Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) rebars are increasingly being used as an alternative to steel rebars in reinforced concrete (RC) members due to their excellent corrosion resistance capability and enhanced mechanical properties. Extensive research works have been performed in the last two decades to develop predictive models, codes, and guidelines to estimate the axial load-carrying capacity of FRP-RC columns. This study utilizes the power of artificial intelligence and develops an alternative approach to predict the axial capacity of FRP-RC columns more accurately using data-driven machine learning (ML) algorithms. A database of 117 tests of axially loaded FRP-RC columns is collected from the literature. The geometric and material properties, column shape and slenderness ratio, reinforcement details, and FRP types are used as the input variables, while the load-carrying capacity is used as the output response to develop the ML models. Furthermore, the input-output relationship of the ML model is explained through feature importance analysis and the SHapely Additive exPlanations (SHAP) approach. Eight ML models, namely, Kernel Ridge Regression, Lasso Regression, Support Vector Machine, Gradient Boosting Machine, Adaptive Boosting, Random Forest, Categorical Gradient Boosting, and Extreme Gradient Boosting, are used in this study for capacity prediction, and their relative performances are compared to identify the best-performing ML model. Finally, predictive equations are proposed using the harmony search optimization and the model interpretations obtained through the SHAP algorithm.

The main object of this study was to use a geometric morphometric approach to quantify the left-right symmetry of talus bones.

Concrete-filled steel tubular columns have garnered wide interest among researchers due to their favorable structural characteristics. To attain the best possible performance from concrete-filled steel tubular columns while reducing the cost, the use of optimization algorithms is indispensable. In this regard, metaheuristic algorithms are finding increasing application in structural engineering due to their high efficiency. Various equations that predict the ultimate axial load-carrying capacity (N_u) of concrete-filled steel tubular columns are available in design codes as well as in the research literature. However, most of these equations are only applicable within certain parameter ranges. To overcome this limitation, the present study adopts a recently developed set of equations for the prediction of Nu that have broader ranges of applicability. Furthermore, a newly developed metaheuristic algorithm, called the social spider algorithm, is introduced and applied in optimizing the cross-section of circular concrete-filled steel tubular columns. The improvement of the structural dimensioning under the Nu constraint is demonstrated. The objective underlying the optimization presented here is to minimize the CO₂ emission and cost associated with the fabrication of concrete-filled steel tubular stub columns. In this context, the relationships between the cross-sectional dimensioning of circular concrete-filled steel tubular columns and the associated CO₂ emissions and cost are characterized and visualized.