Physical Properties of Wood for Violin Construction
R. B. Abbott, G. H. Purcell · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 1941
Assuming that the best form of the characteristic response curve for a violin is one with the peaks and valleys flattened out to a minimum, and with the response at low frequencies augmented, it follows that one should know the properties of the materials which make up a violin in order to design one with any degree of accuracy. The following is a progress report of such an investigation. Specimens of wood in the form of rectangular bars 24″×38″×58″ were tested for their density, elasticity and internal resistance to motion. A method for separating the internal damping resistance from the air resistance was developed. Some of the effects produced on the properties of wood by coating them with oils, varnishes, paints, etc., were observed.