Experimental and numerical analysis of the effect of length in musical drumhead coupling
Benjamin Boe, Randy Worland · Proceedings of meetings on acoustics · 2014
The low frequency vibrations of two-headed musical drums are known to couple. However, little is known regarding the factors that determine the degree of coupling at higher frequencies. In this study the effect that length has on the tendency of the drumheads to couple is investigated. Commercial finite element software was used to model a wide range of drums and to identify trends of coupling. Experimentally, two oppositely facing Electronic Speckle-Pattern Interferometry systems were used to optically view the simultaneous vibrations of both heads of a drum. Several snare and tom tom drums with different diameters, depths and tensions were observed. To closely analyze the effect of drum depth a tom tom was modified so a range of depths from 1.5 inches to 40 inches could be tested while keeping the diameter and tension constant. The optical and numerical data are used to illustrate trends in the coupling of musical drumheads.