Active control of art objects subjected to seismic excitation

Abstract

The problem of the protection of statues and works of art is important in earthquake-prone regions. Among mitigation techniques, the base isolation demonstrates to be one of the most effective, as it creates a disconnection between the artwork and the floor that avoids the seismic acceleration transmission. Although passive base isolation systems, if well designed for a specific location and a specific piece of art, are efficient in protecting the artifact, they are not immediately adaptable for different artworks, different locations within the building and different seismic hazard conditions. For these reasons, in the present paper it is exploited the possibility of using a base active control strategy in which a force provided by an actuator counterbalances the seismic acceleration. The base active and passive control solutions are compared considering different seismic intensities and different characteristics of the artwork. Results demonstrate the robustness and adaptability of active control for the seismic protection of works of art.