Novel integration of extreme learning machine and improved Harris hawks optimization with particle swarm optimization-based mutation for predicting soil consolidation parameter

The study proposes an improved Harris hawks optimization (IHHO) algorithm by integrating the standard Harris hawks optimization (HHO) algorithm and mutation-based search mechanism for developing a high-performance machine learning solution for predicting soil compression index. HHO is a newly introduced meta-heuristic optimization algorithm (MOA) used to solve continuous search problems. Compared to the original HHO, the proposed IHHO can evade trapping in local optima, which in turn raises the search capabilities and enhances the search mechanism relying on mutation. Subsequently, a novel meta-heuristic-based soft computing technique called ELM-IHHO was established by integrating IHHO and extreme learning machine (ELM) to estimate soil compression index. A sum of 688 consolidation test data was collected for this purpose from an ongoing dedicated freight corridor railway project. To evaluate the generalization capability of the proposed ELM-IHHO model, a detailed comparison between ELM-IHHO and other well-established MOAs, such as particle swarm optimization, genetic algorithm, and biogeography-based optimization integrated with ELM, was performed. Based on the outcomes, the ELM-IHHO model exhibits superior performance over the other MOAs in predicting soil compression index.