APPLICATIONS OF WAVELET TRANSFORMS IN EARTHQUAKE, WIND AND OCEAN ENGINEERING

The analysis, identification, characterization and simulation of rando m processes utilizing both the continuous and discrete wavelet transfo rm is addressed. The wavelet transform is used to decompose random pro cesses into localized orthogonal basis functions, providing a convenie nt format for the modeling, analysis, and simulation of non-stationary processes. The time and frequency analysis made possible by the wavel et transform provides insight into the character of transient signals through time-frequency maps of the time variant spectral decomposition that traditional approaches miss. In the relatively short life of the wavelet transform, it has found use in a wide variety of applications . This applications-orientated paper will briefly discuss the developm ent of the continuous and discrete wavelet transform for digital signa l analysis and present numerous examples where the authors have found wavelet analysis useful in their studies concerning the identification and characterization of transient random processes involving ocean en gineering, wind and earthquakes. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All ri ghts reserved.