Machine learning techniques applied to prediction of residual strength of clay

Stability with first time or reactivated landslides depends upon the residual shear strength of soil. This paper describes prediction of the residual strength of soil based on index properties using two machine learning techniques. Different Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models and Support Vector Machine (SVM) techniques have been used. SVM aims at minimizing a bound on the generalization error of a model rather than at minimizing the error on the training data only. The ANN models along with their generalizations capabilities are presented here for comparisons. This study also highlights the capability of SVM model over ANN models for the prediction of the residual strength of soil. Based on different statistical parameters, the SVM model is found to be better than the developed ANN models. A model equation has been developed for prediction of the residual strength based on the SVM for practicing geotechnical engineers. Sensitivity analyses have been also performed to investigate the effects of different index properties on the residual strength of soil.     

Prediction of undrained shear strength using extreme gradient boosting and random forest based on Bayesian optimization

Accurate assessment of undrained shear strength(USS)for soft sensitive clays is a great concern in geotechnical engineering practice.This study applies novel data-driven extreme gradient boosting(XGBoost)and random forest(RF)ensemble learning methods for capturing the relationships between the USS and various basic soil parameters.Based on the soil data sets from TC304 database,a general approach is developed to predict the USS of soft clays using the two machine learning methods above,where five feature variables including the preconsolidation stress(PS),vertical effective stress(VES),liquid limit(LL),plastic limit(PL)and natural water content(W)are adopted.To reduce the dependence on the rule of thumb and inefficient brute-force search,the Bayesian optimization method is applied to determine the appropriate model hyper-parameters of both XGBoost and RF.The developed models are comprehensively compared with three comparison machine learning methods and two transformation models with respect to predictive accuracy and robustness under 5-fold cross-validation(CV).It is shown that XGBoost-based and RF-based methods outperform these approaches.Besides,the XGBoostbased model provides feature importance ranks,which makes it a promising tool in the prediction of geotechnical parameters and enhances the interpretability of model.     

Intelligent modelling of clay compressibility using hybrid meta-heuristic and machine learning algorithms

Compression index Ccis an essential parameter in geotechnical design for which the effectiveness of correlation is still a challenge.This paper suggests a novel modelling approach using machine learning(ML)technique.The performance of five commonly used machine learning(ML)algorithms,i.e.back-propagation neural network(BPNN),extreme learning machine(ELM),support vector machine(SVM),random forest(RF)and evolutionary polynomial regression(EPR)in predicting Cc is comprehensively investigated.A database with a total number of 311 datasets including three input variables,i.e.initial void ratio e0,liquid limit water content wL,plasticity index Ip,and one output variable Cc is first established.Genetic algorithm(GA)is used to optimize the hyper-parameters in five ML algorithms,and the average prediction error for the 10-fold cross-validation(CV)sets is set as thefitness function in the GA for enhancing the robustness of ML models.The results indicate that ML models outperform empirical prediction formulations with lower prediction error.RF yields the lowest error followed by BPNN,ELM,EPR and SVM.If the ranges of input variables in the database are large enough,BPNN and RF models are recommended to predict Cc.Furthermore,if the distribution of input variables is continuous,RF model is the best one.Otherwise,EPR model is recommended if the ranges of input variables are small.The predicted correlations between input and output variables using five ML models show great agreement with the physical explanation.     

