The viability of
employing soft computing models for predicting
the viscosity of engine lubricants is assessed in this paper. The
dataset comprises 555 reports on engine oil analysis, involving two
oil types (15W40 and 20W50). The methodology involves the development
and evaluation of six distinct models (SVM, ANFIS, GPR, MLR, MLP,
and RBF) to predict viscosity based on oil analysis results, incorporating
metallic and nonmetallic elements and engine working hours. The primary
findings indicate that the radial basis function (RBF) model excels
in accuracy, consistency, and generalizability compared with other
models. Specifically, a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.20 and
an efficiency (EF) of 0.99 were achieved during training and a RMSE
of 0.11 and an EF of 1 during testing, utilizing a 35-network topology
and an 80/20 data split. The model demonstrated no significant differences
between actual and predicted datasets for average and distribution
indices (with P-values of 1.00). Additionally, robust
generalizability was exhibited across various training sizes (ranging
from 50 to 80%), attaining a RMSE between 0.09 and 0.20, a mean absolute
percentage error between 0.23 and 0.43, and an EF of 0.99. This study
provides valuable insights for optimizing and implementing machine
learning models in predicting the viscosity of engine lubricants.
Limitations include the dataset size, potentially affecting the generalizability
of findings, and the omission of other factors impacting engine performance.
Nevertheless, this study establishes groundwork for future research
on the application of soft computing tools in engine oil analysis
and condition monitoring.