Compressive strength of earth block masonry: Estimation based on neural networks and adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system

Estimating the compressive strength of earth block masonry is an essential aspect of structural design. Artificial neural networks and an adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system were utilized in this study to predict the compressive strength of earth block masonry per three parameters: height-to-thickness ratio, and compressive strength of blocks, and compressive strength of mortars. Seventy-two datasets were collected from experiments and references to train and test two respective models. The prediction results are compared against empirical calculation results to validate the proposed technique for determining earth block masonry compressive strength.