Which risk increases when a Roman aqueduct's arcade bridge is constructed with significantly undersized voussoirs at the crown?

💡 Explanation

When voussoirs are undersized, shear failure occurs because keystone strength is insufficient to withstand thrust, causing keystones to slip and the arch to collapse. Sheer keystone slip results, rather than spalling, salt blooms or arch buckling, which require hydrostatic pressure, moisture transport or thermal stresses.

• Which principle increased the accuracy of parabolic surveying mirrors crafted during the Islamic Golden Age?
• Which outcome resulted from medieval Islamic scholars using quadratic equations to determine land surveying after floods?
• Which biogeochemical consequence resulted from widespread terraced maize cultivation in the Andes by pre-Columbian civilizations?
• Which structural mechanism caused the collapse of some Roman aqueduct arches during seismic activity and large temperature swings?
• Which initial agricultural effect arises when terraced farming introduces level platforms on slopes?
• Which critical consequence accompanied the shift from carvel to clinker construction in shipbuilding?