Experimental Investigation and In-Situ Testing of Traffic-Induced Vibrations on the Adjacent Ruins of an Ancient Cultural Sites

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

See file attached 

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

No comments 

Author Response

Response to Reviewers' Comments (Manuscript ID: applsci-2704067)

Title: Experiment investigation and in-situ test of traffic-induced vibration on adjacent ancient cultural site ruins

Author's Response

Dear Editors and Reviewers,

Thank you for allowing us to submit a revised version of the manuscript "Experiment investigation and in-situ test of traffic-induced vibration on adjacent ancient cultural site ruins (Manuscript ID: applsci-2704067)" for publication in the Applied Sciences. We sincerely appreciate the time and effort you and the reviewers dedicated to providing feedback on our manuscript and are grateful for our paper's insightful and constructive comments. The thorough review helped immensely in shaping and improvement of the manuscript. We have incorporated most of the suggestions made by the reviewers. Please see below; Fonts in blue have been provided for a point-by-point response to the reviewers' comments and concerns. Also, it should be noted that all of the editors' and reviewers' suggestions have been applied to the paper in addition to the reviewer's comments.

It is worth noting that a suggestion was made by a reviewer to modify the study's title. “The present title of the manuscript should be modified as follows:“Experimental investigation and in-situ testing of traffic-induced vibrations on the adjacent ruins of an ancient cultural site”. The authors express their gratitude to the reviewing experts for their important suggestions to enhance the article.

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

1.**Clarity  and  Organization:**

-Could you provide a clearer structure for the manuscript? It would be helpful to have distinct sections for the methodology, results, and discussion to enhance readability and understanding.

Author’s Response: Thank you for your constructive comment. The improvement in clarity of the paper was an inherent phenomenon. Due to the presence of four proficient and exceptional reviewers, significant feedback may be obtained. The authors included additional sections in their work, such as "2.2. Ambient vibration source" ,  "5. Similar studies", and “7. Limitations and Future Research. Concurrently, the substance of the document has undergone a thorough revision. The paper's quality has been significantly enhanced. We express our gratitude to the reviewers once again for their efficient efforts.

2.**Methodology:**

-How was the selection process for Chengshang Village as the research object conducted?

Were there any specific criteria considered for choosing this site?

-Can you elaborate on the specific instruments and techniques used for measuring vibration caused by traffic volumes?

Providing details about the equipment and methodology would enhance the study's  reproducibility.

Author’s Response: Thank you for pointing these out. Firstly, about the question of " How was the selection process for Chengshang Village as the research object conducted?". The author provides an explanation in the following manner. The addition has been included into the publication. I appreciate the time you have given me.

The Chengshang Village Site, situated in the southern part of Dazhuo Chengshang Village, Huayang Town, Jurong City, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province, is an archaeological site that dates back to the Neolithic Age and extends until the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC - 256 BC). It holds significant historical importance as it served as a prominent city site for the Wu State during the Warring States Period (475 BC - 221 BC). In May 2013, the State Council authorized and recognized it as the eighth group of national critical cultural relics preservation units.   The site exhibits a significant cultural heritage, characterized by layers of compacted earth and surrounding moat structures. It covers a large area and has been well-preserved, displaying a substantial accumulation of stratigraphic layers and abundant artifacts. The site extends longitudinally from north to south, with a shorter width from east to west, forming a slightly rectangular shape. The northern part of the site is elevated, standing approximately 7-8 meters higher than the surrounding ground surface, while the southern part is comparatively lower.   This site is exceptionally well-preserved compared to others in Southern Jiangsu.   The present plan is shown in Fig. 1. The Chengshang Village site has significant academic value for the examination of Neolithic archaeological culture in the lower region of the Yangtze River, as well as the Hushu and Wu civilizations during the Shang and Zhou Dynasties.

The Hushu Culture is a prehistoric culture that existed in the southern region of the Yangtze River in China. It was named after its discovery in Hushu Street, Jiangning District, Nanjing City. Another related culture is the Hemudu Culture, which was mainly found in Nanjing, Zhenjiang, and the Taihu Lake Basin. These cultures represent the rich cultural heritage of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River between 4,000 and 5,000 years ago. They hold the same significance as the central plains of the region.   It dates back to the period before to the relocation of the Shang Dynasty to Yinxu.

