Comprehensive Analysis on the Performance and Material of Automobile Brake Discs
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
This paper reviews about the performance and material of automobile brake discs, but a series of mandatory corrections are suggested in the following:
1) References should be improved.
- In this paper, the first cited reference’s number is “13”. In addition, the second cited reference’s number is “47”. In general, references are numbered in the order in which they are cited. The authors should correct the reference number.
- Uncited references are listed (Refs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 12). Why are these references listed?
- A major portion of the cited references is the papers written in Chinese. The authors should cite the papers written in English to more encourage the understanding of readers.
2) The authors often use the unsuitable English for the technical paper. For example, “And the development…” (Page 3, Line 82) and “…about 60%” (Page 3, Line 89). The authors should correct “And” and “about” to “Moreover” and “approximately”, respectively. In addition, there are some other English mistakes, and the authors should reconsider the English expressions.
3) Page 2, Line 73. The authors describe “C-type and F-type graphite”. However, the description of “C-type and F-type graphite” may not be common, and the authors should explain each type of graphite.
4) Page 6, Line 183. What is the “Taguchi”?
5) Page 11, Line 342. The authors should correct “Tables 5 and 6” to “Tables 4 and 5”.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer:
I made the following changes to response your question.
1) References should be improved
I renumbered the references and replaced the uncited ones. Replace all cited references with English ones.
2) Re-expressed the full text
3) Explained each type of graphite
A-type (straight flake) graphite is a uniformly distributed graphite structure formed by hypoeutectic gray iron when the eutectic property is high and the degree of subcooling is small. It has less effect on the cleavage of metal. The pearlite content in cast iron with A-type graphite is high, so both strength and wear resistance are good. B-type (rose-like) graphite often appears in gray iron with high eutectic property and a high degree of subcooling. Due to the large degree of undercooling, the fine graphite eutectics that are initially formed grow faster and are distributed radially. Because of the release of the latent heat of crystallization, the growth of graphite is slow and strip-shaped, and finally, the three-dimensional shape of graphite is similar to a rose. The graphite in the core part is fine and dense. At the same time, ferrite is produced, which is detrimental to the properties of cast iron. Small amounts of B-type graphite are usually allowed. C-type (coarse slab or block) graphite is typical graphite of hypereutectic gray iron. Because the graphite is produced in the liquid state and has a considerable thickness, they are often connected or are very close to each other, and the surrounding is often ferrite, so the performance of cast iron is greatly reduced. Consider that gray cast iron is mostly hypoeutectic, C-type graphite is not allowed in any grade of gray iron (except for piston rings and some brake drum discs). D-type (dendritic point) graphite mostly appears in cast iron structures with low eutectic property or high undercooling. The reason is that the supercooling degree of molten iron is large, so it is also called supercooled graphite. Undercooled graphite is often accompanied by undercooled ferrite, which is unevenly distributed in the form of dendritic points. Thus it is not good for cast iron performance. E-type (dendritic) graphite is also an undercooled graphite. It is formed when the degree of subcooling is greater than that of D-type graphite. Therefore, its distribution is more uneven. The directionality is more obvious and the performance of cast iron is also more disadvantageous. F-type (star) graphite is the product of hypereutectic cast iron under extreme subcooling. Its abrasion resistance is good and it is also accompanied by a high-diffusion full pearlite matrix.
4) Explained Taguchi
The Taguchi method was founded by Dr. Taguchi of Japan. The core purpose of the Taguchi method is to make the designed products stable in quality and low in volatility. It makes the production process insensitive to various noises.
5)Corrected "Tables 5 and 6" to "Tables 4 and 5".
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
The quality of the presentation is very low, both in form and substance. An extensive editing of English language and style is required throughout the manuscript. Some points have been highlighted into the uploaded commented pdf file as example of the many deficiencies shown by the proposed manuscript.
Comments for author File: Comments.pdf
Author Response
Dear Reviewer:
I made the following changes to response your question.
1) The abstract has been reformulated.
2 )The introductory part of meaning is deleted.
3 )Basic text format changed.
4 )The language expressions and contents of the full text were rectified.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
This paper reviews about the performance and material of automobile brake discs. This paper contains some interesting results, but a series of mandatory corrections are still suggested in the following:
1) References should still be improved.
a) Page 6, Line 176. Ref. 16 appears after ref. 11, and the authors should correct it.
b) Page 8, Line 237. The authors describe “Guillaume [16] et al.”, but “Guillaume” is not included in Ref. 16. The authors should correct it.
c) Page 8, Line 239. The authors describe “Francesco [17]”, but “Francesco” is not included in Ref. 17. The authors should correct it.
d) Page 13, Line 391. Ref. 38 appears after ref. 36, and the authors should correct it.
e) Reference format in this paper may be incorrect. The authors should read the “Instructions for Authors” carefully.
2) Scales should be added in Figs. 6 to 9. In addition, captions for Figs. 6 to 9 may be unsuitable. For instance, Fig. 6 shows the “microstructure” of ductile iron without heat treatment. The micrographs shown in Figs. 6 to 9 are “microstructure”, and the authors should correct it.
3) There are still some English mistakes, and the authors should reconsider the English expressions.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer:
First of all, thank you very much for your suggestions. Secondly, according to your request, the following changes were made.
1) According to your requirements, I have improved references and sentence expressions.
a) I sorted the references correctly.
b) I corrected the wrong references.
c) I corrected the wrong references.
d) I sorted the references correctly.
e) I corrected the format of the full-text reference.
2) I added scales to Figures 6 to 9 and improved titles.
3) I again expressed the full text.
Please send me an update at your earliest convenience.
Warm regards
Li Wanyang
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
The required corrections have been performed.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer:
Thank you very much for your approval of my first modification.
Warm regards
Li Wanyang
