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← HistoryWhich structural vulnerability increased in Roman castra walls when siege engines pounded a single point repeatedly?
A)Shear stress in the mortar joints✓
B)Tensile failure of facing stones
C)Buckling of the internal earthwork
D)Torsional stress from uneven impact
💡 Explanation
When a siege engine repeatedly struck a wall, shear stress intensified at mortar joints because impulse loading concentrated at the impact point, weakening the wall locally. Therefore shear stress causes failure, rather than tension, buckling or torsion, which require more distributed or different loading conditions.
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