Punching Shear in Post-Tensioned Flat Slabs with Stud Rail Shear Reinforcement. Paper by Alessandra L. Carvalho, Guilherme S. Melo, Ronaldo B. Gomes, and Paul E. Regan/AUTHORS' CLOSURE

The authors should be complimented on their objective report on 17 tests on post-tensioned slabs. Their results may contribute to the development of a physically compound shear model. The authors are correct; the failure surfaces are governed by the minimum punching resistance. Nevertheless, in the case of the failure surface outside the region with shear reinforcement, the authors' point that the concrete contribution "can be expected to be the product of the length of a perimeter somewhat outside the outer perimeter of studs and a resistance per unit length dependent on the parameters affecting the punching resistances of slabs without shear reinforcement" needs some clarification. Along the aforementioned perimeter, the single existing mechanical parameter is the flexural reinforcement.