Wu culture encompasses the cultural aspects, both tangible and intangible, that were developed by the inhabitants of Wu, a region located on the southeastern bank of the lower Yangtze River. This cultural heritage spans from the pre-Qin era to the Ming and Qing dynasties. From a geographical perspective, Wu culture is mostly found in present-day Jiangsu Province, Shanghai, and Zhejiang Province. It also extends to Jiangxi Province, Fujian Province, and a tiny portion of Anhui Province.

Fig. 1

Secondly, in relation to the question " Were there any specific criteria considered for choosing this site?" The author presents the following information. The item has been included in the document. I appreciate the time you have given me.

The study object pertains to a cultural relic and specifically focuses on the issue of vibration impact, rather than noise disturbance. Hence, the authors first provide the following standards about vibration control: GB/T 50452-2008 “Technical specifications for protection of historic buildings against man-made vibration” provides technical guidelines for preventing industrial vibration in ancient buildings[38]. GB/T 14124-2009 “Mechanical vibration and shock—Vibration of buildings—Guidelines for the measurement of vibrations and evaluation of their effects on buildings” outlines guidelines for measuring and evaluating the impact of mechanical vibration and shock on buildings[39].

Furthermore, the fundamental structural theme of the Chengshang Village site is mostly composed of soil materials, and there is currently no explicit regulation on the maximum allowable vibration velocity for subterranean sites. Considering the elastic wave velocity of the soil structure, which typically ranges from 90 to 500 m/s, and taking into account the Technical Specification for the Prevention of Industrial Vibration of Ancient Buildings (GB/T 50452-2008) [38] and relevant research findings [40-42], the maximum allowable horizontal vibration velocity at the Chengshang Village site is set at 0.15 mm/s.

[38]GB/T 50452 (2008), Technical Specifications for Protection of Historic Buildings Against Man-Made Vibration, Beijing: China Architecture& Building Press.

[39] GB/T 14124-2009/ISO 4866: 1990. Mechanical vibration and shock—Vibration of buildings—Guidelines for the measurement of vibrations and evaluation of their effects on buildings. Beijing: China Standard Press, 2009.

[40]Turunen-Rise, I. H., Brekke, A., Hårvik, L., Madshus, C., & Klæboe, R. (2003). Vibration in dwellings from road and rail traffic—Part I: a new Norwegian measurement standard and classification system. Applied Acoustics, 64(1), 71-87.

[41]Pyl, L., Degrande, G., & Clouteau, D. (2004). Validation of a source–receiver model for road traffic-induced vibrations in buildings. ii: Receiver model. Journal of engineering mechanics, 130(12), 1394-1406.

[42]Mhanna, M., Sadek, M., & Shahrour, I. (2011). Prediction and mitigation of traffic induced ground vibrations in an urban zone. WIT Transactions on the Built Environment, 116, 701-711.

Thirdly, regarding the third point, "Can you elaborate on the specific instruments and techniques used for measuring vibration caused by traffic volumes? ", this portion is already addressed in Section 3.1 of the paper.

The vibration test system comprises a vibration transducer, a data gathering device, a computer, and other components. The data acquisition instrument utilizes the INV9580A wireless vibration collector from Beijing Oriental Institute of Vibration and Noise Technology. This collector is equipped with built-in horizontal and vertical dual-channel high-precision vibration pickups, allowing for dual-core 24-bit high-precision data acquisition. It has a maximum sampling frequency of 256 Hz, with an error in frequency display and resolution of less than 0.01%. The vibration pickups have a sensitivity of 24 V-s/m and a range of 0.1 m/s. The data acquisition system comprises a computer, specifically used for conducting the vibration test. The vibrator has a sensitivity of 24 volts per second per meter and a range of 0.1 meters per second.

3.**Data   Analysis:**

-In the conclusions,you mentioned establishing a functional relationship between vibration

intensity, travel speed, and vibration source distance. Could you provide the mathematical

formulation of this relationship? Including equations or mathematical models would enhance the technical rigor of the study.

Authors’ Response: We thank the reviewer for bringing this to our attention. First of all, based on previous research findings, it has been observed that the vibration velocity decreases exponentially as the distance from the vibration source increases [43]. Additionally, the vibration velocity increases as the vehicle speed increases, following a power function [44]. Therefore, a mathematical equation (Eq. 1: ) can be formulated to represent the relationship between vibration velocity and distance from the vibration source.

Furthermore, the collected data were subjected to statistical analysis and fitted to equation 1 using the origin program. The parameter values were achieved as follows: k=0.152, a=0.74, b=0.338, c=0.015. R2 represents the variance of the fit.

[43] Gazetas, G. (1982). Vibrational characteristics of soil deposits with variable wave velocity. International journal for numerical and analytical methods in Geomechanics, 6(1), 1-20.

[44]Takemiya, H. (2004). Field vibration mitigation by honeycomb WIB for pile foundations of a high-speed train viaduct. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 24(1), 69-87.

4.**Comparative   Analysis:**

-It would be beneficial to compare your findings with existing studies in the field, especially those related to underground cultural relics. How do your results align or differ from previous research?   Discussing these comparisons can provide valuable context for your study.

Authors’ Response: We express our gratitude to the reviewer for their astute and perceptive remark and concur that comparative studies contribute to the safeguarding of subsurface cultural relics. Indeed, there have been limited research endeavors examining the influence of road traffic on cultural heritage sites, which is primarily due to the scarcity of significant heritage sites requiring protection. Additionally, the factors through which road traffic impacts subsurface cultural heritage may vary across different projects.

The author's team is currently investigating the "Impact of road traffic-induced vibration on the neighboring underground sites" (illustrated in Fig. 9), in addition to the cultural relics and sites of Chengshang Village. Additionally, they are also involved in the following projects: The Nanjing Mufu Mountain Ancient Tomb Group is a nationally recognized cultural heritage site under protection. Mufu is a mountain range situated on the southern bank of the Yangtze River. It has served as a significant obstacle and strategic position in the northern outskirts of Nanjing since ancient times. Additionally, it has been a prominent region for burial sites since the Six Dynasties era (222-589 A.D.), which encompasses the six dynasties in the southern part of Chinese history from the Three Kingdoms to the Sui Dynasty. The YiJia Historic Relics, which spans around 1,897 square meters, is a component of the Hushu cultural heritage site.

The authors use the findings from road traffic vibration measurements conducted at the Chengsang Village site to examine the impact of traffic vibration on cultural artifacts. They want to enhance the preservation of cultural relics and structures by using the on-site data obtained. Subsequent findings will be disclosed at a later time.

Fig. 9 Similar studies

5.**Practical   Implications:**

-In the conclusion,you mentioned the significance of the research for protecting underground cultural relics. Can you elaborate on the practical implications of your findings? How can the determined safety distances and empirical parameters be applied in real-world scenarios, such as urban planning or heritage preservation projects?

Authors’ Response: We thank the reviewer for this important comment. Engineering importance of the study: The research aims to determine the empirical factors that quantify the impact of traveling speed on the vibration of nearby subterranean cultural treasures. The study findings may be used to forecast the vibration response of these underground cultural relics.

Furthermore, the determination of the safety distance may be based on the speed limit regulations of the adjacent highway, thereby serving as a valuable guideline for traffic planning and the preservation of subterranean cultural artifacts.

The authors appended the following conclusions: Indeed, when it comes to the effect on historic structures, road traffic vibration surpasses subway vibration and proves to be more challenging to manage. Integrating micro-vibration control techniques in historic buildings should be accompanied by strategies like minimizing road traffic and expanding the buffer zone between buildings and roads.

6.**Limitations and Future Research:**

-Are there any limitations to the current study that should be acknowledged?Addressing potential constraints or challenges faced during the research process would provide a balanced perspective.

-What are the potential directions for future research in this area?Identifying avenues for further exploration can enhance the manuscript's contribution to the field.

Authors’ Response: You have raised an important point here and made an insightful argument on that. The author has included a section titled "6 Limitations and Future Research" in the document. Here are the specific particulars:

The research has several limitations, which are as follows:

(1) The study lacks modeling and theoretical analysis, focusing only on field in-situ tests.

(2) The test findings only consider the surface vibration response without investigating the vibration attenuation pattern at different depths.

The present study, namely the law of vibration effect, is a fundamental piece of research. Based on this premise, the tasks to be undertaken encompass the following:

(1) Micro-vibration control is crucial for safeguarding cultural artifacts and structures. The effects of vibration on these entities can compromise both their safety and integrity. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a method for assessing the susceptibility of cultural artifacts or sites to micro-vibrations.

(2) Maintenance has a beneficial impact on enhancing the ability of structures to withstand vibrations, particularly for cultural relics made of earth blocks classified as "cultural sites or relics." It is necessary to implement suitable reinforcing measures for these relics.

(3) Development of vibration standards for " earth-block cultural artifacts."

