A new approach for prediction of the wear loss of PTA surface coatings using artificial neural network and basic, kernel-based, and weighted extreme learning machine

Wear tests are essential in the design of parts intended to work in environments that subject a part to high wear. Wear tests involve high cost and lengthy experiments, and require special test equipment. The use of machine learning algorithms for wear loss quantity predictions is a potentially effective means to eliminate the disadvantages of experimental methods such as cost, labor, and time. In this study, wear loss data of AISI 1020 steel coated by using a plasma transfer arc welding (PTAW) method with FeCrC, FeW, and FeB powders mixed in different ratios were obtained experimentally by some of the researchers in our group. The mechanical properties of the coating layers were detected by microhardness measurements and dry sliding wear tests. The wear tests were performed at three different loads (19.62, 39.24, and 58.86 N) over a sliding distance of 900 m. In this study, models have been developed by using four different machine learning algorithms (an artificial neural network (ANN), extreme learning machine (ELM), kernel-based extreme learning machine (KELM), and weighted extreme learning machine (WELM)) on the data set obtained from the wear test experiments. The R² value was calculated as 0.9729 in the model designed with WELM, which obtained the best performance among the models evaluated.