The bow, which is essential to produce the sound of bowed string instruments, has been little studied. The present work aims to better understand its mechanical behavior in playing situation. To this end, numerical models are developped. The stick, which is prestressed due to hair tension, is modelized by beam finite elements. A corotational formulation is adopted to take into account geometric nonlinearity. A first model (2D) concerns the in-plane behavior of the bow. It is used within a numerical study aiming at showing the influence of making and adjusting parameters on the tightened bow. A second model (3D) takes into account out-of-plane loading that makes the stick bend laterally. A non-destructive procedure to determine mechanical properties of wood and hair is proposed. It is based on an inverse method using the 2D model. As an experimental validation, numerical results obtained with the 3D model are confronted to measurement on two bows, for different settings of camber and hair tension. The effect of prestress on lateral bending stiffness is highlighted. A good agreement is observed. Thus, the model can be considered as predictive and might be used as an aid to bow making. Furthermore, the stability of a bow is a problem considered by bow makers. A phenomenological model based on a simple mechanical system is presented. It aims to give tendancies on conditions at which bifurcation or limit point instability can occur, by drawing an analogy with the bow. The numerical computation of pre- and post-critical behavior of the bow shows similar instability cases. Their possible consequences on playing and making are discussed. Finally, playing tests with musicians are carried out, focusing on the adjustment of camber and hair tension. The results tend to show the influence of the considered adjustment parameters on the assessment of playing qualities.
