steel piano strings

[Mark Kinsler]

This short history of the piano:

http://www.uk-piano.org/history/d_grover.html

indicates that improvements in the heat-treatment (or tempering, in the 
metallurgical sense) made
it possible to use heavier strings that were under greater tension, which in 
turn increased the
loudness  and brilliance of the instrument.  Over the years,  the heavy 
frame, iron plate and laminated pinblock were introduced to accomodate this 
greater tension.

In my science demonstrations, I pass around a piece of piano wire (from the 
hobby shop) along with
a piece of coat hanger wire.  The students are fascinated to learn that the 
composition of the two
are almost identical, varying by a fraction of a percent of carbon.  The 
difference lies in the heat
treatment of the wires.

The development of high-strength wire for musical purposes was simultaneous 
with its development
for other industries.  A good deal of the initial metallurgical research was 
done by John Roebling, who used it to make cables to move canal boats over 
the great incline on the Pennsylvania Canal.  He later used the same 
technology to build wire suspension bridges.  The most famous of these is 
still in use: it is the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.

M Kinsler
512 E Mulberry St. Lancaster, Ohio USA 43130 740-687-6368
http://home.earthlink.net/~mkinsler1

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