Which outcome occurs when repeated thermal cycling weakens the copper-tin alloy in a historical bronze cannon?

💡 Explanation

When thermal cycling weakens bronze, fatigue crack propagation occurs because temperature variations induce stress, weakening grain boundaries and leading to crack initiation and growth. Therefore brittle fracture occurs, rather than jamming, gas leakage or misfires which involve different thermo-mechanical failures.

• Which outcome resulted from intensive chinampa farming practices around Tenochtitlan, 14th-16th centuries?
• Which risk increased within Sumerian canals if the flow velocity decreased below a critical threshold during irrigation?
• Which effect limited the long-term accuracy of large brass astrolabes designed for horizon astronomical measurements?
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• Which mechanism caused large bronze cannons in the 17th century to occasionally explode during firing?