A method to avoid the punching failure mode

A design concept that eliminates the punching failure mode of flat plates is verified by testing. Only standard reinforcement is utilised, which is so easy to fabricate and rapid to install that the solution should be suitable as standard practice for ordinary flat plates as well as for such extreme applications as air raid shelters. The system provides excellent safety against progressive collapse of flat plate buildings, a basic requirement that seems to be overlooked in many current concrete codes.