The exciting lifting and installation work began in the early afternoon. The parts of the steam engine, tied up by flexible slings, were lifted in sequence by the highest wooden crane and slowly but carefully lifted into the aft compartment. It is then lifted by human power and moved to the corresponding log base. The process proceeded so slowly that by the time the lifting was complete, it was already dark.

At this point, an unavoidable problem had to be solved, and that was the tightness of the tail shaft. If this problem is not solved, the steam engine cannot be assembled. Holes should be made in the stern for the spindle to extend so that the propellers could be mounted. Otherwise, the steam engine would be scrap metal, and the whole thing would not be able to continue.

In the evening, everyone gathered around the ground to eat, Fang Zi'an, Su Heng, Liu Laotou, Wan Dahai and other people sat around the low table while drinking to relieve fatigue and discussing solutions. Fang Zi'an also told everyone about his backup plan.

"If we can't solve it, we will change the way we move forward. It is possible to avoid this watertightness problem by installing rotating hydrowheel blades from both sides of the ship and changing the direction of the main shaft, but this method needs to be modified again, and the structure and output mode of the steam engine itself also need to be greatly changed. Recasting parts need to be retrofitted. Moreover, due to the addition of impellers on both sides, the large ship will be more cumbersome and may not be flexible enough to operate. The overall structure of the large ship will also become loose. I don't know if that idea will work. ”

Fang Zi'an dipped his fingers in the wine and drew on the table as he spoke, and everyone understood what he meant. It has to be said that Fang Zi'an's method is feasible and cleverly avoids the problem of water tightness. Because the spindles of the huge impellers on both sides are on the upper side of the boat, above the water surface, there is no need to worry about water tightness. But as Fang Zi'an said, this is equivalent to completely changing the shape of the big ship, maybe there is no big difference in the calm water, but in the stormy seas, it will probably be a huge defect of the ship.

"It seems to work, but I always feel that it is not reliable. In my years of experience, this approach may not work. This is a sea boat, not a boat in the West Lake. Wan Dahai's words actually negated Fang Zi'an's thoughts.

Fang Zi'an was not discouraged, and said with a smile, "I'm just proposing a solution, let's think about it again." ”

After a few dull glasses of wine, Su Heng came up with his idea. He was thinking about it all the time, but he didn't actively participate in the discussion. As a master of mechanical manufacturing, he will not easily put forward unreliable claims, he will only speak when he has to think about it.

"The challenge now is that there has to be a gap between the rotation of the stern shaft and the hull. Passing directly through the hull will not solve the sealing problem at all, unless the spindle does not rotate. I once made a gadget that swam in the water, and I called it a water duck, which actually used a spring to drive the swing of the duck's legs. Because it is in the water, it is easy to rust when water enters the inside, causing the spring to malfunction. At that time, my method was to seal the leaking area with grease wind, but no water really entered. So, I've been wondering if this method can be used. If you seal the gap with grease, will it work? ”

"Master Fang, I'm afraid this won't work. The spindle will rotate, how can the grease be sealed, it is under the water surface, the water pressure is so great, the grease is not all squeezed and leaked. Liu Lao frowned.

"I know, listen to me. I mean, add a spindle sleeve between the spindle and the deck

The sleeve is filled with a kind of viscous grease, which can not hinder the rotation of the spindle and will not leak out, so it can play a good sealing effect, and the sealing between the spindle sleeve and the hull does not have to worry, it can be tightly fixed with the ship's plate, and some sticky stuff can ensure that there will be no water leakage. The key is that the grease that is poured into the sleeve must be thick enough not to be squeezed out of the small gaps. It's like the glue from the glue trees in our south, and it's impossible for that thing to leak out. Unfortunately, the gum sap of the gum tree will solidify and is not suitable. ”

"yes, but it's contradictory where to find it. It was difficult not to hinder the rotation of the spindle while still sealing the seawater. But this method is novel, and it may really work. The old man said.

"Butter," Fang Zi'an slapped his thigh and shouted, "Or asphalt oil." ”

"Butter, asphalt oil, what's that?" the crowd wondered.

Fang Zi'an was speechless for a while, he wasn't actually sure what it was, but according to his feelings, this should be a direction. If butter or some other heavy grease is poured into the sealing sleeve, supplemented by several layers of cowhide liners, it is possible to solve this problem. Whether it is useful or not, Fang Zi'an is not sure, but it is definitely worth a try.

"Oil, you know the kind of black oil that can't be burned, the kind of black oil that comes out of the ground, the kind that is black, slimy, and can still burn. Put it in a pot and boil it to get some very sticky stuff. Maybe that's what we need. Fang Zi'an said.

"I didn't know how oil was known in my grandfather's generation. Isn't that thing made of ink, and it burns with too much smoke and dust, and it's useless. It is said that there are oil lakes in the mountains in the north, and birds and beasts fall into it, and tigers, leopards, bears and wolves are difficult to get out. yes, you're saying that thing can be poured into a sleeve," Su Heng exclaimed.

