Cultural achievements, such as art, architecture, and historical artifacts, represent the collective efforts of various civilizations and ethnic groups throughout history. These achievements are preserved and displayed in museums, where they symbolize and communicate cultural values and historical knowledge. Museums face multiple threats, including the risk of natural disasters like earthquakes, which not only damage museum infrastructure but also jeopardize the safety of exhibits and stored artifacts.
Protecting a nation’s cultural heritage within museum settings requires targeted measures to mitigate earthquake-induced risks. To assess the seismic vulnerability of museum artifacts, they can be modeled as rigid bodies, with their seismic response analyzed similarly to rigid block dynamics, a well-established method in structural engineering. By understanding the dynamic behavior of museum objects and integrating earthquake protection strategies into museum crisis management, it is possible to limit the seismic response of these objects, reducing the risk of damage both to the artifacts and surrounding exhibits.
This paper introduces methods to enhance the earthquake resistance of museum artifacts, enabling them to remain safely on public display while minimizing potential damage during seismic events.