Study of the Lateral Bearing Capacity and Optimization Reinforcement Scheme of an Open Caisson with Consideration of Soil Disturbance
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
The study seems related to the numerical analyses of lateral loading on pile. There are several major issues which need to be addressed by the Authors:
- Please provide clearer objective
- Please state the originality of the paper
- Please revise the English writing of the paper. The current version of manuscript does not use professional English writing
Additional comments:
1. What is the effect of the uncertainty of soil parameters on the analyses of pile? Please provide literature review related to this issue.
The literature to be read is as follow:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40098-021-00588-7
2. Font size in Figure 3 is too small
3. Please provide more detail explanation on the input parameters required in Plaxis analyses.
What is the soil model used in plaxis analyses?
4. Please provide additional discussion more detail in the paper
Author Response
- Please provide clearer objective.
Reply: The objective of this paper is to evaluate the lateral bearing capacity of an ultra-deep open caissons in Jurong Water Plant under lateral pipe jacking force, and to put forward an optimization reinforcement scheme to improve the horizontal stiffness and reducing the lateral displacement of the open caisson. The findings of this paper are aim to provide reference for similar projects.
The objective of this study is highlighted, please see P6L100 ~ L103.
- Please state the originality of the paper
Reply: The originality of this paper is the investigation of lateral bearing capacity and deformation of a deep open caisson with the consideration of the soil disturbance ring around the perimeter of the caisson. The optimized reinforcement scheme of the caisson under different thickness of soil disturbance ring has been proposed as well.
The originality of the paper has been supplemented in the revised manuscript, please see Line P6L107 ~ L110.
- Please revise the English writing of the paper. The current version of manuscript does not use professional English writing.
Reply: The English writing of the paper has been revised, and a final language-check for the paper has been conducted.
- What is the effect of the uncertainty of soil parameters on the analyses of pile? Please provide literature review related to this issue.
Reply: As discussed by Oteuil et al. (2022), the bearing capacity of deep foundation is very sensitivity to the soil parameters. In general, the bearing capacity of caisson foundation decreases with the weakening of soil mechanical parameters. Due to the limitation of paper length, this paper does not analyze the specific influence of soil parameters uncertainty on the bearing performance of caisson foundation, and relevant discussion can be referred to Oteuil et al. (2022). Related literature has been supplemented in the revised manuscript, please see P14L227 ~ L232.
- Font size in Figure 3 is too small.
Reply: The font size in Figure 3 has been modified, please see P9L141 in the revised manuscript.
- Please provide more detail explanation on the input parameters required in Plaxis analyses. What is the soil model used in plaxis analyses
Reply: Mohr-Coulomb model is adopted for the soil in this paper, which has the advantages of less input parameters and easy to obtain in laboratory testing, and has been widely used in deep foundation analysis. The input soil parameters in this paper are mainly based on geological report and laboratory testing results. Detail explanations on the input parameters required in Plaxis analyses have been supplemented in the revised manuscript, please see P14L216 ~ L223.
- Please provide additional discussion more detail in the paper.
Reply: Thanks to the reviewer for the constructive comments, additional discussion has been supplemented in the revised manuscript, please see P22L338 ~ L345.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
The paper is valuable, but some points must be properly addressed before being considered for publication.
-Improve the quality of the English. There are several typos in the paper.
-Improve the quality of the figures. (e.g. the resolution of figure 4 is inadequate. The size of the labels is too small)
-The paper substantially deals with soil-structure interaction. It is not clear which are the modelling assumptions. It is not enough saying to have used a FE software!
-There is a lot of literature on soil-structure interaction and multiple modelling approaches. At least the authors should expand state of the art by explaining which is the collocation of this paper in the research panorama. Below are some recommendations about recent papers on soil-structure interaction
Yang, H., Wang, H., & Jeremić, B. (2022). An energy-based analysis framework for soil structure interaction systems. Computers & Structures, 265, 106758.
Kechidi, S., Colaço, A., Costa, P. A., Castro, J. M., & Marques, M. (2021, April). Modelling of soil-structure interaction in OpenSees: A practical approach for performance-based seismic design. In Structures (Vol. 30, pp. 75-88). Elsevier.
Xue, J., Aloisio, A., Lin, Y., Fragiacomo, M., & Briseghella, B. (2021). Optimum design of piles with pre-hole filled with high-damping material: Experimental tests and analytical modeling. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 151, 106995.
Author Response
- Improve the quality of the English. There are several typos in the paper.
Reply: The English writing of the paper has been revised, and a final language-check for the paper has been conducted.
- Improve the quality of the figures. (e.g. the resolution of figure 4 is inadequate. The size of the labels is too small)
Reply: The quality of the figures in the manuscript have been modified, please see P9 ~ P10 Figure 3 & 4 in the revised manuscript.
- The paper substantially deals with soil-structure interaction. It is not clear which are the modelling assumptions. It is not enough saying to have used a FE software!
Reply: The soil-structure interaction and modelling assumptions of the numerical modelling has been supplemented in the revised manuscript, please see P13 Line 202~210.
- There is a lot of literature on soil-structure interaction and multiple modelling approaches. At least the authors should expand state of the art by explaining which is the collocation of this paper in the research panorama. Below are some recommendations about recent papers on soil-structure interaction
Yang, H., Wang, H., & Jeremić, B. (2022). An energy-based analysis framework for soil structure interaction systems. Computers & Structures, 265, 106758.
Kechidi, S., Colaço, A., Costa, P. A., Castro, J. M., & Marques, M. (2021, April). Modelling of soil-structure interaction in OpenSees: A practical approach for performance-based seismic design. In Structures (Vol. 30, pp. 75-88). Elsevier.
Xue, J., Aloisio, A., Lin, Y., Fragiacomo, M., & Briseghella, B. (2021). Optimum design of piles with pre-hole filled with high-damping material: Experimental tests and analytical modeling. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 151, 106995.
Reply: Thanks to the reviewer for the constructive comments, additional literature review has been supplemented in the revised manuscript, please see P4 ~ P5 Line 71~78.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
The Authors have addressed the comments from Reviewer. The manuscript has been revised accordingly. The manuscript can be accepted as is now
Reviewer 2 Report
The authors adequately addressed all the reviewer concern. The paper can be accepted for publication.