7.**Visual   Representation:**

-Consider incorporating visual aids such as graphs,charts,or diagrams to illustrate the

experimental setup,data trends,and comparative analyses.Visual representations can enhance the reader's understanding of the research findings.

Authors’ Response: Thank you for mentioning that. The authors have endeavored to include visual information material, such as relevant images, within the article to augment the reader's comprehension of the study results.

8.**Language  and  Terminology:**

-Review the manuscript for language clarity and consistency.  Ensure that technical terms and concepts are explained adequately for readers who may not be experts in the field.

Authors’ Response:  We express our gratitude to the reviewers for their perceptive and astute remarks and concur on the need of "clarity and consistency of language". During the revision process, the writers should prioritize on "clarity and consistency of language" and consider using on-site images to enhance the appeal to a broader audience.

9 Addressing these aspects can strengthen the manuscript and provide a more comprehensive and impactful contribution to the study of traffic-induced vibrations on ancient cultural site ruins.

Authors’ Response: We appreciate the reviewer’s comment. The authors have diligently revised the paper and made every effort to address your inquiries, with the aim of ensuring your satisfaction with their responses and making a more extensive and impactful contribution to the examination of traffic-induced vibrations at historical cultural sites, thereby appealing to a broader readership of interested individuals. We appreciate your kind feedback once again.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

The manuscript is well-written and sounds good for the reader. I have a few comments for the authors before accepting this manuscript:

1-In Fig. 4, it seems that the system enters a saturation region at 70 m distance where the vibration velocity is almost the same for all speeds in km/h. So, can we say this is a noise signal, rather than a measurement of the vibration velocity?

2-It is not clear how the authors obtained the parameters in equation 1, which are a,b, and c. Is it by curve fitting?

3-What formula is used to calculate the safety distance in Table 4?

Author Response

Response to Reviewers' Comments (Manuscript ID: applsci-2704067)

Title: Experiment investigation and in-situ test of traffic-induced vibration on adjacent ancient cultural site ruins

Author's Response

Dear Editors and Reviewers,

Thank you for allowing us to submit a revised version of the manuscript "Experiment investigation and in-situ test of traffic-induced vibration on adjacent ancient cultural site ruins (Manuscript ID: applsci-2704067)" for publication in the Applied Sciences. We sincerely appreciate the time and effort you and the reviewers dedicated to providing feedback on our manuscript and are grateful for our paper's insightful and constructive comments. The thorough review helped immensely in shaping and improvement of the manuscript. We have incorporated most of the suggestions made by the reviewers. Please see below; Fonts in blue have been provided for a point-by-point response to the reviewers' comments and concerns. Also, it should be noted that all of the editors' and reviewers' suggestions have been applied to the paper in addition to the reviewer's comments.

It is worth noting that a suggestion was made by a reviewer to modify the study's title. “The present title of the manuscript should be modified as follows:“Experimental investigation and in-situ testing of traffic-induced vibrations on the adjacent ruins of an ancient cultural site”. The authors express their gratitude to the reviewing experts for their important suggestions to enhance the article.

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I have a few comments for the authors before accepting this manuscript: The manuscript is well-written and sounds good for the reader.

Authors’ Response: Your positive remarks are greatly appreciated. The author diligently refines the paper in an effort to deliver an exceptional paper to the readers.

1-In Fig. 4, it seems that the system enters a saturation region at 70 m distance where the vibration velocity is almost the same for all speeds in km/h. So, can we say this is a noise signal, rather than a measurement of the vibration velocity?

Authors’ Response: Authors’ Response: We appreciate the reviewer for this insightful and smart comment.

It should be noted that the 70m distance does not only consist of noise signals. The amplitude of vibration velocity at a distance of 70m is 10^-1 mm/s, but the vibration caused by noise typically ranges from 10 ^{(-2 to -3)} mm/s. There is little association between the 70m vibration velocity and the traveling speed, nevertheless, the impact is minimal. Furthermore, the authors thoroughly reviewed the existing literature on environmental vibration, specifically focusing on the positioning of measurement sites. Surprisingly, no mention was found of the issue of noise at measurement points. As an example, Yano et al. [43] performed noise measurements after a sociological survey on Shinkansen noise. Noise levels were measured on many occasions at reference positions in very close proximity to the Shinkansen line, along with distances of 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 meters from these reference points. Yokoshima et al. [44] gathered data at reference sites near the Shinkansen line at distances of 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 meters from these reference points. Wang et al. [45] placed observation locations at distances ranging from 15 m to 70 m from the centerline of the track, taking use of the safety guardrails for protection. Zhang & Ma [46] performed vibration measurements to address the issues of environmental vibration and environmental noise pollution. The noise levels of passing railroad trains were recorded at distances of 0, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 160 meters from the reference location.

