Strength and Water Absorption Behavior of Untreated Coconut Fiber-Reinforced Mortars: Experimental Evaluation and Mix Optimization

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

In this study, coconut fibers have been added to cement mortar as a reinforcement. Several compositions have been prepared, changing the content and the dimensions of the fibers. The effects on mechanical, microstructural and physical properties of the mortar have been investigated. A model for estimating the mechanical performance in similar materials has also been proposed.

In my opinion, the paper is properly organized; the context of the research is detailed; the results are discussed in depth and compared with those of other published studies. I have found the focus on sustainability to be helpful in addressing current concerns.

I would suggest only minor changes before the publication.

1. Lines 78-79 and Line 322: Replace “(Error! Reference source not found.)” the figure number.
2. Line 164: Delete this graph.
3. Section 3.2 and Section 3.3 contain reversed figures.
4. What is the meaning of the red line in the plot related to flexural strength?
5. The data reported in lines 198-199 appears to differ from those reported in the graph. Check and revise.
6. Table 2: How did you determine the improvement? Please specify in the text. Add the unit of measurement as well.

Author Response

We would like to sincerely thank the reviewers for their careful reading of our manuscript and for providing constructive and insightful comments. Their feedback has greatly helped us to improve the clarity, rigor, and overall quality of the paper. We have carefully considered each point raised, and all suggested changes have been incorporated into the revised manuscript. Below, we provide a detailed point-by-point response to the reviewers’ comments, with corresponding revisions highlighted in the text.

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The article is interesting, presenting the mechanical behavior of untreated coconut fiber-reinforced mortars.

 

• Please add the explication of SEM in line 19 (abstract) and in line 67, instead of line 105.
• The introduction needs to be strengthened with more references.
• Please provide the mechanical properties of the Type I ordinary Portland cement or refer to a article that presents them.
• Line 78, error reference source not found.
• How did you produce the figure 1? Please explain.
• In the part 2.20 have you contacted axial tensile strength tests? Could you please also add the compression strength of the coconut coir fibers?
• In the 57 specimens, when you increase the percentage of the fibers it was not necessary to reduce the percentage of sand? Which is the max percentage of the coconut fibers in this type of mortars? Is it similar of Carbone fibers percentage in the concrete?
• Equations 1-3  are well known. Please add references, if you think that they are necessary.
• Please explain the results of the figure 2, based to the length and the percentage of the fibers.
• Please double check the lines 163-165. It seems that there is a problem in the continue of the text with the figure.
• It will be more accurate to validate the proposed equations (regression) with a new specimen. After the validation you could add a sensitivity analysis in order to explain the effect of each parameters.

Author Response

We would like to sincerely thank the reviewers for their careful reading of our manuscript and for providing constructive and insightful comments. Their feedback has greatly helped us to improve the clarity, rigor, and overall quality of the paper. We have carefully considered each point raised, and all suggested changes have been incorporated into the revised manuscript. Below, we provide a detailed point-by-point response to the reviewers’ comments, with corresponding revisions highlighted in the text.

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The reviewer thanks the authors for the clair ansewers and the efforts to improve this paper.  

Author Response

The authors thank the reviewers for their valuable suggestions to improve the manuscript.