ANN-Python prediction model for the compressive strength of green concrete

Abstract

Purpose Utilization of sustainable materials is a global demand in the construction industry. Hence, this study aims to integrate waste management and artificial intelligence by developing an artificial neural network (ANN) model to predict the compressive strength of green concrete. The proposed model allows the use of recycled coarse aggregate (RCA), recycled fine aggregate (RFA) and fly ash (FA) as partial replacements of concrete constituents. Design/methodology/approach The model is constructed, trained and validated using python through a set of experimental data collected from the literature. The model’s architecture comprises an input layer containing seven neurons representing concrete constituents and two neurons as the output layer to represent the 7- and 28-days compressive strength. The model showed high performance through multiple metrics, including mean squared error (MSE) of 2.41 and 2.00 for training and testing data sets, respectively. Findings Results showed that cement replacement with 10% FA causes a slight reduction up to 9% in the compressive strength, especially at early ages. Moreover, a decrease of nearly 40% in the 28-days compressive strength was noticed when replacing fine aggregate with 25% RFA. Research limitations/implications The research is limited to normal compressive strength of green concrete with a range of 25 to 40 MPa. Practical implications The developed model is designed in a flexible and user-friendly manner to be able to contribute to the sustainable development of the construction industry by saving time, effort and cost consumed in the experimental testing of materials. Social implications Green concrete containing wastes can solve several environmental problems, such as waste disposal problems, depletion of natural resources and energy consumption. Originality/value This research proposes a machine learning prediction model using the Python programming language to estimate the compressive strength of a green concrete mix that includes construction and demolition waste and FA. The ANN model is used to create three guidance charts through a parametric study to obtain the compressive strength of green concrete using RCA, RFA and FA replacements.