MSC Software Corporation announced that Salvi Harps, a leader in the manufacture of harps, selected MSC Nastran and SimXpert to improve the structural behavior of their instruments and develop lighter, more stable harps.
Building a harp involves several engineering challenges. The structure of the instrument is made entirely of wood, while the mechanical part is made of brass and steel. Wood is a material used since ancient times, however, because of its unique characteristics, it is difficult to simulate. First, it is a material with anisotropic behavior, which means different batches can have very different mechanical properties.
Salvi Harps uses numerical simulation software, through a comparison with experimental data, to evaluate and calibrate the materials and components of the design. Internal loads to the main structure of the harp are very high, so engineers needed a method for increasing the integrity of the design. MSC Nastran and SimXpert have been proven within Salvi Harps in helping with the modeling and characterization of the materials, and results nicely matched experimental test data.
SimXpert, with its multidisciplinary workspaces and integrated user interface, has allowed Salvi to consider the entire harp in the simulation, thus reducing the errors of interpretation that may arise from using point tools. Computer-aided engineering (CAE) templates in SimXpert allowed engineers to automate the creation of forces applied to each string, rather than doing so manually. Engineers achieved a 60% time savings in model creation as a result of using the templates.
The complete model of the Grand Concert Harp, "Aurora", enlightened engineers on some critical issues that before were only guessed, allowing Salvi to work on improving the structural stability and to study structural changes intended to improve the acoustic performance of the instrument. Giorgio Peirano, Head of R&D Department in Salvi Harps, said: "SimXpert and MSC Nastran were essential for the structural optimization of some parts of the harp that are critical to the instrument timbre."
