Review Reports - Microwave Imaging and Non-Destructive Testing of Bituminous Mix Binder-Aggregate Behavior Using Log-Periodic Feedline-Based Microstrip Filter

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The content of the paper suits this journal’s aim. The paper is well-organized experimental research on NDT applications for the bituminous mixtures advanced characterization. The following comments are suggested to the authors for further amendments:

Lines 54-55: Please better elaborate on the objective statement and the methodological framework with a possible flowchart.

The electromagnetic response of bituminous mixtures is not currently considered into conventional mix design procedures. Please comment on the originality of the study and propose recommendations on if and how your findings could somehow contribute.

More discussion is needed for figures 5 and 6. Please reconsider.

The heading of figure 7 is lengthy. Please revise.

Please provide study limitations and future research recommendations.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Moderate changes are needed.

Author Response

The response to the comments are attached herewith.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The submitted manuscript presents the results of experimental studies on the new approach for assessing the binder aggregate behavior of bituminous mixes in road infrastructure development. The results are nicely presented and discussed. I really appreciate the very low percent match, only 7% according to the iThenticate report. I also appreciate the balanced number of references, formatted in a proper way.

The submitted manuscript is of high quality and should be published after some minor revisions, listed below.

Minor comments:

Ref. [1] is almost 20 years old, please update it with a more recent one

Line 26, here, a references to Marshall’s method is needed

Line 30, Ministry of which country? Besides, this is just a local law, more general values should be provided.

Lines 56, 59, 68, etc. Please replace “methodology” with “method”

Figure 3a, why there are only ten 0.5 cm intervals for the 6.4 cm height sample?

Table 1, caption, it should be “properties”

Line 263, the Authors should either present the values of angles using degrees or radians