Overview of Preventive Conservation Research Work on Seismic Mitigation and Subway Vibration Control in Chengdu Museum of China

ABSTRACT

The 2008 Wenchuan earthquake brought numerous issues to the attention of researchers of seismic mitigation in Chinese museums. After the Wenchuan earthquake, the structural design team of Chengdu Museum conducted a series of research projects on seismic mitigation and subway vibration control design of buildings. These projects included the following topics: optimization of design, numerical simulation of seismic performance, analysis of key technologies for the base isolation structure, in-depth studies on structural vibrations caused by the nearby subway, and proposals for reducing structural vibrations. In 2015, after the superstructure of Chengdu Museum was completed, conservators evaluated the safety of permanent exhibitions under earthquake conditions. Seismic protection devices were installed on the showcases according to the preventive conservation requirements for museum collections. Reinforced measures were used for museum collections according to the methods suggested in the document ‘Specification for seismic protection of museum collection’ (WW/T 0069-2015). The conservators also built a systematic platform for earthquake monitoring for museum collections. Preventive conservation studies on seismic protection and subway vibration control in Chengdu Museum are summarized and forecasted.