Spatial landslide susceptibility assessment using machine learning techniques assisted by additional data created with generative adversarial networks

In recent years,landslide susceptibility mapping has substantially improved with advances in machine learning.However,there are still challenges remain in landslide mapping due to the availability of limited inventory data.In this paper,a novel method that improves the performance of machine learning techniques is presented.The proposed method creates synthetic inventory data using Generative Adversarial Networks(GANs)for improving the prediction of landslides.In this research,landslide inventory data of 156 landslide locations were identified in Cameron Highlands,Malaysia,taken from previous projects the authors worked on.Elevation,slope,aspect,plan curvature,profile curvature,total curvature,lithology,land use and land cover(LULC),distance to the road,distance to the river,stream power index(SPI),sediment transport index(STI),terrain roughness index(TRI),topographic wetness index(TWI)and vegetation density are geo-environmental factors considered in this study based on suggestions from previous works on Cameron Highlands.To show the capability of GANs in improving landslide prediction models,this study tests the proposed GAN model with benchmark models namely Artificial Neural Network(ANN),Support Vector Machine(SVM),Decision Trees(DT),Random Forest(RF)and Bagging ensemble models with ANN and SVM models.These models were validated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUROC).The DT,RF,SVM,ANN and Bagging ensemble could achieve the AUROC values of(0.90,0.94,0.86,0.69 and 0.82)for the training;and the AUROC of(0.76,0.81,0.85,0.72 and 0.75)for the test,subsequently.When using additional samples,the same models achieved the AUROC values of(0.92,0.94,0.88,0.75 and 0.84)for the training and(0.78,0.82,0.82,0.78 and 0.80)for the test,respectively.Using the additional samples improved the test accuracy of all the models except SVM.As a result,in data-scarce environments,this research showed that utilizing GANs to generate supplementary samples is promising because it can improve the predictive capability of common landslide prediction models.     

Spatial Variability of Rock Depth in Bangalore Using Geostatistical, Neural Network and Support Vector Machine Models

Geospatial technology is increasing in demand for many applications in geosciences. Spatial variability of the bed/hard rock is vital for many applications in geotechnical and earthquake engineering problems such as design of deep foundations, site amplification, ground response studies, liquefaction, microzonation etc. In this paper, reduced level of rock at Bangalore, India is arrived from the 652 boreholes data in the area covering 220 km². In the context of prediction of reduced level of rock in the subsurface of Bangalore and to study the spatial variability of the rock depth, Geostatistical model based on Ordinary Kriging technique, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) models have been developed. In Ordinary Kriging, the knowledge of the semi-variogram of the reduced level of rock from 652 points in Bangalore is used to predict the reduced level of rock at any point in the subsurface of the Bangalore, where field measurements are not available. A new type of cross-validation analysis developed proves the robustness of the Ordinary Kriging model. ANN model based on multi layer perceptrons (MLPs) that are trained with Levenberg–Marquardt backpropagation algorithm has been adopted to train the model with 90% of the data available. The SVM is a novel type of learning machine based on statistical learning theory, uses regression technique by introducing loss function has been used to predict the reduced level of rock from a large set of data. In this study, a comparative study of three numerical models to predict reduced level of rock has been presented and discussed.     

Support vector machine applied to settlement of shallow foundations on cohesionless soils

The determination of settlement of shallow foundations on cohesionless soil is an important task in geotechnical engineering. Available methods for the determination of settlement are not reliable. In this study, the support vector machine (SVM), a novel type of learning algorithm based on statistical theory, has been used to predict the settlement of shallow foundations on cohesionless soil. SVM uses a regression technique by introducing an ε – insensitive loss function. A thorough sensitive analysis has been made to ascertain which parameters are having maximum influence on settlement. The study shows that SVM has the potential to be a useful and practical tool for prediction of settlement of shallow foundation on cohesionless soil.     

Spatial prediction of landslide susceptibility using GIS-based statistical and machine learning models in Wanzhou County,Three Gorges Reservoir,China

Landslide susceptibility mapping is vital for landslide risk management and urban planning. In this study, we used three statistical models [frequency ratio, certainty factor and index of entropy (IOE)] and a machine learning model [random forest (RF)] for landslide susceptibility mapping in Wanzhou County, China. First, a landslide inventory map was prepared using earlier geotechnical investigation reports, aerial images, and field surveys. Then, the redundant factors were excluded from the initial fourteen landslide causal factors via factor correlation analysis. To determine the most effective causal factors, landslide susceptibility evaluations were performed based on four cases with different combinations of factors (“cases”). In the analysis, 465 (70%) landslide locations were randomly selected for model training, and 200 (30%) landslide locations were selected for verification. The results showed that case 3 produced the best performance for the statistical models and that case 2 produced the best performance for the RF model. Finally, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to verify the accuracy of each model’s results for its respective optimal case. The ROC curve analysis showed that the machine learning model performed better than the other three models, and among the three statistical models, the IOE model with weight coefficients was superior.

