Application of wavelet transform in structural health monitoring

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is a process of implementing a damage detection strategy in existing structures to evaluate their condition to ensure safety. The changes in the material, geometric and/or structural properties affect structural responses, which can be captured and analyzed for condition assessment. Various vibration-based damage detection algorithms have been developed in the past few decades. Among them, wavelet transform (WT) gained popularity as an efficient method of signal processing to build a framework to identify modal properties and detect damage in structures. This article presents the state-of-the-art implementation of various WT tools in SHM with a focus on civil structures. The unique features and limitations of WT, and a comparison of WT and other signal processing methods, are further discussed. The comprehensive literature review in this study will help interested researchers to investigate the use of WT in SHM to meet their specific needs.