Free Vibration of a Kalimba Tine Model Beam with Offset Boundary Condition

A study was conducted to better understand the offset boundary condition of the kalimba; this study explored the free vibration of a beam with one end free and the other end subject to an offset clamped boundary condition. The cantilever beam was resting on a table, which provided a solid boundary below the beam. The top surface of the beam was clamped at a variable distance from the table edge. The excitation was a constant initial displacement of the free end, after which the entire beam was free to vibrate. The spectra of beam vibration and the sound produced showed harmonic peaks at integer multiples of the fundamental frequency, in addition to mode frequencies expected with Euler-Bernoulli beam theory.