Looking for some ‘bitesized’ learning on your lunchbreak? Passionate about sustainable heritage?
Come and join us for Collection Care’s ‘In Focus: Liverpool Conservation Talks, conservation themed 30-minute lunchtime talks held every second Wednesday of the month.
Understanding Vibration Risks in the Transport of Heritage Objects
When heritage objects are transported, whether within a museum or on loan, they are exposed to vibration and shocks. While most journeys are completed safely, it can be difficult to know when vibration poses a risk to fragile collections.
In this talk, acoustic engineer and recent PhD student on a Collaborative Doctoral Partnership scheme with the British Museum, Dr Tom Hutchin, explores new research into how transport vibration affects heritage objects and how those risks can be better understood and reduced. It follows a three-stage investigation: examining the vibration experienced during real-world transport journeys; looking at how different objects respond depending on their materials, construction and packing; and using an ancient Egyptian coffin as a case study to see how analogue paint samples responded under extreme vibration. The research also draws on historical condition reports to better understand the relationship between object materials and the likelihood of damage.
Bringing these findings together with existing research, the talk presents a practical method and framework to assess transport vibration and shock risk as well as making informed packing recommendations, helping museums and heritage organisations plan safer transport for their collections.
The talk will take place on Wednesday 9th September at 1.00-1.30pm. There will be time set aside for Q&As following the talk.
