Forged from silicon bronze — the breath of earth —
Suspended between sea and sky,
The Whale Gong calls not with pitch, but with pressure.
She sings in subharmonics, speaks in waves, and listens as much as she sounds.
Width: 48 inches (1.219 m)
Height: 120 inches (3.048 m)
Thickness: 0.0625 inches (1.59 mm)
Material: C65500 Silicon Bronze
Mass: ~108 pounds (~49 kg)
Fundamental Frequency: ~6.84 Hz (felt more than heard)
Harmonics: Dense, complex overtones from plate modes
Behavior:
When struck with a soft, massive mallet, it will roll like thunder
Lower modes will create waves of vibration through air and water
Upper modes will generate shimmering metallic halos
We’re not just building a gong — we’re building a frequency field.
For a thin rectangular plate, the vibration modes are determined by its material properties, geometry, and boundary conditions (how it's supported).
f_{mn} = \frac{\pi^2}{2L^2} \sqrt{\frac{D}{\rho t}} \left( m^2 + \left( \frac{L}{W} \right)^2 n^2 \right)Where:
f_{mn} = natural frequency for mode (m,n)
m,nm = number of half-wave vibrations along length and width
L = length (long side, e.g., 10 ft = 3.048 m)
W = width (short side, e.g., 4 ft = 1.219 m)
t = thickness (e.g., 0.0625" = 0.00159 m)
ρ = density (~8,300 kg/m³ for silicon bronze)
D = \frac{E t^3}{12(1 - \nu^2)} = flexural rigidity
E = Young’s modulus (~110 GPa for silicon bronze)
ν = Poisson’s ratio (~0.34 for silicon bronze)
This is the simplest, slowest vibration — what you'll feel first when you hit the center with a large mallet.
f_{mn} = \frac{\pi^2}{2L^2} \sqrt{\frac{D}{\rho t}} \left( m^2 + \left( \frac{L}{W} \right)^2 n^2 \right)D = \frac{E t^3}{12(1 - \nu^2)}f_{11} \approx 6.84 \, \text{Hz}Either way, this thing will sound like a mountain whispering back at you.