In a narrow sense, the aero engine is the driving force for the flight of aircraft, and in a broad sense, it is also the driving force for the development of the aviation industry.

If the 100-year history of aero engines is divided, it can be roughly divided into two periods according to their specific technology.

The first period was from the first flight of the Wright brothers and ended with the end of World War II. During this period, piston engines dominated for about 40 years.

The second period was from the end of World War II to the 21st century, when aviation gas turbine engines replaced piston engines, ushering in the jet age and dominating aerodynamics.

When it comes to the development of our aviation industry in later generations, the most heart-wrenching thing in the early stage is the aero engine, the technical problems cannot be overcome, and the need to purchase products from other countries is necessary.

And this problem of congenital heart disease has been restricting the development of China's air force strength, and the localization rate has also been discounted.

When it comes to the problem of disparities, many people blame the problem on our development too late.

In fact, long before the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, our country had begun to lay out in the field of aero engines, and the gap between domestic and foreign countries was not big at that time.

At that time, Jiang Guangtou reorganized the Aviation Administration into the Aviation Committee, with himself as the chairman and Song Mei* as the secretary-general, and it seemed that he had very strong support for domestic aircraft.

In fact, however, the members of the committee were interested in manufacturing aircraft engines after establishing a machinery factory, and had completed the transfer of aircraft engine technology with aircraft companies such as Curtislet Aircraft Engine Factory and Blett Whitney.

However, Song Mei* intervened, believing that it was too expensive and directly weakened the authority of his subordinates, and listened to the advice of Italian advisers to abandon the originally planned aero-engine technology transfer plan and turn to Italian technology.

You want to say that Italy's aircraft technology is poor, but the introduction is not unusable, but Song Mei* is procrastinating, unwilling to pass the technology procurement plan, and finally to the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, the introduction of aero engine technology was completely aborted, and the technology gap between domestic and foreign countries was further widened.

This is not over, and she can't stand the complaints of her subordinates, so Song Mei* simply said bluntly: "I oppose cooperating with the United States in the production of aircraft, thinking that it is far from urgent, and it is better to buy ready-made goods." ”

Also, it's better to buy than to build, and if you don't buy it, there will be oil and water to make money.

Thinking of this, Cheng Nuo couldn't help but shake his head, and said in his heart that it was Sichuan, if it was replaced by Shanghai, Guangzhou and other places to build planes, he might be exploited by this group of compradors.

However, there is still a period of time before Jiang Guangtou takes the top, which is enough for Cheng Nuo to develop and accumulate.

Shaking his head and emptying out the negative emotions just now, Cheng Nuo took three steps and two steps, and soon came to the door of the workshop of Krupp Company.

I happened to see Haber standing in the doorway, walking around anxiously.

When he looked up and met Cheng Nuo, Haber immediately greeted him with both hands: "My dear friend, I finally saw you, I'm about to kill you these days." ”

Looking at the other party's dusty appearance, Cheng Nuoxin said that your life is really big, you really survived the double fire of the French Air Force and anti-aircraft guns, you really have two brushes.

Although he thought so in his heart, Cheng Nuo's kung fu on the surface was still very good, and he gave the other party a warm hug: "Dear Captain Haber, I haven't seen you for a few days, you are getting older and older, and you are about to miss me to death." ”

Harbour shook his beard and smiled exaggeratedly, "Really? You should have been on a plane with me, with a view of the chemical weapons, and a thorough appreciation of science, so that you too could be as young as I was. ”

Cheng Nuo laughed, let go of his arms and said: "Forget it, I'm more afraid of heights, and if I really get on the plane, not only can I not be young, but I also have to age a lot." ”

knew that Haber was looking for something for him, otherwise he wouldn't be blocking Cheng Nuo here.

However, since the other party refused to say it directly, Cheng Nuo was also happy to fight with the other party haha, anyway, it didn't cost anything, at most it was just some saliva, and it was not worth anything.

Before he could say a few words of greeting, Haber's little thought couldn't be suppressed, and he put away his smile and said seriously: "Dear friend, how much stock of chemical weapons do you have over there?" I urgently need it here, the more the better, and there is no cap. ”

Cheng Nuo did not answer the question directly, but said with interest: "So, the quality of the chemical weapons I provided is not bad, so why didn't we give me the experimental data that we said at the beginning?" ”

"This ...... This one. Haber was a little embarrassed and explained: "The quality is really good, and the results achieved have exceeded expectations, but it takes a while to collect and sort out the data, and I am in a hurry to share the good news, so I flew back without waiting for the report." ”

Cheng Nuo rubbed his nose: "I think the sharing news is fake, and the urging for supply is true, right?" ”

Haber cheekily said, "How can it be fake? Both of these are true, but at the moment the Imperial Army is really in dire need of chemical weapons. ”

Cheng Nuo shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands: "But the experiment report was not given to me, and there was a crack in our cooperation, which made it difficult for me to maintain." ”

Haber thought for a while, and finally gritted his teeth and said: "I am willing to buy it at double the price, as long as you can deliver it as soon as possible, as a friend of our German Empire, I will definitely not let you suffer." ”

Cheng Nuo was still unmoved on the surface: "Money can't be earned, we care more about experimental results and data than these, with it we can develop better weapons, which is a precious wealth that money can't buy." ”

Of course, the more real reason is that the amount of chemical weapons that Cheng Nuo carried to Europe this time is not much, and after the previous transactions, it has been almost consumed, and there is only a little bottom left.

