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← HistoryWhich structural failure would most likely impact a Roman ballista's accuracy after prolonged use?
A)Shear failure within the torsion springs
B)Torsion frame cracking near the joints✓
C)Winch mechanism slippage under tension
D)Base frame sinking into soft ground
💡 Explanation
After prolonged use, the repeated high tensile stresses leads to fatigue within the wooden structure of the ballista causing small cracks to propagate, reducing frame stiffness. Therefore, torsion frame cracking near the joints would affect weapon accuracy, rather than spring failure, winch slippage, or ground sinking which involve different stresses and locations.
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