The above discussion has been added to the paper.

[43]Yano, T., Morihara, T., & Sato, T. (2005). Community response to Shinkansen noise and vibration: a survey in areas along the Sanyo Shinkansen Line. In Proceedings of the Forum Acusticum. Budapest , Hungary,2005, 8.30-9.2, pp:1837-1841.

[44]Yokoshima, S., Morihara, T., Ota, A., & Tamura, A. (2008). Reanalysis of dose-response curves of Shinkansen railway noise. In 9th International Congress on Noise as a Public Health Problem (ICBEN). 2008, Foxwoods, CT, USA

[45]Wang, Z., Tang, A., Huang, D., Wu, C., & Huang, Z. (2022). A novel environmental vibration analysis system and its application in isolation of environmental vibration induced by high-speed train in Harbin frozen soil site. Applied Acoustics, 193, 108781.

[46]Zhang, L., & Ma, H. (2021). Investigation of Chinese residents’ community response to high-speed railway noise. Applied Acoustics, 172, 107615.

2-It is not clear how the authors obtained the parameters in equation 1, which are a,b, and c. Is it by curve fitting?

Authors’ Response: Thank you for pointing this out. Based on previous research findings, it has been observed that the vibration velocity decreases exponentially as the distance from the vibration source increases [43]. Additionally, the vibration velocity increases as the vehicle speed increases, following a power function [44]. Therefore, a mathematical equation (Eq. 1:  ) can be formulated to represent the relationship between vibration velocity and distance from the vibration source.

Notably, the findings supporting Equation (1) have been validated by the author's team in environmental vibration studies and analogous investigations.

Based on previous research findings, it has been observed that the vibration velocity decreases exponentially as the distance from the vibration source increases [43]. Additionally, the vibration velocity increases as the vehicle speed increases, following a power function [44]. Therefore, a mathematical equation (Eq. 1:  ) can be formulated to represent the relationship between vibration velocity and distance from the vibration source.

Furthermore, the collected data were subjected to statistical analysis and fitted to equation 1 using the origin program. The parameter values were achieved as follows: k=0.152, a=0.74, b=0.338, c=0.015. R2 represents the variance of the fit.

[43] Gazetas, G. (1982). Vibrational characteristics of soil deposits with variable wave velocity. International journal for numerical and analytical methods in Geomechanics, 6(1), 1-20.

[44]Takemiya, H. (2004). Field vibration mitigation by honeycomb WIB for pile foundations of a high-speed train viaduct. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 24(1), 69-87.

3-What formula is used to calculate the safety distance in Table 4?

Authors’ Response: We thank the reviewer for bringing this to our attention. Using equation (2) , the MATLAB program calculates the safety distance based on a vibration limit value of 0.15mm/s.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments of this reviewer on the manuscript Applsci-2704067 are as follows:

1.     The present title of the manuscript should be modified as follows: “Experimental investigation and in-situ testing of traffic-induced vibrations on the adjacent ruins of an ancient cultural site”.

2.     It is uncommon to mark some authors within the affiliation with “These authors contributed equally to this work.” There should be a special section where it should be stated how the Authors contributed to the work.

3.     The abstract was divided into sub-sections, but from its content it is not clear what are scientific contributions or novelties. Scientific contributions and/or novelties must be highlighted in the abstract and described in the introduction.

4.     In the entire manuscript, the Authors should choose to use only one of the following two adjectives: “subterranean” and “underground”, because these adjectives have the same meaning.

5.     Keywords should be in singular form and listed in alphabetical order.

6.     In the introduction, the following sentence “Liu et al. [21] conducted a study on the attenuation of an elevated light rail line's induced vibrations along the ground surface in its vicinity. was investigated.” should be corrected. The same applies to “Guo al [22] measured…” and “The following table provides a summary of this study's findings.” (There is no table in the introduction).

7.     The introduction is too long and there is no details that can be regarded as scientific contributions. Moreover, the research gap was not clearly identified after the review of literature. Furthermore, the case study (Chengshang Village) considered cannot be regarded as a scientific contribution or a novelty. However, at the end of the introduction, there is the objective of this study. If the given objective represents the scientific contribution of this study, then it must be highlighted in the abstract.

