A practical neuro-fuzzy model for estimating modulus of elasticity of concrete

The mechanical characteristics of materials are very essential in structural analysis for the accuracy of structural calculations. The estimation modulus of elasticity of concrete (E-c), one of the most important mechanical characteristics, is a very complex area in terms of analytical models. Many attempts have been made to model the modulus of elasticity through the use of experimental data. In this study, the neuro-fuzzy (NF) technique was investigated in estimating modulus of elasticity of concrete and a new simple NF model by implementing a different NF system approach was proposed. A large experimental database was used during the development stage. Then, NF model results were compared with various experimental data and results from several models available in related research literature. Several statistic measuring parameters were used to evaluate the performance of the NF model comparing to other models. Consequently, it has been observed that NF technique can be successfully used in estimating modulus of elasticity of concrete. It was also discovered that NF model results correlated strongly with experimental data and indicated more reliable outcomes in comparison to the other models.