Is there a common thread between a harpsichord in the Musée de la musique in playing condition and a painted wooden panel on loan for a temporary exhibition in the antipodes? In addition to the fact that they are both wooden heritage objects, from a mechanical point of view, the harpsichord and the wooden panel are constrained structures subject to occasional uncontrolled vibrations. These vibrations can be caused by the usual environment of an exhibition venue or perhaps when in transit or on loan for events. Yet, where temperature, humidity and ambient light are today considered as determining factors for the conservation of heritage objects and structured around the standards of conservation, this is not the case for vibratory instances.

Works of art are sometimes subjected to high vibratory or acoustic levels in museums and museum storerooms. This can happen, for example, during refurbishment work in the buildings that house them (expansion, renovation) or during event projects, or, transport between exhibition and conservation areas or between establishments. The level of energy involved can lead to irreversible damage, sometimes even to the loss of the artwork.

Few studies deal with the impact of vibration on heritage objects and how to prevent it. The following projects propose passive solutions, i.e. without energy input, protective packaging and shock absorbers, essentially adapted to the transport of panels.

The first objective is to develop analytical tools to quantify the long-term impact of vibrations on the conservation of works. These tools will make it possible to estimate the fatigue of different types of works (paintings, canvases, panels, statues, musical instruments,...) according to the characteristics of the vibratory stresses experienced (frequency range, amplitudes,...). We will then have the necessary elements for the dimensioning of sensors, actuators and other parameters involved in the design of control systems.

The second objective is to develop hybrid control methods (active and passive) to optimize the attenuation of vibrations suffered by the works. The estimation tools will propose an objective evaluation of these methods.