Pages 467–470
Abstract
Research summary supplied by the authors
Leather-based percussion instruments have long served as vital conduits of cultural expression and emotional resonance within Indian society. Their presence spans a wide spectrum of communal and personal experiences - joy, sorrow, valor, entertainment, celebration, festivals, and matrimonial ceremonies. Far beyond their acoustic function, these instruments embody the emotional and symbolic dimensions of our heritage. Despite their enduring cultural significance, such instruments have received limited attention within the domains of scientific research and technological innovation. A notable Gap persists in efforts to adapt and evolve them in alignment with contemporary cultural dynamics, societal expectations and sustainability imperatives. In response to this gap, we have developed a process for manufacturing leather tailored to musical instruments. This innovation emerged through a series of scientific interventions aimed at enhancing material performance while respecting traditional craftsmanship. Our findings reveal that surface crosslinking of pretreated leather significantly improves tonal characteristics, and the acoustic properties can be tuned by varying the degree of crosslinking. We systematically studied the effect of surface crosslinking on mechanical and acoustic characteristics and compared these with traditional leather. While tensile and tear strengths of the experimental leathers decreased relative to conventional processing, relaxation studies indicated an increase in overall elasticity. This enhancement suggests that the experimental leathers are more suitable for percussion instruments due to their improved reverberation characteristics, as corroborated by acoustic studies. This work establishes a simple yet efficient surface crosslinking method that enables tuning of leather’s mechanical properties, thereby achieving desirable acoustic behavior for musical applications.