Tr34's section on piled floor design is completely new for the Fourth Edition and it is the first time that this subject has been comprehensively considered in a published design guidance document. The report is unique in this respect. Hitherto, most designs have been based on the proprietary design methods adopted by steel fibre suppliers. Competition between fibre suppliers and specialist flooring contractors has tended to reduce slab thicknesses to unacceptable levels, leading to poor serviceability characteristics, notably excessive cracking and deflections. Cracking over a pile and associated mid-span deflections can be seen in Figures 1 and 2.
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