Application of neural networks for light gauge steel fire walls

Abstract

This research study evaluates the applicability of neural networks to determine the fire-resistance rating of Light gauge Steel Frame walls, made of cold-formed steel studs and lined with gypsum plasterboard.Many full-scale tests and numerical studies were conducted to determine the fire-performance of LSF walls, but these studies were expensive and time consuming. Therefore, an alternative option of using machine learning to predict the fire performance was proposed. The actual fire performance data from FEA and full-scale tests of previous research studies were used as inputs in the machine learning. Separate sets of training and test data were used; thus, test data is not used to calibrate the machine learning-based analysis. Here LSF walls made of different wall configurations and different steel profiles were considered. Training and testing of the artificial neural network are performed by combining different parameters such as loss function, keep probability factor, learning rate, the number of layers, and neurons to determine the optimal and accurate solution. The structural fire capacity of LSF walls obtained from machine learning was compared against the test data to evaluate its accuracy. Based on the findings, suitable neural network models with two hidden layers and suitable loss functions were recommended.