Wavelet Analysis for Surface Characterisation: an Experimental Assessment

A new approach based on wavelets for the mathematical treatment of surface roughness is presented. Wavelet theory, firstly developed for the analysis, compression and subband filtering in signal processing, can be used as a tool for the treatment of profiles and surfaces. In this paper the effectiveness of this new application is discussed, considering either synthetic and real surfaces, with the aim of evidencing the peculiarities of this methodology. Moreover, an assessment of the descriptive capability of this approach to identify the main features of the profile is given.