Intelligent Prediction of Blasting-Induced Ground Vibration Using ANFIS Optimized by GA and PSO

Ground vibration induced by rock blasting is one of the most crucial problems in surface mines and tunneling projects. Hence, accurate prediction of ground vibration is an important prerequisite in the minimization of its environmental impacts. This study proposes hybrid intelligent models to predict ground vibration using adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) optimized by particle swarm optimization (PSO) and genetic algorithms (GAs). To build prediction models using ANFIS, ANFIS-GA, and ANFIS-PSO, a database was established, consisting of 86 data samples gathered from two quarries in Iran. The input parameters of the proposed models were the burden, spacing, stemming, powder factor, maximum charge per delay (MCD), and distance from the blast points, while peak particle velocity (PPV) was considered as the output parameter. Based on the sensitivity analysis results, MCD was found as the most effective parameter of PPV. To check the applicability and efficiency of the proposed models, several traditional performance indices such as determination coefficient (R-2) and root-mean-square error (RMSE) were computed. The obtained results showed that the proposed ANFIS-GA and ANFIS-PSO models were capable of statistically predicting ground vibration with excellent levels of accuracy. Compared to the ANFIS, the ANFIS-GA model showed an approximately 61% decrease in RMSE and 10% increase in R-2. Also, the ANFIS-PSO model showed an approximately 53% decrease in RMSE and 9% increase in R-2 compared to ANFIS. In other words, the ANFIS performance was optimized with the use of GA and PSO.