The Influence of Overburden Stress and Molding Water Content on the Microstructure of Remolded Loess
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
This is an interesting paper aims to reveal the mechanisms of the microstructural evolution of remolded loess under different moulding water contents and overburden stresses. In this manuscript, the Loess samples were collected from Yan'an New District, and two sets of samples were prepared using static compaction method and determined the microstructure of reconstituted loess at different moulding water contents and investigated the evolution of pore characteristics under overburden stress.Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) tests were performed on both sets of samples to obtain pore size distribution curves(PSD) and microstructure images. A microstructural evolution model of remolded loess under different moulding water contents and overburden stresses was proposed overburden stresses was proposed. The research results are expected to provide new insights into the microstructural evolution and deformation mechanisms of loess in high embankment construction sites.However, there are some ambiguity questions in the manuscript which requires the author to revise. Major revisions are suggested to address some deficiencies in the writing process and enhance the paper's overall quality and practical applicability before publication.
1．In the manuscript, why the author choose the moisture content (w) is 10%, 13, 16, and 19%, and dry density (ρd) is 1.6 g/cm3 and 1.7 g/cm3 , respectively. In Table 1, it can be seen that the natural moisture content is 13.3w, the dry density is 1.54g/cm3, the optimal moisture content is 16%, and the maximum dry density is 1.8g/cm3. Did the author refer to the soil properties indicators in Table 1 when selecting the parameters for the reshaping test.
2．As specified in the Standard for soil test methods, the density of soil is generally kept to two decimal places, while the moisture content is kept to one decimal place.
3 In section of 3.1.2 Compressibility of Remolded Loess, the sentence ‘When the vertical stress exceeds 800 kPa, the dry density has no influence on the void ratio.’ is is ambiguous because the moisture content is not mentioned. As we know, the moisture content has obvious influence on the yield stress and void ratio of the remolded loess.
Minor editing of English language required
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
The study tries to reveal the mechanisms of the microstructural evolution of remolded loess under different moulding water contents and overburden stresses through a series of laboratory experiments based on Loess samples collected from Yan'an New District. Some interesting conclusions have bee achieved and may be of good value for researchers of this field. In addition, the manuscript if well organized and presented.
1. In lines 28-30 of the abstract, the influence of increased overburden stress on macropores and fractal dimension should be included.
2. After lines 68-69 in the Introduction, the role of scanning electron microscopy should be added.
3. In lines 108-109, it should be written as "The Mountain Excavation and City Construction Project" instead of "high embankment construction project."
4. Lines 216-218 should include a more detailed description of the Photoshop processing method and add a comparison.
5. The text in Figure 4,10,13 with red wavy underline should be removed.
6. Lines 232-242 should include the formulas for probability entropy, shape factor, and fractal dimension.
7. Following lines 458-461, it should be added that with the increase in moulding water content, the cohesion of the clay is also reduced.
8. Microscopic structure types such as matrix type, granule type, etc., should be added to Figure 16.
9. In Figure 17(b), "consolidation" should be changed to "Overburden Stress."
The English of the manuscript is good.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
The authors of the article entitled "Influence of Overburden Stress and Moulding Water Content on the Microstructure of Remolded Loess" presented research on, the present SEM and MIP techniques to investigate the microstructural changes in remolded loess with different molding water contents, and explore the evolution of the microstructure of remolded loess under overburden loading conditions.
After a thorough reading of the manuscript, there were mistakes that should be corrected in order for the article to be accepted for publication in the Journal.
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Part of the Manuscript |
Comments |
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Abstract |
The abstract should be shortened so that it contains the most important information about the work and its purpose. |
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Introduction |
The introduction should be expanded to include some of recent research issues and relevant literature, including possible threats to the environment. |
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Materials and Methods |
The caption of table 3 should be placed above the table and not separated on the preceding page, line 139. In the section Test Materials, the authors should provide the name of the manufacturer and possibly the model of used equipment for the analyzes. |
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Test results |
The caption of figure 11 should be below the figure on the same page and not separated, line 373. Figure 13 should be placed in its entirety on one page for comparison purposes and not on separate pages. You can try to save the equations using the wizard of equations / formulas in word, they will be more readable. |
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Discussion |
The dot at the beginning of the section devoted to the discussion of the results should be removed. The discussion of the results should be extended with the current analysis of similar studies conducted, together with the literature sources. |
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Conclusion |
The conclusions require improvement and the provision of specific information on the basis of the research and analysis carried out and translating these results into practice. |
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References |
The bibliography should be adapted to the requirements of the MDPI. |
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Miscellaneous |
Throughout the article, check for spaces between citations. The numbering and font of chapters and subchapters should be carefully checked for errors. |
Editorial corrections as well as minor linguistic corrections are necessary throughout the article. After all the comments are corrected, the article will meet the formal requirements to be published in the Sustainability Journal.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
