Evaluating the impact of waste marble on the compressive strength of traditional concrete using machine learning

Waste marble, an industrial byproduct generated from marble cutting and polishing processes, can be effectively utilized as a partial replacement in concrete mixtures. Incorporating waste marble in concrete not only addresses environmental concerns related to marble waste disposal but also contributes to the sustainability of construction materials. Using machine learning (ML) to predict the impact of waste marble on the compressive strength of traditional concrete offers several advantages over repeated laboratory experiments. ML offers a powerful alternative to costly and time-consuming laboratory experiments, enabling faster and more sustainable exploration of the potential of waste marble in improving concrete's compressive strength. This research has focused on evaluating the impact of waste marble on the compressive strength of traditional concrete using machine learning (ML). Advanced ML techniques such as the Group Methods Data Handling Neural Network (GMDH-NN), Support Vector Regression (SVR), K-Nearest Neighbors (kNN) and Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost) have been applied in this research work. The GMDH-NN model was created using GMDH Shell 3.0 software, while AdaBoost, SVR and kNN models were created using "Orange Data Mining" software version 3.36. Error indices such as the sum of squared error (SSE), mean absolute error (MAE), mean squared error (MSE), root mean squared error (RMSE), and Error (%), and performance metrics such as Accuracy % and the R² between predicted and calculated compressive strength parameters were used to evaluate the overall behavior of the models. Finally, the Hoffman sensitivity analysis procedure was applied to determine the individual relative impact of the input variables on the output. At the end of the processes, a total of 1135 waste marble concrete entries were collected containing constituents such as the cement density (C), waste marble (WM), fine aggregate (FAg), coarse aggregate (CAg), water (W), superplasticizer (PL) and curing age (Age) used as input variables of the waste marble concrete model. The records were divided into training set (900 records = 80%) and validation set (235 records = 20%) following standard partitioning pattern reported in the literature. The kNN and AdaBoost, with SSE of 1408.5 MPa² and 1397 MPa² respectively and a tie Accuracy of 95.5% and R² of 0.985 showed the best models suggesting excellent model performance while GMDH-NN showed the worst. Conversely, RF balances accuracy and model complexity, making it a practical alternative to kNN and AdaBoost. And lastly, Age, Coarse Aggregates, Water, and Plasticizer play the most significant roles in determining the compressive strength, while Cement, Waste Marble, and Fine Aggregates have comparatively smaller impacts. However, considering the standard proportion required for waste marble powder to replace cement, it showed a remarkable influence on the behavior of the concrete thus a recommended potential for its used as replacement for cement.