Exploring wavelet applications in civil engineering

Although use of wavelet transform has significantly increased in civil engineering, selection of a proper wavelet type for a particular civil engineering application remains to be a question. The purpose of this study is to provide a guideline for the proper selection of wavelet type in civil engineering applications. A total of 64 articles were reviewed with an emphasis on the use of wavelet transform and the choice of a mother wavelet. A survey of the literature shows that wavelet transform is useful to mathematically address a range of problems, with the specific applications of the wavelet transform in civil engineering being sixfold: denoising, discontinuity detection, feature extraction, frequency identification, system modeling, and data compression. The result of the study is expected to help civil engineers to choose the right type of wavelet transform for the particular field of civil engineering.