The engineer also plans to submit a code change proposal in time for the 2014 update of ACI 318. But he is not waiting three years to spread the word about his findings. He has already presented his research to the ACI 318 subcommittee on shear and torsion and to others. He and his team also expect to publish articles in technical journals to draw attention to the situation.

“The work Gustavo and Carol have reported adds to our knowledge and with a few more tests will certainly lead to a refinement and improvement of ACI 318,” says Loring Wyllie, senior principal of San Francisco-based Degenkolb Engineers and a longtime ACI 318 committee member. “This is the normal progression of code provisions. We are always learning through new research or failures we observe in actual earthquakes.”