Effect of magnetic tape thickness on friction and wear in a linear tape drive

The effect of magnetic tape thickness and tape substrate material on friction and wear is very important in functioning of future linear tape drives with ultra-thin tapes. This effect is studied using a magnetoresistive (MR) type head with metal particle (MP) tapes of two different substrate materials, and two different substrate thicknesses for each material. A new technique to measure friction directly from cantilever deflection is developed and employed successfully. Head-tape interface friction was monitored during short pass (10 m) shuttling tests for 50,000 passes. Surface analysis of worn head and tape surfaces was carried out using optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy to assess the damage and to determine the debris composition. A possible mechanism of crack formation at the tape edge, crack propagation and material removal is discussed.