R,C&S question

[Ron Nossaman]

> Strikes me that if the rib set alone is able to support crown and 
> downbearing, theoretically then a much thinner panel can be used which 
> has the added benefit of being lighter and therefore making the whole 
> assembly much more reactive to vibration. I have seen a soundboard with 
> panels as thin as 1mm, but glued to both the top and the underside of 
> the ribs. I suppose then that compliance (impedance) might become an issue.
> 
> AF

I don't know how thin the panel could practically go. I'd 
think that below a certain thickness, you'd lose enough long 
grain stiffness to encourage odd resonances, but I don't 
really know.
Ron N