Random Forests Machine Learning Applied to PEER Structural Performance Experimental Columns Database

Columns play a very important role in structural performance and, therefore, this paper contributes to the critical need for failure mode prediction of reinforced concrete (RC) columns by exploring the capabilities of random forest machine learning (ML) based on a well-known experimental column database. Known as the PEER structural performance database, it assembles the results of over 400 cyclic, lateral-load tests of reinforced concrete columns. The database describes tests of spiral or circular hoop-confined columns, rectangular tied columns and columns with or without lap splices of longitudinal reinforcement at the critical sections. The efficiency towards the aforementioned goal of supervised ML methods such as random forests using a randomly assigned test set from the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center (PEER) database is examined here. The overall accuracy score for rectangular RC columns is 94% and for circular RC columns is 86%. The latter performances are influenced by the size of the testing and training sets of data and are independent of the number of decision trees in the forest employed in the random forest algorithm. The performances of random forests in postdicting the failure mode of RC columns prove that ML has great promise in revolutionizing the profession of earthquake engineering.