<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Re: string breakage</TITLE> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <STYLE type=text/css>BLOCKQUOTE { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } DL { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } UL { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } OL { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } LI { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } </STYLE> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1400" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=-1>The idea that a thinner string is = stronger than a thicker wire does not seem to follow the laws of physics.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Now if you mean that a thinner wire will sound a = higher note with less or the same tension, then I would agree to that.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=-1></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=-1>"Thinner is stronger than thicker, = but the improvement is minimal for high carbon steel music wire". </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV></DIV> <DIV>Joe Goss<BR><A href="mailto:imatunr@srvinet.com">imatunr@srvinet.com</A><BR><A href="http://www.mothergoosetools.com">www.mothergoosetools.com</A></DI= V> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=sbirkett@real.uwaterloo.ca href="mailto:sbirkett@real.uwaterloo.ca">Stephen Birkett</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=caut@ptg.org href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">College and University Technicians</A> = </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, June 24, 2004 = 1:23 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: string = breakage</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>Wim asked:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT color=#000000 size=-1>I = have a string that keeps breaking when pulled up to pitch. Should I use a thicker = string or a thinner string?</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=-1>Thinner is stronger than thicker, = but the improvement is minimal for high carbon steel music wire. There's a = discussion about this between me and Newton somewhere in the depths of the = pianotech archives.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT color=#000000 = size=-1>Should I try a thicker string that will withhold the tension, or a thinner = string for a higher pitch?</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=-1><BR></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=-1>Both strings will have the same = stress for the same scale position, but the thinner string is stronger so more = able to withstand that same stress level.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=-1><BR></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=-1>I'd check for other factors that = are causing the breakage.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=-1><BR></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=-1>By the way, what is the pitch, = speaking length, and wire gage of the offending string?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=-1><BR></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000000 = size=-1>Stephen</FONT></DIV><X-SIGSEP><PRE>-- </PRE></X-SIGSEP> <DIV>Dr Stephen Birkett<BR>Associate Professor<BR>Department of = Systems Design Engineering<BR>University of Waterloo<BR>Waterloo, Ontario<BR>Canada = N2L 3G1<BR><BR>E3 Room 3158<BR>tel: 519-888-4567 Ext. 3792<BR>fax: 519-746-4791<BR>PianoTech Lab Room E3-3160 Ext. 7115<BR>mailto: = sbirkett[at]real.uwaterloo.ca<BR>http://real.uwaterloo.ca/~sbirkett</DIV>= </BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>