McLachlan N.

Results of FEA modal analyses for changes to various shape parameters of the relatively simple geometries of capped cylinders and cones were compared to similar data for the more complex geometry of a European church bell. During this study previously unreported transverse bending modes for church bells were found to occur within the frequency range of the first 5 radial modes in un-constrained FE models. The presence of these modes in a freely suspended church bell was confirmed by comparison of FFT spectral analyses of the bell sound after excitation at various locations on the bell and for different constraint conditions. These modes have not been reported in the literature and their presence suggests a more refined understanding of the mechanisms controlling the behaviour of the well known radiating modes in church bells is possible. Their presence also has implications for the design of the supporting structures for bells.