Machine learning-driven prediction of compressive strength in sustainable geopolymer concrete using artificial neural network and random forest models

Abstract

ABSTRACT Geopolymer concrete is a sustainable substitute for ordinary Portland cement which minimizes carbon dioxide emissions and effectively utilizes the waste from industries. Proper predictive estimating compressive strength can assist in the mix deign optimization, structural reliability. The article presents a machine learning-based framework to predict the compressive strength of geopolymer concrete made with multiple industrial by-products as binders. This study investigated the subsequent strength of concrete when subjected to fly ash, ground granulated blast furnace slag, metakaolin, silica fume, and rice husk ash. A database was developed containing 243 experimentally prepared samples with different mix proportions. The study conducted the compressive strength prediction by implementing Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Random Forest (RF) models in Python. The performance of model was analyzed through the coefficient of determination (R2) and mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE). The RF model was found to be superior to the ANN model with R2 = 0.97, MAE = 1.9969, RMSE = 3.0586, which was an accurate result whereas ANN model was lower accurate R2 = 0.78. The results show that techniques using ensemble learning can capture complex non-linear relationships, reduce experimental efforts and assist in developing efficient and sustainable geopolymer concrete mix designs.