8.     If Equation (1) is taken from a reference, then that reference should be cited at the end of the sentence preceding Equation (1).

9.     The conclusions are good from the aspect of scientific significance, but they should be quantified wherever possible. Then, why are the scientific contributions not highlighted in the abstract and described in the introduction?

10.   In the list of references, Reference [16] should be corrected.

Minor editing of English language required.

Author Response

Response to Reviewers' Comments (Manuscript ID: applsci-2704067)

Title: Experiment investigation and in-situ test of traffic-induced vibration on adjacent ancient cultural site ruins

Author's Response

Dear Editors and Reviewers,

Thank you for allowing us to submit a revised version of the manuscript "Experiment investigation and in-situ test of traffic-induced vibration on adjacent ancient cultural site ruins (Manuscript ID: applsci-2704067)" for publication in the Applied Sciences. We sincerely appreciate the time and effort you and the reviewers dedicated to providing feedback on our manuscript and are grateful for our paper's insightful and constructive comments. The thorough review helped immensely in shaping and improvement of the manuscript. We have incorporated most of the suggestions made by the reviewers. Please see below; Fonts in blue have been provided for a point-by-point response to the reviewers' comments and concerns. Also, it should be noted that all of the editors' and reviewers' suggestions have been applied to the paper in addition to the reviewer's comments.

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Comments of this reviewer on the manuscript Applsci-2704067 are as follows:

1. The present title of the manuscript should be modified as follows: “Experimental investigation and in-situ testing of traffic-induced vibrations on the adjacent ruins of an ancient cultural site”.

Authors’ Response: Thank you for your constructive comment. The title of the paper has been changed. The authors express their gratitude to the reviewing experts for their important suggestions to enhance the article.

2. It is uncommon to mark some authors within the affiliation with “These authors contributed equally to this work.” There should be a special section where it should be stated how the Authors contributed to the work.

Authors’ Response: We thank the reviewer for bringing this to our attention. "Author Contributions" is a section located at the conclusion of the paper that details the author's work.

3. The abstract was divided into sub-sections, but from its content it is not clear what are scientific contributions or novelties. Scientific contributions and/or novelties must be highlighted in the abstract and described in the introduction.

Authors’ Response: The reviewer made a great point. The abstract of the paper emphasizes the scientific contribution and/or innovation, whereas the introduction provides a detailed description of it.

This research utilizes the collected data to describe the relationship between the vibration velocity and the distance from the vibration source. Additionally, it estimates the appropriate distance at which cultural relics should be placed from the road to ensure their safety. The study's findings may serve as a valuable point of reference for traffic planning and the preservation of subterranean cultural monuments.

4. In the entire manuscript, the Authors should choose to use only one of the following two adjectives: “subterranean” and “underground”, because these adjectives have the same meaning.

Authors’ Response: Thank you for pointing this out. The term "subterranean" has been entirely substituted by the term "underground".

5. Keywords should be in singular form and listed in alphabetical order.

Keywords: Ambient vibration test; ancient cultural relics; cultural protection; ruins; safety distance; traffic-induced effect; vibration response

Authors’ Response: Thank you for pointing this out. The author has modified the keywords in accordance with your recommendations.

6. In the introduction, the following sentence “Liu et al. [21] conducted a study on the attenuation of an elevated light rail line's induced vibrations along the ground surface in its vicinity. was investigated.” should be corrected. The same applies to “Guo al [22] measured…” and “The following table provides a summary of this study's findings.” (There is no table in the introduction).

Authors’ Response: Thank you for pointing this out. The following section has been updated both here and in the paper.

Liu et al. [21] conducted a study on reducingvibration caused by elevated tracks. They measured vibrations on the ground near an elevated light rail system under various soil conditions. They confirmed the validity of finite element analysis and proposed a rapid prediction method for ground vibration. Chen et al. [22] performed field measurements to assess the dynamic behavior of high-speed trains on bridges and the surrounding environment of the Wuhan-Guangzhou Passenger Dedicated Line. The findings indicate that the vibration response of the railroad environment satisfies the specified standards.

7. The introduction is too long and there is no details that can be regarded as scientific contributions. Moreover, the research gap was not clearly identified after the review of literature. Furthermore, the case study (Chengshang Village) considered cannot be regarded as a scientific contribution or a novelty. However, at the end of the introduction, there is the objective of this study. If the given objective represents the scientific contribution of this study, then it must be highlighted in the abstract.

