Abstract: A glide test head assembly glide test head assembly in which the mounting orientation of the piezo element has been modified. The glide test head assembly mounts the piezo element with one of its major surfaces coincident with the surface of the laterally-extending wing on which it is mounted. The mounting orientation of the piezo element allows the piezo element to be mounted fully on the laterally-extending wing of the glide test head assembly, raising the resonant frequency of the piezo element, decreasing the glide test head assembly's sensitivity to excitation caused by air flow disturbances, and increasing the reliability of glide test results.

Abstract: A system for detecting and measuring the height of asperities on a substantially flat solid surface is disclosed. The system includes a glide head assembly for contacting asperities on the substantially flat solid surface and producing a sensor voltage whose frequency response is a function of both the height of the asperities and the location at which the glide head assembly contacts the asperities. The system also includes a signal processing device responsive to the sensor voltage from the glide head assembly for analytically defining a frequency window within which the frequency response of the sensor voltage is relatively independent of the location on the glide head assembly at which the glide head assembly contacts the asperities. The signal processing device measures the height of an encountered asperity by computing an actual RMS voltage within the frequency window of the frequency response of the sensor voltage produced by the glide head assembly after contacting the asperity.