ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK WITH EMPIRICAL MODE

DECOMPOSITION, A TOOL FOR LOAD- DEFLECTION

BEHAVIOR PREDICTION MODEL

ABSTRACT

All structures are subjected to different kind of environment and condition that results to deflections.
Deflections on slabs are natural and acceptable but there are certain limits in which if exceeded,
structures may develop cracks and can possibly cause structural failure Reinforced concrete slabs may
experience deflections due to different type of loadings thus excessive deflections can be a problem in
structural stability and lessen the structural integrity of the whole structure. This paper will use the
properties of the slabs such as slab thickness (tS), depth (dS), and span (lS); concrete compressive strength
(fCC), tensile strength (fCT), and modulus of elasticity (EC); steel yield strength (fY) and modulus of
elasticity (ES); ultimate load (PACT); and maximum deflection (δMAX) as input variables for the model
that will be simulated in Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to obtain prediction Model “A”. Empirical
Mode Decomposition (EMD) will then be applied to the dataset to reduce the input variables and simplify
the model to achieve more accurate prediction Model “B”. The two models will be evaluated based on
their Mean Square Error (MSE) and Regression Value (R). The model with the highest validation set
value, lowest mean square error of the simpler model will be chosen as the best prediction model out of
the simulated models with different number of neurons and variables.

Keywords: Reinforced Concrete Slab, Deflection, Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Empirical Mode
Decomposition (EMD)

April 2019
 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

The chapter 1 would state the background, objective, significance, scope and limitations and
the conceptual framework of the study.

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

1.1.1 Reinforced Concrete Slabs

Reinforced concrete is an adaptable composite and one of the most generally utilized
construction material (Ahmed, 2016). Concrete alone is strong under compression, but
relatively weak at withstanding tensile and shear stresses caused by winds, vibrations, and
other forces. To enhance its overall strength, reinforcement of steel bars, plates and fibers
can be entrenched in concrete before it hardens to form a strong bond together that the two
components act simultaneously in repelling forces. Reinforcement is generally designed
to resist tensile stresses in a certain part of concrete that might cause unpredicted deflection,
cracking and/or structural failure.

Reinforced concrete (RC) slabs show complexities in their structural behavior under load
due to the complex nature of the material and the multitude and variety of factors that affect
such behavior. Existing methods for obtaining the load-deflection of reinforced concrete
slabs are limited in scope and are mostly dependable on the findings of experimental tests
(Bamiyo et.al, 2017). A lot of research work has been dedicated to developing an effective
approach using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model to predict the load-deflection
behavior of reinforced concrete slab. Such prediction could be beneficial to a structural
engineer on a preliminary basis to govern the initial suitability of a specific slab design.

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 1.1.2 Load-Deflection

In a structure, concrete has the exceptional compressive strength. Nowadays, reinforcements

are added in the design for additional features and improve the overall integrity of a
structure. Reinforcement provides structures tensile strength to prevent bending.

Deflections on slabs are natural and acceptable but there are certain limits which were
specified by applicable codes such as American Concrete Institute (ACI), Indian Standard
Codes (ISC) and Euro Codes. If the deflection on the slabs exceeds the limit, it can cause
turmoil for the occupants; cracks can develop and occasionally can cause malfunctioning of
doors and windows. Other factors like presence of water in the slab can possibly lessen the
building’s structural integrity.

One of the causes of excessive deflections in RC Slabs is its design such as the slab’s
thickness and its reinforcement ratio. There are lots of factors that affect the slab to
deflect excessively. This study will only focus on the design and strength of the slab to
accomplish the desired objectives.

1.1.3 Artificial Neural Network

Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is one of the leading programmed tools used in machine
learning (Gaith et.al, 2015). As the word ‘neural’ suggests, ANN is similar to the human
nervous system which works through receiving, processing, and understanding the data and
make rational decisions with respect to the obtained information, then the knowledge will
be stored for future purposes. Artificial neural networks consist of input and output layers,
having hidden layers in between, in most cases, which consists of components that
transform the input data into information that the output layer can use. ANN is a tool that
is excellent in finding patterns which are too complex for a human brain to process
effectively. Some of the characteristics of ANN that make them useful for different types of
application are (Moselhi et al., 1992):

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  Neural networks are organized within a parallel, decentralized structure rather
than the serial architecture found in conventional computer algorithms. As a result
processing occurs in a rapid manner;
 They have distributed memories; neural network memories are represented by
interconnection weights spread over all of the network's processing elements;
 They are fault tolerant, that is, they are still functional even after several
processing elements are damaged and become defective;
 They have the ability to learn-by-example;
 They have the ability to simulate the behavior of systems with limited modeling
effort; and
 They can provide speedy and reasonably accurate solutions in complex, uncertain,
and subjective situations.

