Patent ID: 6956719

Claim:
A head slider for supporting a transducer relative to a moving media in a data storage system, the slider comprising: a slider body having a media opposing face with a leading slider edge, a trailing slider edge, a recessed area and a bearing surface formed by at least one pressurization feature, wherein the pressurization feature comprises an upper surface with a positive pressurization area which is raised relative to the recessed area; and a wearable airflow-blocking pad positioned on the media opposing face, upstream of the positive pressurization area, between the positive pressurization area and the recessed area, and having an upper surface that is wearable from a first height to a second, lower height relative to the upper surface of the pressurization feature during normal operation of the data storage system, wherein the airflow-blocking pad has a location on the media-opposing face and a dimension such that the pad substantially disrupts fluid flow from reaching the positive pressurization area when at the first height and allows progressively increasing fluid flow to reach the positive pressurization area as the pad wears toward the second height.