Church bell ringing as practised in the UK involves large-amplitude motions of both bell and clapper. A simulation model is\r\ndeveloped and validated against experimental measurements. It is shown that the clapper does not hit the bell with a single impact\r\nbut a long series of bounces, and this has important consequences for the decay profile of the bell vibration. Information relevant\r\nto bell-ringers and bell-hangers is collected in a series of design charts derived from the simulation model. These charts can assist\r\nin the diagnosis and correction of faults. Arising from the analysis of the bouncing clapper, a more general result is also presented\r\nrelating to the frequency bandwidth when any structure is excited by a small bouncing impactor, for example an impulse hammer\r\nused in vibration testing.
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