Klarinet Archive - Posting 001185.txt from 1998/07

From: avrahm galper <agalper@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] NEW TECHNOLOGY NO BORING MATTER
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 11:03:06 -0400

NEW TECHNOLOGY NO BORING MATTER

Brass and woodwind instrument manufacturers are to benefit from a
University of Edinburgh program intended to make instruments made in
Britain more competitive in the world market.
The program is intended to develop acoustic pulse reflectrometry as a
means of quality control during manufacture.
The technique involves sending a stream of 1000 computer-generated
pulses into an instrument.
Each pulse is less than 10,000th of a second. and contains a spread of
frequencies.
Analysis of the reflections produce a detailed picture of the
instrument's internal dimensions.
The projections of valve seats and 'chimneys' into the main bore can be
detected and even tiny holes in the soldered parts of brass instruments.
The quality of woodwind instruments are hard to predict.
Even a tiny variation in the internal bore can have a big effect on
tuning, particularly near the entrance of the instruments.
For example, the crook of a bassoon is particularly vital and each
player will search for his 'magic' crook.
The researchers hope that accurate measurements will improve quality
control of mass-produced instruments.

--
Avrahm Galper
New throat Bb vent and key
THE UPBEAT BAERMANN MELODIC SCALES AND ARPEGGIOS
http://www.sneezy.org/avrahm_galper/index.html

-------------------------------------------------------------------------