Application of machine learning methods for predicting the mechanical properties of rubbercrete

The use of waste rubber in concrete can reduce natural aggregate consumption and improve some technical properties of concrete. Although there are several equations for estimating the mechanical properties of concrete containing waste rubber, limited numbers of machine learning-based models have been proposed to predict the mechanical properties of rubbercrete. In this study, an extensive database of the mechanical properties of rubbercrete was gathered from a comprehensive survey of the literature. To model the mechanical properties of rubbercrete, M5P tree and linear gene expression programming (LGEP) methods as two machine learning techniques were employed to achieve reliable mathematical equations. Two procedures of input variable selection were considered in this study. The crucial component ratios of rubbercrete and concrete age were assumed as the input variables in the first procedure. In contrast, the volumes of the coarse and fine waste rubber and the compressive strength of concrete without waste rubber were considered the second procedure of the input variables. The results show that the models obtained by LGEP are more accurate than those achieved by the M5P model tree and existing traditional equations. Besides, the volumes of the coarse and fine waste rubber and the compressive strength of concrete without waste rubber are better predictors of the mechanical properties of rubbercrete compared to the first procedure of input variable selection.