Study on Radial and Longitudinal Zoning of Insulation Layer in Alpine Tunnel under Wind Field
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
This is a good article, good research. It provides a good reference value for the implementation of tunnel insulation.
The reviewer believes that the article can be accepted if the following contents can be corrected.
(1) The summary is not well written. I hope to highlight the research focus of the article and introduce the research conclusions and guiding significance at the end.
(2) The introduction hopes to add some recent academic achievements related to the research content of the article.
(3) Carefully check the pictures and tables of the article to meet the requirements of clarity and this magazine.
(4) In lines 138-139, some parameters of formula 7 and 8 are not clear. It is suggested to rewrite them. In addition, I strongly recommend that the author check the full text formula.
(5) The numerical simulation in this paper is a major feature. I hope the author can introduce the numerical simulation software and the modeling process.
Author Response
Please see the attachment
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Taking Dabanshan Tunnel as an example, this paper reports the thermal insulation layer setting scheme of tunnel in cold regions using model test and numerical simulation. The research theme is consistent with the actual engineering application, and the research content is interesting. The reviewer feels that the discussion can be accepted after a minor revision and further clarification of the concept.
(1) Further check the full text images and tables to meet the format requirements and clarity requirements.
(2) The introduction introduces the research background too much. I hope the author can add some recent research results to the research content.
(3) The conclusion of the article is well written, but it is too simplified. I hope the author can mention the key points of the study.
(4) I strongly recommend that Figure. 16 is beautified again.
(5) Carefully check whether the upper and lower corners of the article are set properly, for example, some parameters in Table 1 are not set with upper and lower corners.
(6) I suggest that the author further check all formulas in the article to ensure that each parameter can be clearly presented.
Author Response
Please see the attachment
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
The aim of this research was to examine the insulation design of an Alpine tunnel under the impact of cold winds. The study involved conducting thermal analysis, which resulted in proposing an enhanced insulation design. This information is valuable for designing insulation in tunnels, particularly in colder regions. Nonetheless, some inquiries need to be addressed before publishing.
1) In my opinion, I believe that a professional editor is necessary to edit the entire paper. It should be improved. Wrong words and not proper terminologies were used. A lot of grammar error. Please correct. (for example, zoning is correct word for this research and industry? Urban zoning is familiar but insulation zoning is not familiar to me please explain.)
2) It is required that you provide information regarding the location and climate of the tunnel, as well as a summary of the annual temperature data where the tunnel is located.
3) Could you explain the reason for applying vertical air in Figure 2 from the mountain?
4) Don't we need to have geological survey data to estimate the temperature transmitted from the mountain? If you have the data, please present it, and provide the input data for each layer in mountain for your analysis. (surrounding rock is only layer from mountain?)
5) When looking at Figure 8-Figure 10, most of the roadway temperatures appear to be the lowest (minus degree). Could this lead to the formation of icy roads and make driving difficult?
6) Please include a picture of the installed insulation layer at tunnel.
7) It is deemed necessary to conduct tests related to freeze-thaw durability. Could you please provide an explanation of the applicable test standards?
8) Has the calculation been made assuming that the outside temperature is constant? Please explain how the changing outside temperature throughout the seasons, such as winter, spring, and summer, can affect the results.
9) Basic information such as the name of the software, analysis method (FE model?), mesh used, and element type used should be provided in text such as one table.
10) The following study may be helpful in understanding the impact of temperature on the formation of cracks in concrete or rock. The study found that the effect of temperature difference on crack formation was minimal, despite the high temperature variation.
“The use of expansive chemical agents for concrete demolition: Example of practical design and application (2021) Construction and Building Materials, 272, 121849.”
Author Response
Please see the attachment
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 3 Report
Regarding Comment 1: English edit was not fully conducted yet.
Regarding Comment 4: Through geological exploration, it is necessary to investigate which layers exist at each depth.(not only freezing depth but actual geological layers and it's thermal properties need to be applied to your model)
Regarding comment 5: can you put the answer for comment 5 in your text and explain more about driving condition on the road with minus degree. I can imagine an icy road in tunnel and please mention any possible safety problem if there is.
Regarding comment 6: Please add a picture rather than diagram.
Regarding comment 9: You need to explain more about your model. Not sufficient information related to the FE model. (Element type, method of analysis (Newmark method? Is this CFD model or solid model? Several questions could be arisen from limited information for this FE model)
Regarding comment 10: Even though you mentioned a suggested reference was in the contents of this study however, it was still not mentioned in the text and I can not see the paper I recommend in your reference list.
Additional comment 1: it seems like 9 out of 10 references were from Chinese researchers. I believe you could find more related references for this study around World.
Additional comment 2: Addition to this, equation format should be also corrected. And where did you get all these equations? Please mention a reference you refer to.
Author Response
The article was rectified and responded to as requested by the reviewer.
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 3
Reviewer 3 Report
All comments are now resolved by author responses.
