Reproduction of transport-induced vibration of paintings based on a multi-channel FxLMS controller

Abstract

Monitoring the vibration of the painting canvas during transport is of great significance to protect paintings from damage. However, limited to the narrow structure of the transport crate, the lack of an inertial reference, and the limitations to attach sensors to the canvas, this is a difficult task. For this reason, based on vibration data measured on the strainer that is easily obtained during transport, this contribution proposes to reproduce these with high accuracy in the laboratory. There, the resulting vibration of the canvas can be conveniently observed in a controlled environment with respect to an inertial reference. A real-time simulation platform based on the multi-channel Filtered-x Least Mean Square (FxLMS) algorithm controls four actuators simultaneously and reproduces the vibration of the strainer obtained from a real transport experiment. The vibration of the canvas is then measured by a laser Doppler vibrometer without contact. The experimental results show that the vibration reproduction system has sufficient reproduction accuracy for the vibration response. Even though some overshoot in the reproduced acceleration can be observed in some cases, the overall reproduction is very good. A long-term reproduction experiment verifies its stable reproducibility. Therefore, the designed vibration reproduction system provides a reference for the unknown canvas response during transport, and further helps art conservators to evaluate the transport process of the painting.