Authors’ Response: We appreciate the reviewer for this insightful and smart comment.

In the Introduction section, the authors re-summarize recent research advances, point out research gaps, and highlight scientific contributions and/or novelties in the abstract and introduction. All changes are highlighted in red.

8. If Equation (1) is taken from a reference, then that reference should be cited at the end of the sentence preceding Equation (1).

Authors’ Response: You have raised an important point here and made an insightful argument.

Based on previous research findings, it has been observed that the vibration velocity decreases exponentially as the distance from the vibration source increases [43]. Additionally, the vibration velocity increases as the vehicle speed increases, following a power function [44]. Therefore, a mathematical equation (Eq. 1:  ) can be formulated to represent the relationship between vibration velocity and distance from the vibration source.

Notably, the findings supporting Equation (1) have been validated by the author's team in environmental vibration studies and analogous investigations.

Based on previous research findings, it has been observed that the vibration velocity decreases exponentially as the distance from the vibration source increases [47]. Additionally, the vibration velocity increases as the vehicle speed increases, following a power function [48]. Therefore, a mathematical equation (Eq. 1:  ) can be formulated to represent the relationship between vibration velocity and distance from the vibration source.

Furthermore, the collected data were subjected to statistical analysis and fitted to equation 1 using the origin program. The parameter values were achieved as follows: k=0.152, a=0.74, b=0.338, c=0.015. R2 represents the variance of the fit.

[47] Gazetas, G. (1982). Vibrational characteristics of soil deposits with variable wave velocity. International journal for numerical and analytical methods in Geomechanics, 6(1), 1-20.

[48]Takemiya, H. (2004). Field vibration mitigation by honeycomb WIB for pile foundations of a high-speed train viaduct. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 24(1), 69-87.

9. The conclusions are good from the aspect of scientific significance, but they should be quantified wherever possible. Then, why are the scientific contributions not highlighted in the abstract and described in the introduction?

Authors’ Response: The reviewer made a great point. The abstract of the paper emphasizes the scientific contribution and/or innovation.

This research utilizes the collected data to describe the relationship between the vibration velocity and the distance from the vibration source. Additionally, it estimates the appropriate distance at which cultural relics should be placed from the road to ensure their safety. The study's findings may serve as a valuable point of reference for traffic planning and the preservation of subterranean cultural monuments.

10. In the list of references, Reference [16] should be corrected.

Authors’ Response: Thank you for pointing this out.  Reference [16] has been corrected.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor editing of English language required.

Authors’ Response: We thank the reviewer for this important comment. Thank you for your recognition. The manuscript was edited by native English speaking editor at American Journal Experts, and I have revised my manuscript according to the suggestions of the professional editor.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report

The presented article presents an interesting problem with a major impact on the effects of traffic on old buildings.

The introduction is very interesting because it presents a current state of research in the field, which is very well documented. In the introduction, aspects related to the necessity and opportunity of this study are specified.

The research was based on taking data from the field with different variations of the input data, for this reason, there is a need to approach this topic in the present work. The data analysis was channeled towards the conclusions indicated at the end, but that is not bad.

Regarding the conclusions, these are according to the results obtained in the article above. The article shows a fluency of writing and a good understanding of what is reported. In the conclusions, the importance of approaching this subject is indicated, but it would be very interesting if measures could be taken to reduce these effects on those old cultural buildings. I say this because maybe those who will read this article do not know such measures!

The bibliography is extensive with numerous bibliographic titles, but I would like what is written in Chinese to be translated into English because it can be read by anyone who knows English!

The article is good, but I think it is necessary to correct it by the authors before it is given for publication.

Author Response

Response to Reviewers' Comments (Manuscript ID: applsci-2704067)

Title: Experiment investigation and in-situ test of traffic-induced vibration on adjacent ancient cultural site ruins

Author's Response

Dear Editors and Reviewers,

Thank you for allowing us to submit a revised version of the manuscript "Experiment investigation and in-situ test of traffic-induced vibration on adjacent ancient cultural site ruins (Manuscript ID: applsci-2704067)" for publication in the Applied Sciences. We sincerely appreciate the time and effort you and the reviewers dedicated to providing feedback on our manuscript and are grateful for our paper's insightful and constructive comments. The thorough review helped immensely in shaping and improvement of the manuscript. We have incorporated most of the suggestions made by the reviewers. Please see below; Fonts in blue have been provided for a point-by-point response to the reviewers' comments and concerns. Also, it should be noted that all of the editors' and reviewers' suggestions have been applied to the paper in addition to the reviewer's comments.

