An experimental analysis on the seismic safeguard of art objects

The problem of reducing the seismic risk for art objects, that is, the objects generally contained within Museums, is of great interest. The first studies were performed in Japan and were successively organized in a general framework by a research program performed at Southern California University and sponsored by the Getty Museum at Malibu, California. In these papers and in the following Italian studies, the theoretical models for the problem are based on the dynamic behaviour of rigid blocks and have been deeply developed. Unfortunately, because of the great lack of experimental data, determinant parameters for the characterization of the problem (like the friction between two superimposed blocks or between the art object and the support plane) are often assumed without reference to laboratory tests. This paper presents the results of a research program containing the experimental determination of the friction coefficient between the art object and the support (by means of a testing apparatus ad hoc realized) together with dynamic tests performed on simple shaped objects made of different materials. The dynamic tests were performed using an unidirectional shaking table and different supporting surfaces, so that the influence of different friction coefficients has been analyzed.