Tensile forces in various reinforcements, given by the diagram area of the pressures related to every strip, are determinate.
For the triangular diagram related to the embankment, the force in the strip is given by the area of the trapezium element ab'd' and it is transformed in average pressure qi at Zi strip depth using the relation:
qi = γ·zi·Ka
The qi pressure acts on an area defined by the hxs armature spacing and corresponds to a tensile force in the reinforcement equal to:
Ti = qi·A= γ· zi· Ka· (h·s)
For equilibrium the sum of the tensile forces must be equal to the horizontal component of the acting forces.
Σ Ti= Pah
Schematic representation of the arrangement of reinforcements and their spacing
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