Structural mitigation measures to archaeological wooden Viking age sledges based on calibrated FEM models using advanced vibration measurements

Abstract

Abstract The Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway, houses the world’s largest collections of artefacts from the Viking era and holds the best-preserved Viking ships in the world. It is being expanded to provide new exhibition areas, improving both the visitor experience and the physical conditions for the objects on display. Three extremely fragile alum treated sledges are secured onsite as they are considered too fragile to move off the premisses. Finite element models are developed as a tool for understanding the sledges’ static and dynamic behaviour and the models are used to design effective mitigation measures applied to the sledges’ existing support systems. The models are established using highly detailed geometry 3D scans. They are dynamically calibrated using advanced vibration measurements identifying the sledges’ eigenfrequencies with corresponding mode shapes. The models are also calibrated using load deformation measurements with controlled loads applied to the sledges’ support systems.