Simulation-based assessment of the structural impact response of the Cura Baglama: a drop test approach for wooden stringed musical instruments

Abstract

The Cura Baglama represents the smallest variant within the traditional Turkish baglama family of stringed instruments. Investigating its structural integrity when subjected to sudden impact loading is essential for advancing efforts in standardisation, development, maintenance, repair, and the preservation of its historically significant design characteristics. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the dynamic structural response of a cura baglama subjected to controlled drop-test scenarios. A reverse engineering methodology, coupled with three-dimensional explicit dynamic analysis, was employed to examine the instrument’s behaviour under impact loading. The study evaluated the effects of seven distinct impact positions, simulating a drop from a fixed height of 1000 mm. The simulation results provided critical insights into the instrument’s impact response by visualising deformation patterns and equivalent stress distributions across its structure. Regions susceptible to damage were identified by comparing the computed equivalent (von Mises) stress with the material’s yield strength, which served as the threshold for irreversible damage. This approach enabled the determination of the critical drop height corresponding to structural failure in each scenario. The findings indicate that, although all scenarios were simulated at a fixed drop height of 1000 mm, Impact Scenario 5 exhibited the lowest calculated threshold for damage initiation, with a critical drop height estimated at 172 mm based on the material yield criterion. These structural impact response analyses offer valuable guidance for instrument designers, facilitating the development of cura baglama models with enhanced strength. While the findings are specific to the analysed instrument model, the methodological approach can be generalised to similar studies. Furthermore, the findings contribute to the broader preservation efforts of these culturally and historically significant musical instruments.