New Opportunities for Low Alloy Steels—Master Alloys for Liquid Phase Sintering
, José M. Torralba 2,*, Raquel de Oro 3, Elena Bernardo 4 and Andrea Galán-Salazar 1
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
The manuscript entitled "New opportunities for low alloy steels: master alloys for liquid phase sintering" described in a very interesting way the alloys design process for sintering. In my opinion, the paper may have an important impact on the field of alloys design. The authors described step by step each stage of calculations and experimental validation of the alloys design process.
However, the article has serious shortcomings:
- The low quality of the figures (i.e. figs. 9, 12, 13)
- There are a lot of Spanish words in the text and figure descriptions.
- Refs. 47-53 and 71,72 are without the page number.
Author Response
Reviewer 1 Comments and Suggestions for Authors
The manuscript entitled "New opportunities for low alloy steels: master alloys for liquid phase sintering" described in a very interesting way the alloys design process for sintering. In my opinion, the paper may have an important impact on the field of alloys design. The authors described step by step each stage of calculations and experimental validation of the alloys design process.
However, the article has serious shortcomings:
- The low quality of the figures (i.e. figs. 9, 12, 13)
- There are a lot of Spanish words in the text and figure descriptions.
- Refs. 47-53 and 71, 72 are without the page number.
Dear reviewer,
Thank you very much for reviewing the manuscript. As requested, we adapted the manuscript with the suggested changes on figures and text. The modifications/corrections have been made, please see the document entitled REVIEWED VERSION OF THE MANUSCRIPT).
Please find below the response to the suggested points
- The low quality of the figures (i.e. figs. 9, 12, 13)
Response: The figures have been modified. There was a mistake on previous version
- There are a lot of Spanish words in the text and figure descriptions.
Response: The text has been checked and corrected as proposed by the reviewer.
- Refs. 47-53 and 71, 72 are without the page number.
Response: page numbers have been introduced.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
The authors have made a review in this field. Some issues need to be resolved prior to the next step.
Line 12, This is a review paper, it would be better to provide a brief background at the beginning of the abstract to tell the problems that are why you need to work on this review.
Line 12, “alloy costs” can be changed to “the costs”.
Line 13, “while at the same time” can be changed to “meanwhile”.
Line 14, in “different requirements”, “different” can be changed to “multi”.
Line 15, “such as” can be changed to “including” in this case.
Line 17, “This work reviews these key aspects for the efficient development of steels” sounds not sufficiently reflect this paper. You can say something like “…efforts have been made for ……and some factors were found play key role in ……This work review the developments in …especially the key factors.
Line 17, In the end of the abstract it will be better to provide a short summary to tell the conclusion.
Line 18, in Keywords, “wettability” and “surface energy” can be added in.
Line 21, add a period “.” after “1937”.
Line 22, 30, “by” should be changed to “by using” or “using” in this case. Please check throughout the manuscript for the similar issues and fix them all.
Line 22, REF [1] is missed before [2]. Please check and make sure the REF order in the text and list of reference.
Line 23, “different” is not necessary and can be deleted here.
Line 24, “As a consequence of this use in the car …” is not logical for the followed contents. Please check and revise. It may be changed as “Hence” in this case.
Line 28, “We must not forget…” can be changed to “It can be noted…” in this case.
Line 30, “It can be considered that” can be changed to “It should be noted that…”.
Line 31, “from now” can be deleted here.
Line 31, in “for plastic deformation”, “for” should be changed to “because of” in this case.
Line 34, “require” should be changed to “are required to meet”.
Line 35, “last” can be changed to “past” in this case.
Line 41, “Today” should be changed to “Nowadays” in this case.
Line 41, “occupy” should be changed to “play” in this case.
Line 45, “low cost” should be plural I this case.
Line 47, “velocity” should be changed to “speed” in this case.
Line 49, “without doubt” should be changed to “no doubt” in this case.
