Which structural phenomenon limited the maximum span of Roman concrete arches?

💡 Explanation

When arch span increases, tensile forces at the base increase because the arch undergoes bending, potentially leading to cracking within concrete if tensile capacity is exceeded. Therefore tensile failure results, rather than shear, creep or thermal stress effects which require different material properties and loading conditions.

• Which structural problem plagued early iron bridge designs before the development of ductile iron?
• Which mechanism critically undermined Roman road structural integrity in regions with frequent freeze-thaw cycles?
• Which navigational error increases when using astrolabes at sea if angular measurements are imprecise?
• Which approximation increased accuracy of astrolabes using algebra?
• Which mechanism caused frequent clock stoppages in pendulum clocks before the invention of the Graham escapement?
• Which astronomical measurement error can historically result from thermal expansion differences in an astrolabe's construction materials?