Statics of historical pianos under the magnifying glass
In collaboration with the ETH and specialists from Geneva, structural engineers from TU Dresden are modeling how climatic fluctuations and mechanical stresses damage historical pianos and when they can still be played.
Initial investigations have already been carried out in a previous project from 2009 to 2011. It turned out that the task of realistically simulating the so-called load-bearing behavior of historical objects is extremely complex and the need for research is very great.
In addition to the modeling by the Dresden scientists, the Swiss cooperation partners from ETH Zurich will investigate the specific material properties in the experimental part of the project. In addition to the wood, the focus will be on the adhesives and coatings commonly used at the time.
In the end, the researchers not only want to understand which stresses lead to which types of damage, but also define threshold values and formulate recommendations for the storage and use of historical wooden objects.
The scientists at the Dresden Institute for Statics and Dynamics of Structures, led by Michael Kaliske, are cooperating with the Institute for Building Materials at ETH Zurich, the Händel House in Halle/Saale and the Musée d'Ethnographie in Geneva.