     

Classification of slopes and prediction of factor of safety using differential evolution neural networks

Slope stability analysis is one of the most important problems in geotechnical engineering. The development in slope stability analysis has followed the development in computational geotechnical engineering. This paper discusses the application of different recently developed artificial neural network models to slope stability analysis based on the actual slope failure database available in the literature. Different ANN models are developed to classify the slope as stable or unstable (failed) and to predict the factor of safety. The developed ANN model is found to be efficient compared with other methods like support vector machine and genetic programming available in literature. Prediction models are presented based on the developed ANN model parameters. Different sensitivity analyses are made to identify the important input parameters.     

Prediction of shield jamming risk for double-shield TBM tunnels based on numerical samples and random forest classifier

Acta Geotechnica - Currently, various machine learning (ML) techniques have been developed to solve geotechnical engineering problems. However, the lack of representative field samples limits the...     

Flood susceptibility modelling using advanced ensemble machine learning models

Floods are one of nature's most destructive disasters because of the immense damage to land, buildings, and human fatalities.It is difficult to forecast the areas that are vulnerable to flash flooding due to the dynamic and complex nature of the flash floods.Therefore, earlier identification of flash flood susceptible sites can be performed using advanced machine learning models for managing flood disasters.In this study, we applied and assessed two new hybrid ensemble models, namely Dagging and Random Subspace(RS) coupled with Artificial Neural Network(ANN), Random Forest(RF), and Support Vector Machine(SVM) which are the other three state-of-the-art machine learning models for modelling flood susceptibility maps at the Teesta River basin, the northern region of Bangladesh.The application of these models includes twelve flood influencing factors with 413 current and former flooding points, which were transferred in a GIS environment.The information gain ratio, the multicollinearity diagnostics tests were employed to determine the association between the occurrences and flood influential factors.For the validation and the comparison of these models, for the ability to predict the statistical appraisal measures such as Freidman, Wilcoxon signed-rank, and t-paired tests and Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve(ROC) were employed.The value of the Area Under the Curve(AUC) of ROC was above 0.80 for all models.For flood susceptibility modelling, the Dagging model performs superior, followed by RF,the ANN, the SVM, and the RS, then the several benchmark models.The approach and solution-oriented outcomes outlined in this paper will assist state and local authorities as well as policy makers in reducing flood-related threats and will also assist in the implementation of effective mitigation strategies to mitigate future damage.     

Application of Artificial Intelligence to Maximum Dry Density and Unconfined Compressive Strength of Cement Stabilized Soil

This paper describes two artificial intelligence techniques for prediction of maximum dry density (MDD) and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of cement stabilized soil. The first technique uses various artificial neural network (ANN) models such as Bayesian regularization method (BRNN), Levenberg- Marquardt algorithm (LMNN) and differential evolution algorithm (DENN). The second technique uses the support vector machine (SVM) that is firmly based on the theory of statistical learning theory, uses regression technique by introducing ε-insensitive loss function has been adopted. The inputs of both models are liquid limit (LL), plasticity index (PI), clay fraction (CF)%, sand (S)%, gravel Gr (%), moisture content (MC) and cement content (Ce). The sensitivity analyses of the input parameters have been also done for both models. Based on different statistical criteria the SVM models are found to be better than ANN models for the prediction of MDD and UCS of cement stabilized soil.     

How do machine learning techniques help in increasing accuracy of landslide susceptibility maps?