In Figure 1, what the name for the vertical-axis? Check REF [1] for its order.
Line 53, “difusión” looks not an English word.
Line 88, REF [14, 15] are missed before [16 - 18]. Please check and make sure the REF order in the text and list of reference.
Line 89, “prize” means “reward” and should be changed to “prices”. “…at the same time that a sharp increase in the Ni and Mo prizes occurred…” can be changed to “…meanwhile the prices of Ni and Mo rapidly increased…”.
Line 93, “product” should be plural here.
Line 95 to 98, this text looks like cited from somewhere, then should be referenced.
Line 100, “activity” should be plural here.
Line 104, “opened” can be changed to “brought” in this case.
Line 108, “clearly defined” and “part” are not necessary here and can be deleted.
Line 111, “development” should be plural here.
Line 113, “next” should be changed to “following” in this case.
Line 116, add an article “the” for “two reasons” in this case.
Line 124, “atomising” should be changed to “atomizing”. Please check throughout the manuscript and fix them all.
Line 128, “atomized” should be changed to “atomizing” here.
Line 129, “low” should be changed to “small” in this case.
Line 130, add “at” before “low”.
Line 138, “last” should be changed to “past” in this case.
Line 145, “linked with” should be changed to “associated with” in this case.
Line 147, “related with” should be changed to “related to” in this case.
Line 151, 166, “so” should be changed to “therefore” or “thus” in this case.
Line 152, “can be understood as” should be changed to “can be considered” in this case.
Line 174, add “of period” after “time”.
Line 185, add an article “the” before “maximum”.
Figure 4 should be moved after where it is cited (“…Figure 4…”) in the text. Please check throughout the manuscript for the same problems and fix them all.
Line 212, “linked to” can be changed to “associated with” in this case.
Line 228, “set” should be plural in this case.
Figure 5 needs a general caption and then followed by the sub-captions. Please check throughout the manuscript for the same problems and fix them all.
Line 247, “by” should be changed to “with” in this case.
Line 255, “an” should be deleted here.
Figure 6 needs a general caption and then followed by the sub-captions. Please check throughout the manuscript for the same problems and fix them all.
Line 267 to 268, “xxx-xxx-xxx” should be changed to “xxx,xxx,xxx”.
Line 284, “covered by” should be changed to “covered with” in this case.
Figure 10 should be moved after where it is cited (“…Figure 10…”) in the text; needs a general caption and then followed by the sub-captions. Please check throughout the manuscript for the same problems and fix them all.
Figure 11 needs sub-figures and sub-captions.
Figure 12 needs a general caption and then followed by the sub-captions.
Line 385, add an article “the” before “systems”.
Line 399, what d you mean “…and by the particle boundaries…” here?
Line 403, the comma “,” should be deleted.
Line 408, “stages” should be singular in this case.
Line 413, “has” should be changed to “plays” in this case.
Line 416, please check “through particles and by grain boundaries”.
Line 416, 416, please check “for” if it should be deleted here?
Figure 14 is provided but it is not cited in the text, please check if it is not necessary and not cited in the text then it should be removed, or it should be cited in the text. Also, this figure needs sub-captions.
Line 440, “at the edge” should be
Line 453, “by” should be changed to “with” in this case.
Figure 16 needs sub-captions.
Figure 17 needs sub-captions.
Line 475, in a research paper, “we” “our” “us” should be avoided by using passive sentences. Please check and fix.
Author Response
Reviewer 2 Comments and Suggestions for Authors
The authors would like to thank you for the time invested in reviewing this manuscript with critical eye and all the suggestions made that can contribute to improving its quality. We have modified the manuscript to include all your suggestions, please find each point addressed below.
The modifications/corrections have been made by the authors through the text (please, see the document entitled REVIEWED VERSION OF THE MANUSCRIPT).
A detailed response to the comments of the reviewer is here included.
