improving bending wave drivers

[båndsei]

The airfoil.How it works http://sellhigh.com/impact/products/prodairfoil.html
http://sellhigh.com/impact/products/prodairfoil.html

Bernt "båndsei"

 

[ruba1]

@ruba1 :
perhaps I misspoke. What I meant was that I'm still working on this type of magnetic circuit, but no longer using the method shown in this photo for example, the one that most people have been exploring for years, if not for almost a century now. Paddock, for example, was one of those who experimented extensively with this design. In fact, back in 2002, when Airfoils were first marketed, Stereophile published an interesting article: https://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/648/index.html.

If you look closely at this "driver", you can see that there are no "membranes" as such, but only surrounds...
Of course, this is just my personal view, and that's why I told you that I'm continuing to work on this geometry, but to build a "finalized" loudspeaker!
As for the method of relying solely on your ear to make a transducer, I don't think it's reliable enough. Again it's my personal point of view, but of course I completely respect your way of looking at things.

Yes, the name membrane is probably inaccurate. I would call it a bending wave membrane. Surround would be a bit confusing. With measurements you will certainly get to the goal faster. Then with hearing, the fine adjustment. Monteverdi, hopefully you didn't fight the manger msw with sheep's wool, as is often done in the DIY area. For my rubanoide I only use a bow, for the "membrane" and not as a dipole. Greetings

 

[Monteverdi]

Membrane is defined as sheet separating 2 mediums acting as a selective barrier like cell membrane or filter membrane. Officially loudspeakers have a diaphragm but most of time it is called membrane, no matter if it is stiff like in pistonic speakers or flexible and independent of exact shape.

I listen to an airfoil speaker decades ago and I thought that rubanoide is a significant improvement especially the Audionec ones I heard at the high end in Munich (not so much my short diy attempts). The main issue with that design that it can not reach the last octave and therefore needs the addition of a high-frequency driver. Rubanoide have damping in the longitudinal direction but not in the top and bottom so they act only in the longitudinal direction similar to bending wave drivers. what would happen if the top and bottom of the cylinder would be damped

 

[ruba1]

My rubanoid doesn't reach the high frequencies. But in the photo with the measured values, you can see that up to 20 kHz is possible. What I still don't understand is that you write how difficult it is to prevent reflections at the edge of the membrane. Why is the damping material so narrow? I estimate about 8 mm.

 

[ruba1]

Balsa wood is more stable when bent in the longitudinal direction of the grain (parallel to the grain) than in the end grain direction (perpendicular to the grain). The cell structure of the wood, with rectangular and narrow medullary rays, ensures high rigidity in the longitudinal direction, while the greater elasticity of the honeycomb structure in the end grain area leads to lower bending strength[6][7].

 

[Monteverdi]

Wood and more extreme balsa wood is anisotropic in longitudinal cuts. They have a stiffer direction (length of the tree, parallel to the grain) )but are easily to bend perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. An end grain disk is in 2 axis (x&y) close to isotropic with low torsional strength but with quite high compressive strength in the z axis (thickness). The biggest force on a tree is its own weight therefore compressive strength is highest in that direction. So balsa wood by its self would be a poor choice for a membrane but if it is used as a core in a composite structure which has in the x and y direction high tensile strength fibers it generates a very stiff, strong and light membrane.
A rubanoid has an anisotropic structure, it is much stiffer in the longitudinal direction and is designed to bend perpendicular to it so an anisotropic membrane could work. My bending wave design is basically a stiff plate/membrane which is extended by vibration absorbing material. Any experiments to add damping material on the stiff membrane have no effects (like moon gel). What works and is essential is extending the membrane on its rim with vibration absorbing materials.