Structural dynamics of concert harps with wooden and composite material soundboards
Melinda J. Carney, Thomas J. Royston · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 2003
The replacement of a Sitka spruce grand concert harp soundboard with a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic soundboard could provide improved durability and long-term stability. Experimental vibratory studies on concert harps with wooden soundboards are reviewed. A computational finite-element model is used to identify critical material properties by matching its predictions to the experimental data. With the material properties identified in the finite-element model, the lay-up of the composite soundboard is created using matching criteria based on research of wood replacements for violin top plates. The composite lay-up is then incorporated into the finite-element model, verifying that the dynamic response closely approximates that of the wooden soundboard. The identification technique and composite replacement design process may be applicable to other musical instruments, as well as other nonmusical, wooden plate structures.