Sound-generating reed for a wind instrument

Abstract

The present specification relates to a sound-generating reed for a wind instrument which contains at least one thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer.

Claims

1. A sound-generating reed for a wind instrument which contains at least one thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer, wherein: rod-like molecule chains of the at least one thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer of the reed (10) are oriented in a longitudinal direction, from a shaft (12) of the reed to a cutting edge-like front edge (14) of a tongue (16), and in that the tongue (16) has a wall thickness of ?0.15 mm at the cutting edge-like front edge (14) thereof; and proceeding from the cutting edge-like front edge (14), the tongue (16) comprises a wedge-shaped portion (18) having a planar upper face which has a small acute angle in a direction towards the shaft (12), and a constant wall thickness over a width of the reed (10).

2. The sound-generating reed according to claim 1, wherein the reed (10) is produced in an injection molding method or in an injection compression method.

3. The sound-generating reed according to claim 1, wherein the at least one thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer contains fillers or reinforcing additives.

4. The sound-generating reed according to claim 1, wherein the at least one thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer is mixed with at least one thermoplastic polymer.

5. The sound-generating reed according to claim 4, wherein the at least one thermoplastic polymer contains fillers or reinforcing additives.

6. The sound-generating reed according to claim 1, wherein contour lines of the wedge-shaped portion (18) of the tongue (16) extend in a straight line in a width direction of the reed (10).

7. The sound-generating reed according to claim 1, wherein contour lines of the wedge-shaped portion (18) of the tongue (16) extend, in a width direction of the reed (10), in a manner at least approximately fitted to the cutting edge-like front edge (14) of the tongue (16).

8. The sound-generating reed according to claim 1, wherein the wedge-shaped portion (18) of the tongue (16) has a surface area of from ?5% to ?20% of an overall basic surface area of the reed (10).

9. The sound-generating reed according to claim 1, wherein the wedge-shaped portion (18) of the tongue (16) has a surface area of from ?6% to ?40% of an overall surface area of the tongue.

10. Use of a reed according to claim 1 for a clarinet, an oboe, or a saxophone.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of an embodiment of the sound-generating reed;

(2) FIG. 2 is a more enlarged plan view of the reed according to FIG. 1, having cutting lines A-A and Q-Q through the reed;

(3) FIG. 3 is a side view of the reed according to FIG. 2; and

(4) FIG. 4 shows the cross-sectional views through the reed according to the cutting lines A-A to Q-Q according to FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) The figures illustrate an embodiment of the sound-generating reed 10 for a wind instrument. The reed 10 contains at least one thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer, the rod-like molecule chains of which are oriented in the longitudinal direction, from the shaft 12 of the reed 10 to the cutting edge-like front edge 14 of the tongue 16 of the reed 10. The tongue 16 has a wall thickness of ?0.15 mm at the cutting edge-like front edge 14 thereof.

(6) As is clear in particular from FIG. 3, proceeding from the cutting edge-like front edge 14 thereof, the tongue 16 comprises a wedge-shaped surface portion 18 which has a small acute angle in the direction towards the shaft 12 and which has a constant wall thickness over the width of the reed 10 or the tongue 16 thereof, as the cross sectional views X-X to Q-Q according to FIG. 4 illustrate.

(7) The cutting lines of the cross sections X-X to Q-Q extend, as contour lines of the wedge-shaped surface portion 18 of the tongue 16, in a straight line in the width direction of the surface portion 18. Another possibility consists in the contour lines of the wedge-shaped surface portion 18 of the tongue 16 extending, in the width direction of the surface portion 18, in a manner at least approximately fitted to the cutting edge-like front edge 14 of the tongue 16.

(8) Between the rear shaft 12 of the reed 10 and the front wedge-shaped surface portion 18 thereof, the tongue 16 is designed so as to be concavely curved having a flat portion 20 which narrows towards the shaft 12, as the cross sections M-M to W-W in FIG. 4 also illustrate.

(9) The wedge-shaped portion 18 of the tongue 16 of the reed 10 has a surface area of from ?5% to ?20% in relation to the overall basic surface area of the reed 10 in the case of reeds 10 having a shaft 12 of normal length. In the case of reeds 10 having a relatively short shaft 12, the ratio of the wedge-shaped portion 18 to the overall tongue surface area is ?6% to ?40%.

(10) The shaft 12 is formed, in a manner known per se, having a spherically convex upper face 22. The lower face 24 of the reed 10 is formed so as to be planar, in a manner known per se.