A quantitative assessment of uncertainty in the measurement of violin impact response
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Event Website
https://source2022.sched.com/
Start Date
18-5-2022
End Date
18-5-2022
Keywords
Acoustics, Violin, Uncertainty
Abstract
It is a commonly stated belief among violin players and luthiers that new violins require a period of “playing in” for the tone to develop. Several studies have worked towards an answer to this question, such as measuring the change in tone according to the human ear or the vibrational response of stimulated wood. As the effects of sustained excitation on the mechanical response of violins will likely be subtle, it is necessary to create a consistent method of measurement and to quantify the expected range of deviation among repeated measurements. We measure admittance (velocity/force) by tapping the bridge with a small modal impact hammer and recording the velocity response of the top plate near the opposite side of the bridge using a laser doppler vibrometer. The acoustic response is also measured in an anechoic chamber. Since measurements of the same violin on different days do not produce identical response curves, several methods of characterizing the deviation were developed and compared. These uncertainty metrics will be used in the second phase of the experiment to determine the significance of the results, and ultimately work towards a better understanding of the effects of breaking in violins.
Recommended Citation
Lowery, Seth, "A quantitative assessment of uncertainty in the measurement of violin impact response" (2022). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 68.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2022/COTS/68
Department/Program
Physics
Additional Mentoring Department
Physics
A quantitative assessment of uncertainty in the measurement of violin impact response
It is a commonly stated belief among violin players and luthiers that new violins require a period of “playing in” for the tone to develop. Several studies have worked towards an answer to this question, such as measuring the change in tone according to the human ear or the vibrational response of stimulated wood. As the effects of sustained excitation on the mechanical response of violins will likely be subtle, it is necessary to create a consistent method of measurement and to quantify the expected range of deviation among repeated measurements. We measure admittance (velocity/force) by tapping the bridge with a small modal impact hammer and recording the velocity response of the top plate near the opposite side of the bridge using a laser doppler vibrometer. The acoustic response is also measured in an anechoic chamber. Since measurements of the same violin on different days do not produce identical response curves, several methods of characterizing the deviation were developed and compared. These uncertainty metrics will be used in the second phase of the experiment to determine the significance of the results, and ultimately work towards a better understanding of the effects of breaking in violins.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2022/COTS/68
Faculty Mentor(s)
Andrew Piacsek