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Estimation of Elastic Modulus of Intact Rocks by Artificial Neural Network

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Abstract

The modulus of elasticity of intact rock (E i) is an important rock property that is used as an input parameter in the design stage of engineering projects such as dams, slopes, foundations, tunnel constructions and mining excavations. However, it is sometimes difficult to determine the modulus of elasticity in laboratory tests because high-quality cores are required. For this reason, various methods for predicting E i have been popular research topics in recently published literature. In this study, the relationships between the uniaxial compressive strength, unit weight (γ) and E i for different types of rocks were analyzed, employing an artificial neural network and 195 data obtained from laboratory tests carried out on cores obtained from drilling holes within the area of three metro lines in Istanbul, Turkey. Software was developed in Java language using Weka class libraries for the study. To determine the prediction capacity of the proposed technique, the root-mean-square error and the root relative squared error indices were calculated as 0.191 and 92.587, respectively. Both coefficients indicate that the prediction capacity of the study is high for practical use.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit of Istanbul University, project number 16339 and project number YADOP-16728. The authors are grateful for supply of laboratory test data by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and Ministry of Transportation.

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Correspondence to Ibrahim Ocak.

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Ocak, I., Seker, S.E. Estimation of Elastic Modulus of Intact Rocks by Artificial Neural Network. Rock Mech Rock Eng 45, 1047–1054 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-012-0236-z

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