String Breakage

[Dean May]

Good points, Don. But aren't the Yamaha pianos a higher tension scale design
that brings the wire closer to its elastic limit? This would seem to me to
push the strings past the endurance limit on high tension Asian pianos. It
also accounts for why you tend to see more string breakage in ten year old
Yamaha/Kawai pianos that are played heavily.

Dean

Dean May, PE            cell 812.239.3359
PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272
Terre Haute IN  47802


Work hardening or "cold work" only occurs when a material is plastically
deformed.  This is basically when you bend a material and it doesn't return
to its original shape.  For example, you can bend the end of a paper clip a
little and it will return to its original position.  This is "elastic"
deformation and will occur over and over as long as you don't go past the

Don A. Gilmore
Mechanical Engineer
Kansas City