Fang Zi'an said, "Yes, that's it." However, it is not poured directly, but the heavier oil that remains after refining. That thing is extremely viscous and should work. It's just that I don't know if this thing exists in Lin'an City, so you can give it a try. I think there is a door, we have no tricks now anyway, so we might as well give it a try. ”

"Why is there no ink mill in Lin'an, the texture of graphite is very good, and the material is also simple. This oil is not difficult to obtain. Jiangbei has it. Then I saw men carrying ships into the city. The old man also understood what it was, and felt that it didn't seem to be nonsense, so he said loudly.

Fang Zi'an said, "Then there is no need to say anything, I will go back to the city to find it now, and we will do a verification here early tomorrow morning." If it can be done, it will be done. If not, let's try to recruit again. ”

"Okay, I'll open the furnace on the spot and build the shaft sleeve." Su Heng said.

Fang Zi'an said, "I suggest that this shaft sleeve is best made of logs, first, it will not wear out the spindle, secondly, it can be used to expand and resist wear in water, which increases the degree of sealing, and thirdly, it can also be made quickly, and you have to be very busy with the province." ”

The old boss said, "With iron pear wood, this thing is hard and tough, and it also absorbs water and swells." I asked my apprentices to look for this kind of wood overnight, this thing is actually not difficult to find, there are many in the countryside here. It is of little use other than being a stake stool and a cutting board. ”

Fang Zi'an said, "Okay, just do it." Without further ado, I'll be gone. ”

Wan Dahai shook his head at them and thought he

It's been in vain. It was felt that this approach would not work. But it's hard to stop them. After drinking a few bowls of stuffy wine, he fell asleep.

But everyone else took action. Fang Zi'an didn't drink anymore, got up and set off, and at least rushed back to Lin'an City with Shen Ling'er overnight. The old boss also instructed his apprentices to go all over the country to find the kind of iron pear wood.

This kind of wood is actually very common, because it is too hard, too strong, it is difficult to burn fire, and it is difficult to make furniture, so people often cut it down as a wooden pier and bench, or simply put a pestle on the ground, nail a few wooden planks to the table, and some simply throw it aside. So it wasn't long before a cart of log piers of different thicknesses was pulled. According to what Su Heng said, the old leader and others began to make cylindrical sealing shafts overnight. Seven or eight, large and small, of various sizes, were made for inspection.

At midnight the next day, Fang Zi'an and Shen Ling'er rode back to Wantou Village with a large bucket of black and sticky stuff. Last night, Fang Zi'an found an ink-making workshop, bought a lot of oil, and transported it to the courtyard of a garrison of the Defense Army, set up an iron pot and began to boil. Several large vats of oil boiled for an hour or two, and in the end what he got was such a pile of black and slimy things, Fang Zi'an didn't know whether it was asphalt or butter, or something else, and he didn't care about anything else, so he put all of his brains into a big wooden barrel and brought it.

Everyone gathered around to look at the contents of the bucket, looking at the black and pungent smell of the bucket that Fang Zi'an stirred with a wooden stick, everyone actually had some drums in their hearts, and they didn't know if this thing was useful.

Validation soon began, filling a pear wood shaft sleeve with black grease and placing it on a polished, sleek analog shaft. After the front end was covered with a leather cushion made of cooked cowhide and an oil seal, the blackened and oil-stained thing was inserted into the side wall of an empty barrel that simulated the cabin of a ship, and was stoned to the bottom of the bay. This simulates underwater to see if the pressure of the water will squeeze the grease out of the tiny crevices.

The scorching sun was in the sky, and everyone stood on the shore and waited quietly, everyone was sweating, not only because of the heat, but also because of the anxiety in their hearts. At the beginning of the barrel sinking to the bottom, the surface of the water was still very calm. But after about a stick of incense, black oil and blisters appeared on the surface of the water, and Fang Zi was cold in peace of mind, and he knew that the experiment had failed. The blisters must be caused by grease pouring into the barrel, and the water is poured into the barrel, and then the air in the barrel leaks out.

The barrel was quickly pulled out of the water, and the barrel was filled with dirty water, and all the grease in the sleeve was squeezed into the barrel, and the experiment failed.

Everyone was extremely depressed, and sighed one by one. Wan Dalong's head slapped his thigh angrily, and cursed in his mouth. Liu Lao put his head on his head and gasped, as if there were signs of a recurrence of the old disease.

Su Heng sighed and whispered to Fang Zi'an, "Young Master Fang, I'm afraid the plan to get the steam engine on the ship is going to fail, hey, your idea is very good, the steam engine also works, but I'm afraid this thing can only be used on land." Loaded on a ship, many problems are difficult to solve. It seems that this matter has to be considered in the long run. ”

Fang Zi'an frowned and groaned, and said in a deep voice, "I don't want to give up yet." Don't you find that this method actually works, and if it doesn't work, it will leak when you put it in the water. In fact, it took a stick of incense to leak, which shows that this method actually worked. We must have done something wrong. ”

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