Re: [Harp-L] FEA and modern design



----- Original Message ----- From: "Eric Chard" <jeric@xxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 1:23 AM
Subject: [Harp-L] FEA and modern design



> That said, new tools are available that should improve the design > process.
> Finite Element Analysis (FEA) should be able to analyze a reed geometry
> and predict the pitch, stiffness, and stress distribution.
>


Surely there must be a Ph.D. candidate somewhere that needs a thesis topic!!

If one has the software and is fluent in using it, reed design is probably a routine application. A cantilever beam with non-uniform cross section would seem to be a pretty simple problem for FEA. Such a project probably doesn't have the potential for scientific discovery that a good thesis subject requires.

A few years ago, I wrote a Qbasic program that would analyze a reed geometry and predict pitch, stiffness and stress distribution. I only checked out the pitch but on a set of reeds from a C diatonic harp, the worst error was a wholetone and most predictions were much closer. I have been looking for FEA software that I can afford. For a harp enthusiast, (or a manufacturer with a non-traditional mind-set about reed design) there is a lot of interesting investigation to be done.

I suppose that some manufacturer may have done it and is keeping the results as a trade secret.

Vern
Visit my harmonica website: http://www.Hands-Free-Chromatic.7p.com





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