the other without-in a preliminary experiment. As a result, we confirmed that it is possible to reduce the amount of oil adsorbed on a disk surface with the aid of a magnetic field. Based on the preliminary experiment, the grease oil vapor from the pivot bearing unit of HDDs was compared with regard to a narrow slit and clearance with and without the magnetic field gradient of permanent magnets. The amount of oil vapor was decreased by the magnetic field gradient, and the reduction ratio depended on the environmental temperature. The amount of oil vapor from the actual pivot bearing unit could be reduced by the ring magnet around the pivot unit. Finally, our results suggested the possibility of a gas seal generated by the magnetic field gradient for the pivot bearing unit in HDDs.