laminated ribs

[Farrell]

I'm not the authority on this stuff, so let's wait to hear from someone much 
more qualified that I to answer, but I should think that ribs are spaced 
closely enough (or should be - at least in a well-designed piano) so that 
there is at most insignificant bowing of the bridge between ribs. A nice 
hard maple bridge is pretty darn hard to bend - so I suspect that support is 
pretty consistent between ribs and at the ribs.

Figure there is less than 100 lbs. downbearing pressure between any two ribs 
(way less I suppose) - 100 lbs. (220 kg) applied to the center (of course on 
the bridge, the load is actually spread out) of a six-inch span (15 cm) of 
33 mm square hard maple - I can't imagine that bending at all.

I think often the number of ribs is dictated by the number and location of 
nose-bolts!

Terry Farrell

----- Original Message ----- 
SNIP
> Right under a rib I suppose the support is strongest... and gets a bit 
> weaker as you move away from the rib. How do you figure the distance 
> needed between two ribs then ?
>
> Thanks
> RicB