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<DIV>In a message dated 2/1/2004 11:15:49 PM Pacific Standard Time, fordpian=
o@earthlink.net writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue =
2px solid"><FONT face=Arial>>At the risk of oversimplification, isn't a=
crowned soundboard just a big<BR>>spring, the more you compress it, the =
more rigid it becomes?<BR>><BR>>David Love<BR>>davidlovepianos@eart=
hlink.net<BR>><BR><BR>David,<BR><BR>This is the point that I was trying t=
o make. I believe that the <BR>soundboard is essentially just a big sp=
ring. A spring doesn't get <BR>more rigid or stiff the more you compre=
ss it. Within its working <BR>range it has a constant spring rate or s=
tiffness. If a spring's <BR>spring rate is 100 lb/in. then it takes 10=
0 lbs to deflect it the <BR>first inch. It takes 100 additional lbs to=
deflect it another inch. <BR>It doesn't matter if you start from a zero def=
lection point or an <BR>initial 1 inch deflection point - the spring rate (o=
r stiffness) is <BR>still 100 lbs/in. It's not getting stiffer because=
you're putting <BR>load on it or deflecting it. True, it takes twice =
as much load to <BR>get twice as much deflection, but that is still a consta=
nt stiffness. <BR>I would expect a soundboard to work the same way. If=
the board is <BR>actually getting stiffer as a result of applied load then =
it's not <BR>acting like a spring or a beam, and I would like to understand =
what <BR>mechanism is causing that to happen.<BR><BR>Phil Ford</FONT></BLOCK=
QUOTE></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040> <FONT size=4> Ph=
il</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 size=4> If this =
is true then why can I measure a predictable amount of residual bearing at t=
he bridge after the board is string?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 size=4> I =
thinkthe boards compression rate is non linear. At least that's the wya=
it behaves in my hands.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 size=4> DA=
le</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>