Conventional ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) has excellent development potential. However, a significant quantity of CO2 is produced throughout the cement-making process, which is in contrary to the current worldwide trend of lowering emissions and conserving energy, thus restricting the further advancement of UHPC. Considering climate change and sustainability concerns, cementless, eco-friendly, alkali-activated UHPC (AA-UHPC) materials have recently received considerable attention. Following the emergence of advanced prediction techniques aimed at reducing experimental tools and labor costs, this study provides a comparative study of different methods based on machine learning (ML) algorithms to propose an active learning-based ML model (AL-Stacked ML) for predicting the compressive strength of AA-UHPC. A data-rich framework containing 284 experimental datasets and 18 input parameters was collected. A comprehensive evaluation of the significance of input features that may affect compressive strength of AA-UHPC was performed. Results confirm that AL-Stacked ML-3 with accuracy of 98.9% can be used for different general experimental specimens, which have been tested in this research. Active learning can improve the accuracy up to 4.1% and further enhance the Stacked ML models. In addition, graphical user interface (GUI) was introduced and validated by experimental tests to facilitate comparable prospective studies and predictions.
14 June 2024 in Archives of Computational Methods in Engineering
In recent years, fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) in reinforced concrete (RC) members have gained significant attention due to their exceptional properties, including lightweight construction, high specific strength, and stiffness. These attributes have found application in structures, infrastructures, wind power equipment, and various advanced civil products. However, the production process and the extensive testing required for assessing their suitability incur significant time and cost. The emergence of Industry 4.0 has presented opportunities to address these drawbacks by leveraging machine learning (ML) methods. ML techniques have recently been used to forecast the properties and assess the importance of process parameters for efficient structural design and their broad applications. Given their wide range of applications, this work aims to perform a comprehensive analysis of ML algorithms used for predicting the mechanical properties of FRPs. The performance evaluation of various models was discussed, and a detailed analysis of their pros and cons was provided. Finally, the limitations that currently exist in these techniques were pinpointed, and suggestions were given to improve their prediction precision suitable for evaluating the mechanical properties of FRP components.
24 June 2025 in Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence