Technical Papers
Sep 27, 2024

A Rigorous Examination of Twelve Cutting-Edge Machine-Learning Techniques for Predicting Time and Cost in Tunneling Projects

Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 150, Issue 12

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate and analyze the performance of twelve machine learning (ML) algorithms in estimating the construction time and cost of drill and blast tunnels. Thirteen tunnels located in different regions of Iran were selected, resulting in 900 data sets. Ten parameters were identified as influential factors affecting the construction time and cost of these tunnels. 80% of the data set was used for training, while the remaining 20% was reserved for testing. Additionally, 288 unseen data sets were utilized for evaluation purposes. All the algorithms demonstrated accurate performance on the test data sets, with R-squared values exceeding 0.93. However, only the Gaussian process regression algorithm achieved satisfactory results on the unseen data sets. Furthermore, a graphical user interface (GUI) was developed based on the trained ML models. This GUI allows real-time estimation of the time and cost of drill and blast tunnels and can be updated during construction.

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Data Availability Statement

Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Acknowledgments

This study is supported via funding from Prince Satam bin Abdulaziz University Project No. (PSAU/2024/R/1445). The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at Northern Border University, Arar, KSA for funding this research work through the Project No. “NBU-FFR-2024-1069-01”.

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Go to Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 150Issue 12December 2024

History

Received: Jan 22, 2024
Accepted: Jul 5, 2024
Published online: Sep 27, 2024
Published in print: Dec 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Feb 27, 2025

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Authors

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Rock Mechanics Division, School of Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 14115-111, Iran. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1912-6028. Email: [email protected]
Hamid Reza Nejati [email protected]
Associate Professor, Rock Mechanics Division, School of Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 14115-111, Iran (corresponding author). Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
Department of Computer Science, Cihan University-Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Erbil 0383-23, Iraq. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0211-8948. Email: [email protected]
Hawkar Hashim Ibrahim [email protected]
Ph.D. Student, Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Erbil, Kurdistan Region 44002, Iraq. Email: [email protected]
Farhan A. Alenizi [email protected]
Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia. Email: [email protected]
Yahya Alassaf [email protected]
Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Northern Border University, Arar 73222, Saudi Arabia. Email: [email protected]

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