Causality Interpretable Prediction of Bond Strength of Corroded Reinforced Concrete under High Temperature

DONG Hui-li, GE Da-li, WANG Ming

Journal of Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute ›› 2026, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (9) : 141-147.

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Journal of Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute ›› 2026, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (9) : 141-147. DOI: 10.11988/ckyyb.20251079
Hydraulic Structure ang Material

Causality Interpretable Prediction of Bond Strength of Corroded Reinforced Concrete under High Temperature

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Abstract

[Objective] Conventional prediction methods for bond strength between reinforcing steel bars and surrounding concrete are generally based on empirical formulas, which are limited by complex calculation procedures and insufficient prediction accuracy. This study aims to overcome the interpretability limitations of traditional machine learning models and offers a new perspective for evaluating the bond performance of reinforced concrete structures and understanding the underlying influencing mechanisms. [Methods] We developed an accurate and interpretable prediction model for the bond strength of corroded reinforced concrete based on the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) algorithm combined with causal inference analysis. A comprehensive database comprising 380 experimental samples was constructed from published studies and used for model training and validation. [Results] After hyperparameter optimization using a grid search strategy, the XGBoost model achieved the best predictive performance when the number of base learners was set to 250 and the learning rate was 0.1. Under this configuration, the model achieved a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.971 on the test dataset, demonstrating high prediction accuracy and strong generalization ability. Additionally, to address the “black-box” limitation commonly associated with traditional machine learning models, causal inference analysis was performed to identify the causal relationships between influencing factors and bond strength. The analysis showed that the corrosion rate was the most critical factor affecting bond strength, exhibiting a significant negative causal relationship. In contrast, parameters such as rebar diameter, cement content, and fine aggregate content showed positive effects on bond strength to varying degrees. Further causal pathway analysis indicated that cement content and fine aggregate content primarily exerted indirect effects through the intermediate variable of concrete compressive strength, resulting in a clear causal transmission effect. This finding suggested that the compositional parameters of concrete materials could indirectly affect the bond behavior at the steel-concrete interface by modifying the mechanical properties of the concrete matrix. [Conclusion] The proposed prediction framework integrating XGBoost and causal inference can achieve highly accurate prediction of bond strength in corroded reinforced concrete while simultaneously improving model interpretability.

Key words

concrete / XGBoost / bond strength / causal inference / interpretability

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DONG Hui-li , GE Da-li , WANG Ming. Causality Interpretable Prediction of Bond Strength of Corroded Reinforced Concrete under High Temperature[J]. Journal of Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute. 2026, 43(9): 141-147 https://doi.org/10.11988/ckyyb.20251079