Landslides are abundant in mountainous regions.They are responsible for substantial damages and losses in those areas.The A1 Highway,which is an important road in Algeria,was sometimes constructed in mountainous and/or semi-mountainous areas.Previous studies of landslide susceptibility mapping conducted near this road using statistical and expert methods have yielded ordinary results.In this research,we are interested in how do machine learning techniques help in increasing accuracy of landslide susceptibility maps in the vicinity of the A1 Highway corridor.To do this,an important section at Ain Bouziane(NE,Algeria) is chosen as a case study to evaluate the landslide susceptibility using three different machine learning methods,namely,random forest(RF),support vector machine(SVM),and boosted regression tree(BRT).First,an inventory map and nine input factors were prepared for landslide susceptibility mapping(LSM) analyses.The three models were constructed to find the most susceptible areas to this phenomenon.The results were assessed by calculating the receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve,the standard error(Std.error),and the confidence interval(CI) at 95%.The RF model reached the highest predictive accuracy(AUC=97.2%) comparatively to the other models.The outcomes of this research proved that the obtained machine learning models had the ability to predict future landslide locations in this important road section.In addition,their application gives an improvement of the accuracy of LSMs near the road corridor.The machine learning models may become an important prediction tool that will identify landslide alleviation actions.     

Analysis of soil nail walls performance - Case study

This study surveys the performance of temporary soil nail walls with a maximum height of 29.3 m in the Yas project, located in Tehran. Some numerical models, with various modelling approaches, were developed using finite element software and the proper modelling approaches were specified and verified.The modelling results were analysed and compared with the in situ monitored data. The results demonstrate the model’s horizontal deformations are generally greater than the in situ monitored values. To decrease the differences between models and monitored results, the effect of variations of the soil parameters had been surveyed and the limits of needed variations were specified.     

Learning soil parameters and updating geotechnical reliability estimates under spatial variability – theory and application to shallow foundations

ABSTRACT

Field data is commonly used to determine soil parameters for geotechnical analysis. Bayesian analysis allows combining field data with other information on soil parameters in a consistent manner. We show that the spatial variability of the soil properties and the associated measurements can be captured through two different modelling approaches. In the first approach, a single random variable (RV) represents the soil property within the area of interest, while the second approach models the spatial variability explicitly with a random field (RF). We apply the Bayesian concept exemplarily to the reliability assessment of a shallow foundation in a silty soil with spatially variable data. We show that the simpler RV approach is applicable in cases where the measurements do not influence the correlation structure of the soil property at the vicinity of the foundation. In other cases, it is expected to underestimate the reliability, and a RF model is required to obtain accurate results.     

深基坑土钉和预应力锚杆复合支护方式的探讨

土钉与预应力锚杆的复合支护方式是当前基坑工程中经常采用的支护方式。结合工程实例,利用有限元软件PLAXIS,合理选择本构模型,对土钉和预应力锚杆复合支护方式和土钉墙两种支护方式的基坑边坡稳定系数和边坡变形进行了分析。分析结果表明,在土钉和预应力锚杆的复合支护方式中,预应力锚杆的位置比较重要,通常锚杆的位置越靠近坡顶,则锚杆发挥的作用越大,效果越理想;土钉和预应力锚杆的复合支护方式与土钉支护相比,位移有所减小,但合理选择锚杆的数量和预应力值对最终效果有一定影响;基坑边坡的局部放坡有利于控制基坑坑口的最大水平位移。     

Comparison on landslide nonlinear displacement analysis and prediction with computational intelligence approaches

Landslide displacement is widely obtained to discover landslide behaviors for purpose of event forecasting. This article aims to present a comparative study on landslide nonlinear displacement analysis and prediction using computational intelligence techniques. Three state-of-art techniques, the support vector machine (SVM), the relevance vector machine (RVM), and the Gaussian process (GP), are comparatively presented briefly for modeling landslide displacement series. The three techniques are discussed comparatively for both fitting and predicting the landslide displacement series. Two landslides, the Baishuihe colluvial landslide in China Three Georges and the Super-Sauze mudslide in the French Alps, are illustrated. The results prove that the computational intelligence approaches are feasible and capable of fitting and predicting landslide nonlinear displacement. The Gaussian process, on the whole, performs better than the support vector machine, relevance vector machine, and simple artificial neural network (ANN) with optimized parameter values in predictive analysis of the landslide displacement.     

