Abstract
The present work investigates the shear performance of concrete beams reinforced longitudinally with steel rebars incorporating randomly distributed stiff elements known as “needles”. Compared to commonly used fibers, needles function differently in concrete members that carry increasing internal stresses. To measure the effect of needles on the mechanical performance of concrete, 32 longitudinally reinforced concrete (RC) beams and 96 non-reinforced concrete prisms were tested. Among numerous possibilities, the dimensions of the needles used in the present study were selected based on a number of practical considerations. The results showed that the needles increased the peak and residual shear capacity of the reinforced beams significantly. However, the improvements were not greater than those achieved by using the same volumetric content of fibers made of the same material as that the needles were produced from. Based on the measured results and the observation of cracking patterns, guidance for optimizing the geometry of needles and test specimens are provided for future research.
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