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<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;\">Axial bearing capacity (ABC) of piles is usually determined by static load test (SLT). However, conducting SLT is costly and time-consuming. High strain dynamic pile testing (HSDPT) which is provided by pile driving analyzer (PDA) is a more recent approach for predicting the ABC of piles. In comparison to SLT, PDA test is quick and economical. Implementing feed forward back-propagation artificial neural network (ANN) for solving geotechnical problems has recently gained attention mainly due to its ability in finding complex nonlinear relationships among different parameters. In this study, an ANN-based predictive model for estimating ABC of piles and its distribution is proposed. For network construction purpose, 36 PDA tests were performed on various concrete piles in different project sites. The PDA results, pile geometrical characteristics as well as soil investigation data were used for training the ANN models. Findings indicate the feasibility of ANN in predicting ultimate, shaft and tip bearing resistances of piles. The coefficients of determination, R², equal to 0.941, 0.936, and 0.951 for testing data reveal that the shaft, tip and ultimate bearing capacities of piles predicted by ANN-based model are in close agreement with those of HSDPT. By using sensitivity analysis, it was found that the length and area of the piles are dominant factors in the proposed predictive model.</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;\"> </p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;\"><strong>Resumen</strong></p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;\">La Capacidad Axial de Soporte (ABC, en inglés) de un pilote de construcción se determina usualmente a través de una Prueba de Carga Estática (SLT, inglés). Sin embargo, estas pruebas son costosas y demandan tiempo. La evaluación de las Dinámicas de Alto Esfuerzo de Pilotes (HSDPT, inglés), que la provee el programa de Análisis de Excavación (PDA, inglés), es una forma de aproximación más reciente para preveer la Capacidad Axial de Soporte. En comparación con la Prueba de Cargas Estática, la evaluación PDA es rápida y económica. La implementación de Redes Neuronales Arficiales (ANN, en inglés) que permita resolver problemas geotécnicos ha ganado atención recientemente debido a su posibilidad de hallar relaciones no lineales entre los diferentes parámetros. En este estudio se propone un modelo predictivo ANN para estimar la Capacidad Axial de Soporte de pilotes y su distribución. Para fines de una red de construcción se realizaron 36 pruebas PDA en pilotes de diferentes proyectos. Los resultados de los Análisis de Excavación, las características geométricas de los pilotes, al igual que los datos de investigación del suelo se utilizaron para probar los modelos ANN. Los resultados indican la viabilidad del modelo ANN en predecir la resistencia de los pilotes. Los coeficientes de correlación, R², que alcanzaron 0.941, 09.36 y 0.951 para la evaluación de los datos, revelan que la capacidad del pilotaje en el último rodamiento, en el cojinete del eje y en la punta que se predijeron con el modelo ANN concuerda con las establecidas a través del HSDPT. A través del análisis de respuesta se determinó que la longitud y el área de los pilotes son factores dominantes en el modelo predictivo propuesto.</p>
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Abstract
为了解决传统经验公式模型对钢筋混凝土锈胀开裂预测方法存在的公式不统一、精度有限等问题的局限性,本文提出一种基于Stacking集成模型融合的钢筋混凝土锈胀开裂预测方法。首先,通过文献收集的223组钢筋混凝土锈胀开裂试验数据进行数据预处理;其次,基于支持向量回归(SVR)、随机森林(RF)和极端梯度提升树(XGBoost)算法分别进行贝叶斯优化超参数、模型训练及评估,采用决定系数R2、平均绝对误差(MAE)和均方根误差(RMSE)对比分析3种机器学习模型的预测性能,并在此基础上搭建基于Stacking融合多种算法的预测模型;最后,对所提出的机器学习模型和传统经验公式模型进行泛化性能验证,并探讨基于XGBoost模型的可解释性分析。结果表明:与其他机器学习模型相比,基于Stacking集成模型的预测精度和泛化性能较好,且可解释性分析结果说明模型预测逻辑与实际工程经验较为吻合。研究结果有助于提高钢筋混凝土锈胀开裂预测精度,可为决策者在实际工程提供科学的理论指导。
(Liang Zihao, Ying Zongquan, Liu Meimei, et al. Prediction method for reinforced concrete corrosion-induced crack based on stacking integrated model fusion[J]. Journal of Chinese Society for Corrosion and Protection, 2024, 44(6):1601-1609. (in Chinese))

In predicting corrosion-induced cracking of reinforced concrete, traditional empirical formulas used are varied with limited precision of prediction. To address these limitations, this paper presents a method based on the stacking of models to predict the cracking of reinforced concrete due to corrosion induced expansion. Firstly, 223 sets of test data on the cracking of reinforced concrete due to corrosion induced expansion were collected from published articles and processed in advance. Next, Bayesian optimization of hyperparameters, model training, and evaluation were conducted separately based on Support Vector Regression (SVR), Random Forest (RF), and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithms. Determination coefficient (R2), mean absolute error (MAE), and root mean square error (RMSE) were utilized for a comparative analysis of the prediction performances of three machine learning models. On this basis, a prediction model integrating multiple algorithms with the Stacking method was proposed. Finally, the generalization performances of the proposed prediction model and traditional empirical formula models were verified, and the XGBoost model was employed to analyze the interpretability of the proposed model. As revealed in the results, the proposed model has better prediction accuracy and generalization performance than other machine learning models. The interpretability analysis result demonstrates that the prediction of the proposed model logic matches the practical engineering experience. This finding is conducive to improve the prediction accuracy of thecorrosion-induced cracking of reinforced concrete, and can provide scientific theoretical guidance for decision-makers in practical engineering.

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