Mechanics of the contact area between a violin bow and a string. Part II: Simulating the bowed string

A simulation model of the bowed string incorporating the finite width of the bow, the longitudinal compliance of the bow-hair and the torsional motion of the string is developed and explored. It is based on the mathematical model developed in a companion paper [1] to this, describing the contact mechanics of string and bow in a regime of sticking. In-depth comparisons between point-bow and finite-width calculations reveal significant differences in a number of important details. The waveforms of musically relevant oscillation regimes are modified. The physical basis for these results is elucidated in some detail.