深基坑土钉支护现场测试分析研究

土钉支护技术在我国深基坑开挖和支护中己得到了广泛的应用,但对其工作机理和计算方法的研究尚不完善。以一个基坑土钉支护工程为实例,对基坑水平位移、土钉拉力进行现场测试,得出了土钉水平位移和拉力的分布规律:(1)基坑最大位移发生在基坑顶部;(2)沿基坑深度范围受力最大的土钉在中部;(3)单根土钉最大拉力作用点在其长度的中部,沿基坑深度方向土钉最大拉力作用点的连线形成的曲线是潜在最危险滑动面的位置。     

Least square support vector machine and relevance vector machine for evaluating seismic liquefaction potential using SPT

The determination of liquefaction potential of soil is an imperative task in earthquake geotechnical engineering. The current research aims at proposing least square support vector machine (LSSVM) and relevance vector machine (RVM) as novel classification techniques for the determination of liquefaction potential of soil from actual standard penetration test (SPT) data. The LSSVM is a statistical learning method that has a self-contained basis of statistical learning theory and excellent learning performance. RVM is based on a Bayesian formulation. It can generalize well and provide inferences at low computational cost. Both models give probabilistic output. A comparative study has been also done between developed two models and artificial neural network model. The study shows that RVM is the best model for the prediction of liquefaction potential of soil is based on SPT data.     

广义回归神经网络预测加筋土支挡结构高度

土工合成材料加筋支挡结构（Geosythetics-Reinforced Retaining Wall, 简称GRW）设计方法主要是建立在似粘聚力理论基础之上的半经验设计法。由于土性及加筋机理的复杂性，常常要对它们进行人为假定，导致计算结果差强人意。神经网络方法与传统方法的不同之处在于不需要主观假定，而是模拟人脑思维，通过数据样本的学习来获得预测结果。引入神经网络技术来预测加筋土支挡结构的设计高度是一种新尝试。由于本问题具有样本容量非常有限、影响因素复杂多样的特点。因此，采用适用于稀土样本数据的广义回归网络（General Regression Neural Network)来预测加筋土支挡结构设计高度。基于MATLAB神经网络工具箱及文献[1]的挡墙离心模型试验结果，建立了一个可用于加筋支挡结构设计高度预测的GRNN网络。通过对足尺试验，实际工程及模型试验结果的检验，表明网络的学习是成功的，具有一定指导意义。     

土钉墙开挖性状的有限元分析

土钉墙是粉砂土、黏性土等地区基坑开挖围护的主要形式之一。采用ABAQUS有限元软件建立土钉-面层-土体的相互作用模型,土体应用Mohr-Coulomb本构模型,土体与土钉间的接触性质为摩擦小滑移,在此基础上,得到了土体深层水平位移、面层位移、面层土压力和土钉轴力的分布形式和基本规律。计算结果表明：深层土体水平位移的最大值发生在墙顶靠下或者墙顶的位置;坑底水平位移从坡脚向坑中逐渐变小,在基坑开挖深度范围内,减小的速率较大,以后趋于某一稳定值;土钉轴力两头较小,中间较大,作用在面层上的作用力值远小于土钉轴力,该力与作用在面层上的作用力之和等于土钉轴力;土钉墙的面层土压力随着深度的增加,先增加到最大值后,再逐渐减小,每开挖一步面层土压力就会增加,且最大值向下移动。