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No Access Submitted: 12 December 2001 Accepted: 21 March 2003 Published Online: 03 July 2003

  • The design of bells with harmonic overtones

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 114, 505 (2003); https://doi.org/10.1121/1.1575748
Neil McLachlan and Behzad Keramati Nigjeh
  • Department of Aerospace Engineering, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476V, Melbourne 3001, Australia
    • Anton Hasell
  • Australian Bell Pty Ltd, Redesdale, Victoria 3444, Australia
    • more...
    ABSTRACT
    Musical bells have had limited application due to the presence of inharmonic partials in the lower part of their acoustic spectra. A series of bells has been designed that contains up to seven partial frequencies in the harmonic series beginning at the fundamental frequency. This was achieved by choosing geometries for finite-element analysis models in which as many purely circumferential bending modes as possible occurred at frequencies below any mode with an axial ring node. The bell models were then fine tuned using gradient projection method shape optimization and the resulting profiles were cast in silicon bronze. A range of bell geometries and timbres is analyzed using psycho-acoustic models and is discussed in relation to European carillon bells.

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    1. © 2003 Acoustical Society of America.

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