Mechanical Music Digest  Archives
You Are Not Logged In Login/Get New Account
Please Log In. Accounts are free!
Logged In users are granted additional features including a more current version of the Archives and a simplified process for submitting articles.
Home Archives Calendar Gallery Store Links Info

Spring Fundraising Drive In Progress. Please visit our home page to see this and other announcements: https://www.mmdigest.com     Thank you. --Jody

MMD > Archives > March 1996 > 1996.03.22 > 06Prev  Next


Re: Force Versus Distance of a Pneumatic
By John Grant

Hi Robbie (and List),

On Fri, 22 Mar 96 01:05:39 PST Automatic Music Mailing List 96.03.21, Robbie Rhodes wrote:
>
> Subject: Force versus distance of a pneumatic
>
> Has anybody any numerical data on how the force of a simple "board"
> pneumatic varies with the opening?

<snip>

I'm a bit confused here, could this be an apples/oranges type discussion? The "force" of this pneumatic would effect the SPEED of operation of the hammer rail but would NOT (IMHO) directly affect the loudness of the note. (This assumes that you consider the positioning of the hammer rail "binary", that is, either at rest or raised to its maximum.) Note intensity would be affected by the action geometry, i.e., regulation, blow distance, amount of lost motion (and to what degree that is compensated for), etc, but would, I believe, be independent of how fast the hammer rail reached its raised position. (Again, notes struck while the rail is in motion are outside this discussion.) I'm also not so sure that having the blow distance shortened to 50% of its normal value necessarily produces (or even predicts) a 3 dB reduction in sound intensity. The physics of a moving hammer, i.e., mass, acceleration, kinetic energy, etc. are QUITE beyond my ability to analyize, but they ARE complicated. The physics of why a simple wedge pneumatic develops is greatest force at its full open position has, I believe, been discussed in one or more articles in the AMICA bulletin, although I have no specific references at hand. Perhaps someone else can provide this. Have I missed some other subtle point here?

-John Grant


(Message sent Fri 22 Mar 1996, 15:44:13 GMT, from time zone GMT-0800.)

Key Words in Subject:  Distance, Force, Pneumatic, Versus

Home    Archives    Calendar    Gallery    Store    Links    Info   


Enter text below to search the MMD Website with Google



CONTACT FORM: Click HERE to write to the editor, or to post a message about Mechanical Musical Instruments to the MMD

Unless otherwise noted, all opinions are those of the individual authors and may not represent those of the editors. Compilation copyright 1995-2024 by Jody Kravitz.

Please read our Republication Policy before copying information from or creating links to this web site.

Click HERE to contact the webmaster regarding problems with the website.

Please support publication of the MMD by donating online

Please Support Publication of the MMD with your Generous Donation

Pay via PayPal

No PayPal account required

                                     
Translate This Page