The Laser Doppler Vibrometer as an instrument for nonintrusive diagnostic of works of art: Application to Fresco paintings

The purpose of this paper is to present the application of the Laser Doppler Vibrometer as a nonintrusive measurement instrument to detect shape and location of damage in fresco paintings. The paper discusses performance of the measurement instrument and outlines a measurement procedure capable of nonintrusive diagnostic of the state of conservation of works of art, based on frequency response analysis of wall surface vibration induced by acoustic excitation. The procedure for the measurement of wall surface vibration is described. A 2D map of surface vibration amplitude is produced by scanning the measurement point across the surface. This pseudo-image is then processed by image analysis techniques to determine the position and the shape of damaged areas. Experiments are performed on an artificial fresco with induced damage and on a real painting inside a church. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.