Vibration

Alan J. Hawk <alan.hawk [at] us__army__mil> writes

>We are considering looking at a storage facility that is near a
>railroad. Obviously, vibration is a potential problem. I am
>soliciting recommendations that on how best to mitigate the
>vibration for stored artifacts.
>
>Are there recommended subfloors that could be used to minimize
>vibration? What are other means to minimize vibration? What are
>other considerations that we need to look at?

I would agree that vibration and the type of rail traffic are major
concerns. To that end, I would suggest that you look at ways of
ensuring artifacts are secure against toppling or creeping off
shelves, using such things as "quake wax", lips on shelving etc. I
have been in small museums close to railroads in Canada and
vibration is definitely a major concern. Look at it in terms of
being in a seismic zone. You may want to install vibration monitors
to measure just how much vibration is incurred over a given year.

If chemicals are to be transported on this route, and the frequency
of rail traffic in general, you should be able to find this out from
the railroad authorities.  Assuming that the facility may not be
staffed full-time, I would want to know how ventilation systems in
the building (if they exist) can be shut down automatically in the
event of an emergency, or manually if you are close by. An alarm
system linked to the museum's alarm system should be installed.
Procedures for response should be included in an emergency plan,
bearing in mind that if there is a chemical spill, the emergency
services will not permit access to the site until the situation is
stabilized.

David Tremain
Former Preservation Advisor, Security and Emergency Preparedness
(ret'd)
Canadian Conservation Institute (1979 - 2010)


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 24:33
                Distributed: Wednesday, January 5, 2011
                       Message Id: cdl-24-33-002
                                  ***