Using machine learning algorithms to develop a predictive model for computing the maximum deflection of horizontally curved steel I-beams

Abstract

Horizontally curved steel I-beams exhibit a complicated mechanical response as they experience a combination of bending, shear, and torsion, which varies based on the geometry of the beam at hand. The behaviour of these beams is therefore quite difficult to predict, as they can fail due to either flexure, shear, torsion, lateral torsional buckling, or a combination of these types of failure. This therefore necessitates the usage of complicated nonlinear analyses in order to accurately model their behaviour. Currently, little guidance is provided by international design standards in consideration of the serviceability limit states of horizontally curved steel I-beams. In this research, an experimentally validated dataset was created and was used to train numerous machine learning (ML) algorithms for predicting the midspan deflection at failure as well as the failure load of numerous horizontally curved steel I-beams. According to the experimental and numerical investigation, the deep artificial neural network model was found to be the most accurate when used to predict the validation dataset, where a mean absolute error of 6.4 mm (16.20%) was observed. This accuracy far surpassed that of Castigliano’s second theorem, where the mean absolute error was found to be equal to 49.84 mm (126%). The deep artificial neural network was also capable of estimating the failure load with a mean absolute error of 30.43 kN (22.42%). This predictive model, which is the first of its kind in the international literature, can be used by professional engineers for the design of curved steel I-beams since it is currently the most accurate model ever developed.