Self-loading gas bearing slider

Claim 1

A self-loading gas bearing slider comprising a slider (10) having leading and trailing edges, two side edges and a gas bearing surface, wherein the gas bearing surface is adapted to ride on gas flowing from the leading to the trailing edge, the gas outside the gas bearing surface having an ambient pressure, a negative pressure recess (22) having two side edges and a negative pressure surface of pre-determined depth relative to the gas bearing surface, the pressure in the negative pressure recess being negative relative to ambient pressure as gas flows across the gas bearing surface, the side edges of the negative pressure recess (22) having leading and trailing ends, vent means (42) communicating between the side edges of the negative pressure recess (22) and the slider side edges, the vent means comprising inclined recesses in the gas bearing surface, the direction of inclination being such that an inclined recess communicates with the slider side edge at a position which is further from the leading edge of the slider than the position at which the inclined recess communicates with the side edge of the negative pressure recess, characterised in that the vent means consists of one pair of inclined recesses (42) which communicate between the trailing end of respective side edges of the negative pressure recess and a corresponding one of the slider side edges, that the inclined recesses have a depth equal to the predetermined depth, and that the inclined recesses have a sufficiently large cross section so that when the slider is riding on a gas bearing, gas flows through the inclined recesses without significant restriction.