The authors have made a review in this field. Some issues need to be resolved prior to the next step.
Line 12, This is a review paper, it would be better to provide a brief background at the beginning of the abstract to tell the problems that are why you need to work on this review.
Response: Abstract has been rewritten as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 12, “alloy costs” can be changed to “the costs”.
Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 13, “while at the same time” can be changed to “meanwhile”. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the Reviewer.
Line 14, in “different requirements”, “different” can be changed to “multi”. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the Reviewer.
Line 15, “such as” can be changed to “including” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the Reviewer.
Line 17, “This work reviews these key aspects for the efficient development of steels” sounds not sufficiently reflect this paper. You can say something like “…efforts have been made for ……and some factors were found play key role in ……This work review the developments in …especially the key factors. Response: Abstract has been rewritten as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 17, In the end of the abstract it will be better to provide a short summary to tell the conclusion. Response: Abstract has been rewritten as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 18, in Keywords, “wettability” and “surface energy” can be added in. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 21, add a period “.” after “1937”. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 22, 30, “by” should be changed to “by using” or “using” in this case. Please check throughout the manuscript for the similar issues and fix them all. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 22, REF [1] is missed before [2]. Please check and make sure the REF order in the text and list of reference. Response: this problem has been solved.
Line 23, “different” is not necessary and can be deleted here. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 24, “As a consequence of this use in the car …” is not logical for the followed contents. Please check and revise. It may be changed as “Hence” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 28, “We must not forget…” can be changed to “It can be noted…” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 30, “It can be considered that” can be changed to “It should be noted that…”. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 31, “from now” can be deleted here. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 31, in “for plastic deformation”, “for” should be changed to “because of” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 34, “require” should be changed to “are required to meet”. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 35, “last” can be changed to “past” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 41, “Today” should be changed to “Nowadays” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 41, “occupy” should be changed to “play” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 45, “low cost” should be plural I this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 47, “velocity” should be changed to “speed” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 49, “without doubt” should be changed to “no doubt” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
In Figure 1, what the name for the vertical-axis? Check REF [1] for its order. Response: The text has been modified in the Fig.1 caption.
Line 53, “difusión” looks not an English word. Response: The text has been corrected
Line 88, REF [14, 15] are missed before [16 - 18]. Please check and make sure the REF order in the text and list of reference. Response: this problem has been solved.
Line 89, “prize” means “reward” and should be changed to “prices”. “…at the same time that a sharp increase in the Ni and Mo prizes occurred…” can be changed to “…meanwhile the prices of Ni and Mo rapidly increased…”. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 93, “product” should be plural here. Response: The text has been corrected as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 95 to 98, this text looks like cited from somewhere, then should be referenced.
Response: Indeed, it’s a definition made by some authors of the manuscript
Line 100, “activity” should be plural here. Response: The text has been corrected as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 104, “opened” can be changed to “brought” in this case. Response: The text has been corrected as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 108, “clearly defined” and “part” are not necessary here and can be deleted. Response: The text has been corrected as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 111, “development” should be plural here. Response: The text has been corrected as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 113, “next” should be changed to “following” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 116, add an article “the” for “two reasons” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 124, “atomising” should be changed to “atomizing”. Please check throughout the manuscript and fix them all. Response: In this case British English has been used in the document, so it is written atomization, or behaviour, or characterization.
Line 128, “atomized” should be changed to “atomizing” here.
Line 129, “low” should be changed to “small” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 130, add “at” before “low”. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 138, “last” should be changed to “past” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 145, “linked with” should be changed to “associated with” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 147, “related with” should be changed to “related to” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 151, 166, “so” should be changed to “therefore” or “thus” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 152, “can be understood as” should be changed to “can be considered” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 174, add “of period” after “time”. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 185, add an article “the” before “maximum”. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Figure 4 should be moved after where it is cited (“…Figure 4…”) in the text. Please check throughout the manuscript for the same problems and fix them all.
Response: The Figure has been moved to the proper position, the rest of the text has been checked.
Line 212, “linked to” can be changed to “associated with” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 228, “set” should be plural in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Figure 5 needs a general caption and then followed by the sub-captions. Please check throughout the manuscript for the same problems and fix them all. Response: the sub-captions have been introduced.
Line 247, “by” should be changed to “with” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 255, “an” should be deleted here. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Figure 6 needs a general caption and then followed by the sub-captions. Please check throughout the manuscript for the same problems and fix them all. Response: the sub-captions have been introduced.
Line 267 to 268, “xxx-xxx-xxx” should be changed to “xxx,xxx,xxx”. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 284, “covered by” should be changed to “covered with” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Figure 10 should be moved after where it is cited (“…Figure 10…”) in the text; needs a general caption and then followed by the sub-captions. Please check throughout the manuscript for the same problems and fix them all. Response: figure 10 has been moved after the place where it is cited.
Figure 11 needs sub-figures and sub-captions. Response: the sub-captions have been introduced.
Figure 12 needs a general caption and then followed by the sub-captions. Response: the sub-captions have been introduced.
Line 385, add an article “the” before “systems”. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 399, what d you mean “…and by the particle boundaries…” here?
Response: The text has been modified to improve the idea.
Line 403, the comma “,” should be deleted. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 408, “stages” should be singular in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 413, “has” should be changed to “plays” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 416, please check “through particles and by grain boundaries”. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Line 416, 416, please check “for” if it should be deleted here? Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Figure 14 is provided but it is not cited in the text, please check if it is not necessary and not cited in the text then it should be removed, or it should be cited in the text. Also, this figure needs sub-captions.
Response: The figure has been cited.
Line 440, “at the edge” should be Response: The sentence was incomplete, sorry.
Line 453, “by” should be changed to “with” in this case. Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
Figure 16 needs sub-captions. Response: the sub-captions have been introduced.
Figure 17 needs sub-captions. Response: the sub-captions have been introduced.
Line 475, in a research paper, “we” “our” “us” should be avoided by using passive sentences. Please check and fix. Response: The text has been modified and reviewed as proposed by the reviewer.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
The article written by MĎŚnica Campos, José M. Torralba et. al. is systematic and interesting. I think this article is acceptable.
Meanwhile, please note the following issues.
- In Page 2, line 53, CU, in page 9 line 296, line 299, H2, that there are some typos.
- In the part 5.2, if a piece of oxide film is fall into the melt, is it defined as dissolved in the melt?
- The atomisation process seems important, but there is not many introductions to this point in this article.
Author Response
Reviewer 3 Comments and Suggestions for Authors
Dear reviewer,
The authors would like to thank you for the time invested in reviewing this manuscript with critical eye and all the suggestions made that can contribute to improving its quality. We have modified the manuscript to include all your suggestions, please find each point addressed below.
A detailed response to the comments of the reviewer is here included.
Meanwhile, please note the following issues.
- In Page 2, line 53, CU, in page 9 line 296, line 299, H2, that there are some typos.
Response: The text has been modified as proposed by the reviewer.
- In the part 5.2, if a piece of oxide film is fall into the melt, is it defined as dissolved in the melt?
Section 5.2 gives a description of how the condition of solubility between the phases is decisive. However, it is assumed (as a hypothesis) that the solid phase and the liquid phase are in contact, without oxides in the interface. We want to consider the representation of the equilibrium diagrams in order to understand the consequences on the densification and dimensional distortion of the component.
- The atomisation process seems important, but there is not many introductions to this point in this article.
Response: The authors agree on the importance of the atomisation process of the master alloys. It defines the distribution of particle sizes, the quality of the powder, the quantity of interstitials (and specifically of oxygen), etc.
However, it has not been the object of this study as it has not been possible to design the atomisation parameters in order to study its consequences. Other works include relevant results in this field.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
