Energy-Saving Performance and Production Accuracy of the Direct-Pressure Tire Curing Technology with an Expandable Steel Internal Mold

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The publication deals with an interesting topic and a thorough approach is used to tackle the scientific problem.

However, the paper can be improved with some minor changes:

Overall, the exact data for the equipment used in the research is not stated completely. Please refer to other publications of the Journal here. Chapter 3 should be renamed to Finite element analysis of ... to be more specific about the content.  In figure 4, the captions of the directions 1/2/3 should be larger to identify them easier. I suppose that with the LFA, thermal diffusivity and heat capacity was measured. This should be stated here. Which values where obtained? The model in equation 7 should be explained more elaborately. There are many models to calculate the thermal conductivity and it should be stated why this approach is used. Also the terminology is a bit confusing to me (Rc is the chord, r1 the rubber matrix and r2 is also rubber). The resolution of Figure 7 is too low The obtained values in Table 5 should be verified by those of other researchers or companies if possible. The obtained values in Table 7 should be verified by those of other researchers or companies if possible. In Chapter 3.3 a model verification is done, but it is not stated clearly how the temperature was measured here (which apparatus was used?, how where the sensors attached).

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.doc

Reviewer 2 Report

How were selected  the main parameters of the electromagnetic induction heating system presented in Table 1. Any previous research works or reports? Should be clarified.

How was the tread to FE model selected? I am fully aware that model cannot cover all available options, but I am just curious. Was it selected on the basis of some commercially available tire model?

Authors are writing about the energy costs and their reduction in case of new technology. However to fully evaluate its potential from economic side it is important to determine total costs of replacing old technology, so also costs of new equipment. Did Authors perform such calculations? What is the cost of required equipment or modernization of the old one used in conventional manufacturing of tires? What is the scale of production, after which production generates benefits overcoming these costs?

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.doc

Reviewer 3 Report

Dear Editor,

The authors present an important processing development with significant claims related in improved energy efficiency, and tire’s physical properties.  However, the manuscript is poorly structured, difficult to read and filled with statements/claims not supported by data.  Specific comments are included below.  A big concern is that the authors report the results without clearly mentioning how they arrived at the result.  A peer reviewed article in a journal like applied sciences has a diverse audience such that people from any scientific background can grasp the concept without getting entangled in the jargon.  Most importantly, the authors need to provide raw data and enough information to enable reproduction of the results. In its current form, I am unable to recommend the manuscript for publication.

Regards

Reviewer

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 3 Report

Dear Editor,

 

The authors have significantly improved the manuscript by providing additional explanation, citations and schematics.  I am satisfied by most of author's responses but have a few additional comments/questions (marked in red) in the attached file.  My biggest concern is that the author has not provided sufficient raw data as part of the supplementary files such that any future reader can verify the statistics/trends as measured by the authors. It is very important for the scientific community to provide sufficient raw data and citations to enable replication of results.  

I suggest that the authors work on the additional questions in the attached file and provide sufficient data for verification of statistics and data analysis. 

 

Regards

Gaurav

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx