Volume 3, Issue 1 — Year 2026 — Article e100052

ISSN (Online): 3115-8129 Biannually

Application of ANN, SVM, and Logistic Regression Models for Fine-Grained Soil Classification

Article Type: Research
Pages: e100052
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22034/CGEL.3.1.e100052

Authors
Affiliations
  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Islamic Azad University - Bonab Branch, Bonab 5551785176, Iran
  2. Department of Civil Engineering, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz 5158913791, Iran
Corresponding author
Email: fatemi_atabriz@gmail.com
Received: 18 February 2026 / Accepted: 12 March 2026 / Published: 25 May 2026
Abstract

This study evaluates the effectiveness of three machine learning models such as Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Logistic Regression (LR), for the classification of fine-grained soils based on index properties. A dataset comprising 1,257 samples was compiled through an extensive literature review. Each sample included key index parameters such as liquid limit (LL), plastic limit (PL), plasticity index (PI), and percentage of fines. The methodology involved preprocessing the data, normalizing features, and dividing the dataset into training (70%) and testing (30%) sets. Models were trained and validated using k-fold cross-validation (k=10), and their performance was assessed using accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, and confusion matrices. The ANN model achieved the highest classification accuracy of 91.6%, followed by SVM at 88.3%, and LR at 84.9%. The mean squared error (MSE) for ANN, SVM, and LR were calculated as 0.078, 0.102, and 0.139, respectively. The ANN model also achieved the highest F1-score (0.92), indicating superior consistency in classification. These results highlight the potential of machine learning models, particularly ANN, for the reliable and automated classification of fine-grained soils using basic index properties.

Keywords

Fine-grained soils, Artificial neural network, Support vector machine, Logistic regression, Soil index properties

Data availability statement

The data supporting the findings of this study are available within article. No publicly archived dataset was generated.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Highlights
  • ML models classify fine-grained soils from index data
  • ANN achieves highest accuracy and F1 performance
  • Results enhance reliable automated soil classification
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How to cite
Akbari, A., & Fatemi, A. (2026). Application of ANN, SVM, and Logistic Regression Models for Fine-Grained Soil Classification. Civil and Geoengineering Letters, 3(1), e100052. https://doi.org/10.22034/CGEL.3.1.e100052
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