Prediction of Heat-Treated Wood Adhesive Strength Using BP Neural Networks Optimized by Four Novel Metaheuristic Algorithms

This study integrates the Backpropagation (BP) Neural Network with several optimization algorithms, namely Hippopotamus Optimization (HO), Parrot Optimization (PO), Osprey Optimization Algorithm (OOA), and Goose Optimization (GO), to develop four predictive models for the adhesive strength of heat-treated wood: HO-BP, PO-BP, OOA-BP, and GO-BP. These models were used to predict the adhesive strength of the wood that was heat-treated under multiple variables such as treatment temperature, time, feed rate, cutting speed, and abrasive particle size. The efficacy of the BP neural network models was assessed utilizing the coefficient of determination (R2), error rate, and CEC test dataset. The outcomes demonstrate that, relative to the other algorithms, the Hippopotamus Optimization (HO) method shows better search efficacy and convergence velocity. Furthermore, XGBoost was used to statistically evaluate and rank input variables, revealing that cutting speed (m/s) and treatment time (hours) had the most significant impact on model predictions. Taken together, these four predictive models demonstrated effective applicability in assessing adhesive strength under various processing conditions in practical experiments. The MAE, RMSE, MAPE, and R2 values of the HO-BP model reached 0.0822, 0.1024, 1.1317, and 0.9358, respectively, demonstrating superior predictive accuracy compared to other models. These findings support industrial process optimization for enhanced wood utilization.