It is worth noting that a suggestion was made by a reviewer to modify the study's title. “The present title of the manuscript should be modified as follows:“Experimental investigation and in-situ testing of traffic-induced vibrations on the adjacent ruins of an ancient cultural site”. The authors express their gratitude to the reviewing experts for their important suggestions to enhance the article.

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

1 - The introduction is very interesting because it presents a current state of research in the field, which is very well documented. In the introduction, aspects related to the necessity and opportunity of this study are specified.

Authors’ Response: Your positive remarks are greatly appreciated. The author diligently refines the paper in an effort to deliver an exceptional paper to the readers.

Indeed, both in the introduction and abstract, the authors emphasize scientific contributions and/or novelty.

2 - The research was based on taking data from the field with different variations of the input data, for this reason, there is a need to approach this topic in the present work. The data analysis was channeled towards the conclusions indicated at the end, but that is not bad.

Authors’ Response: We appreciate the reviewer’s comment.

(1) There were, in fact, four reviewers who were quite skilled and made important remarks. The authors have included three more sections in their work: "2.2 Ambient vibration source", "5 Similar studies", and "6 Limitations and Future Research". The last section, "6 Limitations and Future Research", focuses on the constraints and potential areas for further investigation in the study. Concurrently, the substance of the work has undergone a thorough revision. The paper's quality is said to have been significantly enhanced. We express our gratitude to the reviewers once again for their efficient efforts.

(2) The authors have included the examination of data in "4.1. Hanger Appearance Inspection". The information is presented in the following manner:

It should be noted that the 70m distance does not only consist of noise signals. The amplitude of vibration velocity at a distance of 70m is 10-1 mm/s, but the vibration caused by noise typically ranges from 10 (-2 to -3) mm/s. There is little association between the 70m vibration velocity and the traveling speed, nevertheless, the impact is minimal. Furthermore, the authors thoroughly reviewed the existing literature on environmental vibration, specifically focusing on the positioning of measurement sites. Surprisingly, no mention was found of the issue of noise at measurement points. As an example, Yano et al. [43] performed noise measurements after a sociological survey on Shinkansen noise. Noise levels were measured on many occasions at reference positions in very close proximity to the Shinkansen line, along with distances of 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 meters from these reference points. Yokoshima et al. [44] gathered data at reference sites near the Shinkansen line at distances of 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 meters from these reference points. Wang et al. [45] placed observation locations at distances ranging from 15 m to 70 m from the centerline of the track, taking use of the safety guardrails for protection. Zhang & Ma [46] performed vibration measurements to address the issues of environmental vibration and environmental noise pollution. The noise levels of passing railroad trains were recorded at distances of 0, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 160 meters from the reference location.

3- Regarding the conclusions, these are according to the results obtained in the article above. The article shows a fluency of writing and a good understanding of what is reported. In the conclusions, the importance of approaching this subject is indicated, but it would be very interesting if measures could be taken to reduce these effects on those old cultural buildings. I say this because maybe those who will read this article do not know such measures!

Authors’ Response: We appreciate the reviewer for this insightful and smart comment. Environmental vibration damping measures consist of the following:

1. Damping of vibration sources (vehicle vibration dampening, road leveling)
2. Propagation path vibration isolation, which includes wave block vibration isolation, filling trench vibration isolation, vacant trench vibration isolation, and continuous pile wall vibration isolation.

3 Artifact vibration damping (elements of damping are increased)

However, the field test is the primary emphasis of this paper; further investigation will be devoted to the intricacies of vibration mitigation measures.

4- The presented article presents an interesting problem with a major impact on the effects of traffic on old buildings.

Authors’ Response: We appreciate the reviewer comment.

5- The bibliography is extensive with numerous bibliographic titles, but I would like what is written in Chinese to be translated into English because it can be read by anyone who knows English!

Authors’ Response: The authors would like to apologize for any confusion.。The Chinese references have been converted to English.

6- The article is good, but I think it is necessary to correct it by the authors before it is given for publication.

Authors’ Response: Your positive remarks are greatly appreciated. The author diligently refines the paper in an effort to deliver an exceptional paper to the readers.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

The authors have addressed the reviewer's comments.