Pistolero
Well-Known Member
I have spent a couple of days with the curator of antiquities at a major art museum in LA learning
how to keep large and small art pieces intact in earthquakes. I designed several systems for
the local art museum to protect large heavy sculptures and such. Our expected max is around
4.5, but the bootheel of MO has had one of the biggest ever. Mississippi flowed upstream for a couple
of days after that one, according to many reports. Reelfoot Lake was formed in the New Madrid
earthquakes of 1811-12. If the New Madrid ever plays up like that again, it will be bad around
here.
Two tricks. One is to intentionally decouple large heavy stuff (with low CG) from the floor, let it stay in place while
the floor moves sideways under it. Teflon covered skids on thin SS sheet works well. For smaller stuff,
a loop of monofilament line around it and attached to a nearby wall or bookshelf support will keep
stuff from toppling. Easy, unobtrusive, cheap and works great. A double loop of clear 10 or 20 lb monofilament
fishing line and a staple ends in perpendicular directions will keep that cherished fragile trophy or vase or
whatever from crashing to the ground and barely visible from a foot away, invisible from 3 ft.
I have been through the Craters of the Moon area and boy, that landscape has been worked over in
centuries past. I go to Yellowstone almost every single year for a few days, and yeah, if it ever
goes up, we'll all be in trouble. I am guessing Soda Springs means that they have had hot mineral
springs around there, meaning deep geo activity.
Never felt an earthquake myself, and while it would be technically interesting.....not particularly looking
for it.
For stuff like water heaters and such, the overturning forces will be pretty low, probably
under 5 or 10 lbs if your strapping isn't so slack that it can go to a steep tilt before the
straps come tight. I would think a rigid bar to two perpendicular wall so it could take
tension and compression would work better than straps since they can only take
tension. So much of our planning assumes that the earth is going to hold still, and
when it doesn't, lots of unanticipated stuff happens.
Bill
how to keep large and small art pieces intact in earthquakes. I designed several systems for
the local art museum to protect large heavy sculptures and such. Our expected max is around
4.5, but the bootheel of MO has had one of the biggest ever. Mississippi flowed upstream for a couple
of days after that one, according to many reports. Reelfoot Lake was formed in the New Madrid
earthquakes of 1811-12. If the New Madrid ever plays up like that again, it will be bad around
here.
Two tricks. One is to intentionally decouple large heavy stuff (with low CG) from the floor, let it stay in place while
the floor moves sideways under it. Teflon covered skids on thin SS sheet works well. For smaller stuff,
a loop of monofilament line around it and attached to a nearby wall or bookshelf support will keep
stuff from toppling. Easy, unobtrusive, cheap and works great. A double loop of clear 10 or 20 lb monofilament
fishing line and a staple ends in perpendicular directions will keep that cherished fragile trophy or vase or
whatever from crashing to the ground and barely visible from a foot away, invisible from 3 ft.
I have been through the Craters of the Moon area and boy, that landscape has been worked over in
centuries past. I go to Yellowstone almost every single year for a few days, and yeah, if it ever
goes up, we'll all be in trouble. I am guessing Soda Springs means that they have had hot mineral
springs around there, meaning deep geo activity.
Never felt an earthquake myself, and while it would be technically interesting.....not particularly looking
for it.
For stuff like water heaters and such, the overturning forces will be pretty low, probably
under 5 or 10 lbs if your strapping isn't so slack that it can go to a steep tilt before the
straps come tight. I would think a rigid bar to two perpendicular wall so it could take
tension and compression would work better than straps since they can only take
tension. So much of our planning assumes that the earth is going to hold still, and
when it doesn't, lots of unanticipated stuff happens.
Bill
Last edited: