Investigation on Strength and Flexural Behavior of PVA Fiber-Reinforced and Cemented Clayey Soil

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

 

General Comments:

 

-        A good study, a new one of its kind, and comprehensive. The authors highlighted the study of the strength and flexural behavior of PVA fiber-reinforced cemented kaolin clay. I think the combination of all these matters in one study is what makes it novel and comprehensive.

Sections Comments:

-        The abstract needs to be updated and should contain three parts: a quick introduction, the main idea and tests, and the main results.

-        The novelty of this research needs a sharper definition within the introduction.

-        Its preferable to attach further photos of materials, samples, and experimental work.

-        The researchers obtained a large number of results. Still, they did not present them well, as the text was misleading and confusing despite using graphs and figures to clarify the results and facilitate comparisons.

-        The author's conclusion must be supported by evidence (such as research and logic). When he uses a personal pronoun such as "we," he risks implying that their claims are merely beliefs rather than proven thinking.

-        Non-exhaustive conclusions did not summarize all of the findings of the study. In addition to the weak and unclear comparison between the variables.

-        Concerning the form, the template of the journal is respected, especially for the tables, figures and references.

Comments on the Quality of English Language:

The manuscript is easily readable and the quality of the English Language is quite good. However, I suggest reading the manuscript very carefully because some parts can be enhanced.

 

 

In general, the paper is good and could be considered for publication after considering the above-mentioned comments.

 

 

Comments on the Quality of English Language

The manuscript is easily readable and the quality of the English Language is quite good. However, I suggest reading the manuscript very carefully because some parts can be enhanced.

 

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

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Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The experimental work presented in this paper was designed to study mechanical 360 properties of PVA fiber-reinforced cemented kaolin clay. Unconfined compression tests, 361 split tensile tests, and flexural tests were conducted. This is an interesting research that is worthy of publishing in the Buildings. However, there are some minor issues should be addressed before the manuscript publication.  The conclusions need to be condensed. 

Comments on the Quality of English Language

The Quality of English Language is good for reader.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

In the manuscript, the authors presented the results of testing the compressive, tensile and bending strength of cohesive mineral soil reinforced with the addition of dispersed reinforcement in the form of PVA fibers and Portland cement.

The research also took into account the influence of the initial soil moisture on the tested characteristics of the reinforced soil. In my opinion, in the case of soil with high moisture, better results related to the absorption of excess water are achieved by using lime.

The amount of cement used to stabilize the soil depends on the soil grain size, composition and requirements. Cement improves the properties of the soil. In my opinion, the addition of cement should not exceed 10%. Larger amounts of cement increase strength, but also create a greater risk of shrinkage and cracking. I believe that the authors should indicate why the addition of cement in their scientific studies was up to 15%.

The presented analysis of the results in relation to the tested soil showed the advisability of applying dispersed reinforcement to cement-stabilized soil. The authors point to an improvement in its strength properties.

The conclusions are consistent with the purpose and scope of the work and refer to the obtained research results. However, I believe that the authors should try to provide the optimal addition of cement and reinforcement to the soil.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 5 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

(1) It was mentioned in the discussion that the addition of fibers improved the deformability of specimens in unconfined compressive strength tests. The mechanism of fiber action at different moisture content needs to be explained in detail, especially at high moisture content, how the fiber can enhance the bearing capacity without causing sudden failure.

(2) The paper points out that the bending toughness increases significantly as the cement content increases from 5% to 10%, but there is no in-depth analysis of the physicochemical reasons behind this phenomenon. More in-depth microstructure analysis is recommended to elucidate this process.

(3) Although data on the effects of curing time and moisture content on tensile strength are provided, a specific description of how these variables affect the bond strength between fiber and matrix is lacking. More experimental data is needed to support this argument.

(4) In the bending test, it is observed that the failure mode of the sample changes with the increase of water content, from a single main crack to a multi-crack expansion mode. It is suggested to study the crack propagation mechanism under different cement content and moisture conditions.

(5) Given the importance of cement content to fiber reinforcement effect, it is recommended to add a set of samples with a cement content of 20% to evaluate the effect of higher cement content on fiber reinforcement effect.

(6) The experimental data and analysis mentioned in the article should more fully discuss the influence of fiber length, diameter and distribution on strength characteristics, as these factors may have a significant impact on the performance of fiber reinforced soil.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors complied with the reviewer's previous comments, and all modifications and suggestions related to this manuscript were done.

 The paper is generally good and can be accepted for publication in its current form.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

The manuscript is easily readable and the quality of the English Language is quite good

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

All the suggestions were properly considered in the new version of the manuscript.