Art Conservation

The effects of vibrations and shock on valuable cultural heritage objects are a major concern for conservators, collection managers, and heritage professionals. Due to a lack of training in mechanics in heritage curricula, hearsay and a fear of the unknown often play too large a role in dealing with, for example, construction projects or rock concerts in or near their collections, or loan transports. As a result, heritage professionals must search for solutions in a literature filled with confusing and often misunderstood and misused terminology, and expensive and often overdesigned advanced mitigation technologies. This second book in the Art Conservation series was therefore written to provide readers with a solid introduction to the basic concepts and terminology used in engineering for dealing with problems with vibrations and shock. Like the first book in the series, it is presented in clear, accessible language for readers without a technical background. The goal is to help them systematically analyze risks due to vibrations and shock through experience and testing, understand how vibration and shock monitoring works, and find simple and cost-effective mitigation strategies.

W. (Bill) Wei was a senior conservation scientist at the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, Amsterdam, until his retirement in 2021, and is now an independent consultant. He has a BSE in mechanical engineering from Princeton University, New Jersey (1977), and a PhD in materials science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA (1983). Before working in the field of cultural heritage, he spent nearly 20 years in industrial materials research and development, focusing on fracture mechanics, fatigue, and corrosion. Dr Wei has been conducting research and consulting on the effects of vibrations and mechanical stresses on the condition of fragile works of art for more than 25 years. He also conducts research on perception related to conservation treatments and object appearance, risks posed to objects by mechanical loads, and conservation ethics.