1.1.4 Empirical Mode Decomposition

Due to wide variety of parameters affecting the deflections of reinforced concrete slabs, it
would be difficult for the neural network to learn all the significant features. Therefore,
some possible techniques are laid-out so that the raw data could be broken down into
simpler ones that might help the neural network to learn faster and obtain better accuracy as
well.

1.2. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The main problem of the study is how to predict the load-deflection behavior of reinforced
concrete slabs accurately using Artificial Neural Network (ANN). In addition to the main
problem, sub-problems were:

1. on how to verify the data gathered useful and reliable to the study;
2. on how to simplify input data sets;
3. on how to classify the simplified data sets that serves as input for the network
and;
4. on how to measure the performance of the system.

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 1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is to develop an Artificial Neural Network (ANN)
Model Based Load-Deflection Prediction of reinforced concrete slab. Specifically, this
study aims to:

a. gather necessary data of independent variables which are significant to develop

the model;
b. investigate the sustainability of neural network in simulating behavioral patterns
of different parameters;
c. apply empirical mode decomposition to make a more simple data sets;
d. create a new load-deflection prediction model “B” which uses the decomposed
datasets;
e. obtain an accurate neural network architecture for the main objective; and
f. determine the performance of the system by mean squared error.

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study will serve as a basis for future researches that deals with the development of
load-deflection behavior prediction of reinforced concrete slabs with the use of artificial
neural network and other related prediction topics. The methods and results of this study can
be able to contribute to other researchers’ knowledge where the relevant topics could be
used in their future researches. If the mathematical model can give a favorable output, the
application of the model can be used as a basis of providing rapid assessment on predicting
actual load-deflection of reinforced concrete slabs. Such predictions can be used as
preliminary basis of engineers to design particular slab with accordance to the mathematical
model provided and will also help to maximize structure’s lifespan. Also, the significance
of this research was to develop an artificial neural network model of the load-deflection of
reinforced concrete slabs that was sufficiently accurate to be of use to practicing engineers,
and overcome the speed problem of existing traditional methods of analysis, thus facilitating
the search for an optimal design solution.

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 1.5 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The main purpose of this study was to design the load-deflection behavior model of
reinforced concrete slabs. This study will only focus on simulation of the gathered data in
MATLAB. This paper will not cover the type of slabs indicated in the collected data sets but
focuses in valuable information used as parameters in the system. Also, the types of
loadings used are not included in the data sets and the data sets only consist of the
maximum deflections at maximum loads.

1.6 FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY

1.6.1 Theoretical framework

Structural health monitoring of a building is essential for the safety factor of the facility.
One parameter that should be given further importance in designing a structure is the
checking of serviceability criteria due to load-deflections. This study focuses on predicting
the load-deflection of reinforced concrete slab due to different given load. The researchers
will gather data that will suffice relevant parameters to achieve the out puts. Artificial
Neural Network (ANN) is the method that will be used to design the mathematical model
and provide accurate data output.

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 1.6.2 Conceptual Framework:

The conceptual framework of the study is shown in figure 1.1.

INPUT
Gathered Data such
as Slab Thickness
(TS), Depth (DS), and
Span (LS); Concrete
Compressive
Strength (FCC),
Tensile Strength
(FCT), and Modulus
of Elasticity (EC);
Steel Yield Strength
(fY) and Modulus of
Elasticity (ES);
Ultimate Load
(PACT); and
Maximum
Deflection (δMAX)
PROCESS
Application of ANN
for load-deflection
prediction using all OUTPUT
the parameters
Load-Deflection
Evaluation of ANN Prediction Model
for load-deflection
prediction using
reduced parameters
and different
number of neurons

Figure 1.1: Conceptual Framework

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Artificial Neural Network – An Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is a computational model

designed to simulate patterns imitating how the brain works; processing and analyzing
information. Our brain usually learns from past experiences, in which if the same experience
happens, our brain knows basically what to do. ANN‘s are the foundations of Artificial
Intelligence (AI) that solve problems that would be hard for human brain to process. ANN has
self-taught abilities that enables us to make better results from the data available.

Deflection - In structural and civil engineering, deflection is the extent in which a

structural component is displaced due to applied load. It can be implied as the
altered angle or distance of the element.

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Empirical Mode Decomposition – An Empirical Mode Decomposition or EMD is a process
of breaking down a signal i n t o s i m p l e r s i g n a l without changing the time domain. The
method is convenient in evaluating natural signals, which are most often non-linear or non-
stationary.

Reinforced Concrete – A reinforced concrete is a structural element in which a concrete with

low tensile strength is embedded with steel reinforcements having high tensile strength, so that
the two elements act simultaneously in repelling forces.

Slab – A slab is a structural component usually made from concrete and steel
reinforcement that is used to make plane surfaces such as roof decks, ceilings, and floors. A
slab is commonly several inches thick which are supported by walls, ground, beams, and
columns.