Sustainable Application of Wool-Banana Bio-Composite Waste Material in Geotechnical Engineering for Enhancement of Elastoplastic Strain and Resilience of Subgrade Expansive Clays
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Hi Authors,
Thanks for submitting the article. Overall, the study is interesting. However, I provide below a few suggestions before the article may be reconsidered for potential publication.
1) Table 1 - Please consider adding the "cohesion" and "friction angle" values of the clay used. Also, it would be great if you could provide the fundamental consolidation parameters (especially the swell index) of the clay in Table 1.
2) Please consider adding the gradation curve of clay used (maybe through hydrometer analysis/laser diffraction analysis).
3) L270-271 --- Could you please elaborate on the micro-mechanisms of why the failure pattern in UCS test samples progressively transformed from brittle to ductile phase with the addition of fibres?
4) Please add a separate paragraph highlighting suggestions for future studies in the Conclusion section.
Best wishes,
Reviewer
Author Response
Authors are grateful for the valuable comments provided by the Worthy Reviewer for the betterment of the manuscript.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
1. Supplement a scale for Fig.1.
2. Abbreviations should be defined upon first use. Some abbreviations in this manuscript are duplicated or unnecessary (e.g. wool (W), banana (B)).
3. Authors presented an eco-friendly material of wool-banana fiber composites for subgraged construction, which birings the real benefit into this field. However, the most important thing of durability was not mentioned in this manuscript. Banana fiber is very perishable subjected to water logging. Thus, WB composite may not ensure the pavement quality, especially under the heavy traffice loads. Please clarify this properly. Otherwise, this work is meaningless.
Author Response
Authors are grateful for the valuable comments provided by the Worthy Reviewer for the betterment of the manuscript.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Reviewer 3 Report
Authors have carried out experimental investigation to assess the feasibility of using wool fibres and banana fibres to ameliorate the behaviour of expansive soils. The manuscript presents some interesting results to utilise such wastes, but generally it requires an indepth discussion and significant improvement to be of publishable quality. Below are the comments and suggestion to improve the quality of the manuscript:
1. Line 65: “the addition of lime in clay causes increase in brittleness and cracking potential which are not desirable properties” Lime stabilised clay is well researched and established, could authors provide supporting evidence that lime addition increases cracks of stabilised clay.
2. Line 150: what is the rational to dry the banana fibres at 110oc for 15 days. The reviewer believes that the time duration is far too long and could be detrimental.
3. Line 160: Have the authors checked the distribution of fibres to confirm its uniform distribution? how authors managed tangling of fibres? Please clarify.
4. Fig 2 suggests that samples were prepared with different heights, if so, could authors explain the rational for it.
5. Please provide full details of material characteristics in particular values of the liquid and plastic limits.
6. Animal and banana fibres were added with specific percentages, authors need to provide a strong rational for the selection of these specific values.
7. Lines 231-234, text contradicts values/results attained. This needs to be checked and corrected.
8. Lines 325-329: data need to be presented and discussed in full details.
9. The manuscript needs proof reading to clear typos, repetition and missing words e.g. lines 64, 134, 244 etc
10. All graphs need improvement.
Author Response
Authors are grateful for the valuable comments provided by the Worthy Reviewer for the betterment of the manuscript.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Round 2
Reviewer 3 Report
Although authors have addressed most of the reviewer’s comments, there are still a couple of points that need addressing;
1. Line 64- ref 25 is in Chinese. However it is entitled “Study on physical compatibility of fissure grouting slurry stone in soil sites with quicklime as admixture”. It is a quick lime hence addition of water leads to exothermic reaction which might be determinantal if insufficient amount of water was added. Secondly similar paper by the authors refers to its use for restoration of cracks. The reviewer suggests that authors to provide thorough elaboration in this topic or omit this sentence.
2Re Reviewer's comment #7 - Author responded that “The specific percentages of animal and banana fibers were selected as per past studies available in literature”. Authors are required to cite previous studies and detail the rational behind it. This needs to be clarified in the revised version.
Author Response
Authors are grateful for the valuable comments provided by the Worthy Reviewer for the betterment of the manuscript.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
