Analysis of Flexural Strength in Asphalt Concrete Specimens Using a Net-Shaped Inclusion of Waste Coffee Capsules

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The article "Analysis of flexural strength in asphalt concrete specimens using a net-shaped inclusion of waste coffee capsules" is a well-reported study that presents an innovative approach to improving the mechanical properties of asphalt concrete by incorporating waste coffee capsules. The study addresses two important issues: waste management wells and advanced materials in civil engineering. With the proposed improvements, this work could provide valuable insight into the flexural strength of modified asphalt concrete.

 

1.      Could you please identify the manufacturer of the coffee capsules used in your study? Were the capsules randomly selected or was a specific brand used? Also, does the composition and mechanical properties of the capsules vary by manufacturer, and how might this variability affect the final mechanical properties of the asphalt concrete?

2.      Can you describe the process used to place the coffee capsules? Was this process automated or manual? Also, how could this process be scaled up for practical applications?

3.      I would appreciate it if you could provide additional information on the statistical treatment of the data, including the number of samples from which quantitative data were obtained. It would also be helpful to include statistical information in the text and to present these data in the figures.

4.      The manuscript discusses the deformation at the point of first crack. How does this measurement relate to the overall performance of the asphalt concrete?

5.      The results indicate an increase in flexural strength with the inclusion of capsules. How do these results quantitatively compare to other studies that have used different types of recycled materials?

6.      Please ensure that the reference list is formatted according to the journal's requirements and presented in a consistent style.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor editing of English language required.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

1. In the article, the use of waste coffee capsules aims to enhance the flexural strength of asphalt concrete specimens. In the paragraph on line 207, it is explained that the reticulated coffee capsules must be bonded with silica gel. Has the asphalt mixture been considered for bonding? Additionally, the bonding method for the coffee capsules is not specified. If the coffee capsules are bonded individually, will this significantly increase the workload and impact the practical value?

2. In the first paragraph of Chapter Materials and Methods, why did the rules for writing this chapter be placed in this section, and was it overly negligent on the part of the editors?

3. The first paragraph on page 6 of the article states that the abrasion resistance of the material has reached an acceptable level, as confirmed by two related studies. However, it is unclear why the editor did not cite these studies. Additionally, the procedure outlined in ASTM D6925 is referenced in the third paragraph of this page and is numbered [53]. However, the in-article citations only go up to [52], and this discrepancy is not addressed in the subsequent citation [54].

4.There are several spelling and formatting errors in the text, a writing error in the title Flexural Strength line 323, and the title in Figure 10 is incorrectly positioned.

5. The citation [51] in the article mentions that the effect of plastic geogrid is different when placed at different pavement layer thicknesses, indicating that the location of the additives is of certain importance. However, in the experiment in this paper, only the coffee capsule was placed on the bottom layer, so why did the change in position not take into account the effect on it?

6. The analysis of the existing test data indicates that the deformation of the specimen containing waste capsule inclusions is minimal; however, the data measurements obtained during the test are limited. This point is also addressed in the Conclusions section, but it does not explain why supplementary measurements were not conducted to enhance the reliability of the findings?

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Please find the attached file 

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Moderate editing of English language required 

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Based on the overall quality, a major revision is needed.

Comments:

(1) what is the difference between the waste coffee capsules and normal waste plastic? it is the same story.

(2) is that convenient to collect capsules? The quantity is not large I guess.

(3) How to pretreat the waste coffee capsules?

(4) More in-depth discussions should be added. Section 4 is too simple.

(5) The test is too simple and no micro tests were conducted.

(6) introduction. more recent studies about waste plastics should be discussed: "The world of plastic waste: A review"; "A mini-review on the use of plastic waste as a modifier of the bituminous mix for flexible pavement"; "The utilization of waste plastics in asphalt pavements: A review".

(7) Conclusions.  Please clarify the novel findings.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Please polish the language.

Author Response

Please see the attachment

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thank you for your response to the comments.

I think that the article can be accepted in its present form.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

All the comments have been addressed.

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thanks for your improvement.