Not to mention double the price, even twenty times the price, Cheng Nuo can't do this deal.

Even if you are tempted for money, you have to do this business, and you will not be able to make a sea transportation directly from China to Europe, and then Germany will have to be killed and all the weapons will be smashed in your hands.

Hearing this, Haber became even more anxious, and after walking around the spot twice, he came to Cheng Nuo and said: "I guarantee as a chemist, as long as the experimental report comes, the façade will be transferred to you, and it can continue to be improved, and it is easy to say that the technology and funds of other industries in the middle are easy to say." ”

Speaking of which, it is not because of how advanced the chemical weapons provided by Cheng Nuo are and how extraordinary the effect is, but in fact, because on the surface, Cheng Nuo can provide a large number of chemical weapons that can be used directly, eliminating the time-consuming process of the production stage.

At present, the battle that determines the success or failure of the First World War is about to break out, the gap on the battlefield is getting bigger and bigger, and the process of R&D and production left for Haber and others is seriously insufficient, and the value of Cheng Nuo is infinitely magnified at this time.

As the saying goes: If you don't use the money to build national defense, are you preparing to use it later to pay reparations for defeat?

Haber naturally understood the truth, and stared at Cheng Nuo's eyes: "As long as you are willing to provide chemical weapons, we can even pay half of the deposit in advance, and we can solve it for you with whatever technology you want, and guarantee that you will have a satisfactory answer." ”

Seeing that the straight hook can still catch a fish, and this fish can't be shaken off no matter how much it is shaken, Rao is Cheng Nuo feels that he has been coaxed too much, and he also wants to squeeze another sum at the end, and his face instantly smiled: "It's easy to say, it's easy to say, right now we just need some chemical technology, especially pesticides, we can discuss it......"

Maybe Gustav and the others in the workshop were in a hurry, and took the initiative to go out to see why Cheng Nuo hadn't rushed over yet.

Unexpectedly, when he saw Haber trading with Cheng Nuo, Gustav, who thought that he had been cut off, immediately shouted at the top of his voice: "My dear friend, why haven't you come here yet, the aero engine is waiting for you to come over and light the fire." ”

Cheng Nuo immediately raised his head and said enthusiastically to Gustav: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I have something to do here temporarily, go over immediately." ”

After saying this, Cheng Nuo did not forget to whisper to Haber: "Remember, I need pesticide technology here, as long as you provide a feasible technical solution, our transaction can not only continue, but the scale will get bigger and bigger." ”

Haber's face suddenly became happy: "What you said is true?" ”

Cheng Nuo raised his eyebrows and did not answer directly, but turned directly to Gustav.

wants to catch this trick, so that Cheng Nuo can play it perfectly.

After this operation, Haber was worried about it, and he wanted to continue to ask, but he was embarrassed to say it in front of Gustav, so he had to say to Cheng Nuo's back: "What you said, I will look for you in a few days and promise to give you a satisfactory answer." ”

Cheng Nuo raised his arm and swung it in the air, meaning that he already knew.

Gustav on the other side personally walked over and hugged Cheng Nuo's shoulders very enthusiastically: "The design of this engine is very novel, according to the conclusion of my engineers, its performance is at least in the top five in the current aviation industry, and the specific ranking will have to wait for the actual use after starting." ”

Cheng Nuo had an expression of control: "Since we can take out this aero engine, it means that we have the confidence to not lose the advanced level of the industry, and we can definitely give you a surprise." ”

Gustav nodded, and after taking Cheng Nuo two steps forward, he suddenly stopped and turned back to Haber and shouted: "Captain Haber, I heard that your ability to fly planes is also a little lower than your chemistry level, do you want to come in and have a visit?" ”

Haber was slightly surprised, and originally wanted to refuse directly, after all, Cheng Nuo had just given him a big problem, and he had to at least study some pesticide-related knowledge when he went back.

But thinking that this thing can be related to Cheng Nuo, there must be something amazing hidden.

Now that I have the opportunity to visit, I will not let it go.

"Well, I have admired the technology of Krupp for a long time, although we have been friends for so many years, but we have not officially visited your company's workshop, today is just by the light of Cheng Nuo, learn well." Gustav laughed.

"Everywhere, everyone is learning from each other, and if you want to borrow the light, you can also borrow the light of Captain Haber, without your introduction, where can I meet such an interesting friend as Gustav." Cheng Nuo said modestly.

Gustav on the side was amused and laughed: "Learn from each other, borrow light from each other, hahaha." ”

As the three of them laughed, they soon came to the side of the aircraft engine that had already been assembled.

Different from other piston engines, Tesla and Ba Yuzao developed rotary cylinder piston engines, which are also the most popular styles in the current World War I.

The biggest feature is that the crankshaft does not move, the cylinder rotates with the propeller, and the power-quality ratio is quite high.

Ordinary piston engines have a high pressure temperature due to combustion, resulting in a high cylinder wall temperature. When the gasoline is sprayed, the piston spontaneously combustifies before it reaches the bottom dead center, and the phenomenon of "knocking the cylinder" occurs, which reduces the life of the parts, deteriorates the lubrication performance, and affects the life of the aircraft.

Therefore, the cylinder must be cooled, and its cooling method is usually liquid cooled, which requires the gasoline piston engine to add water pumps, water tanks, coolers and pipelines, etc., and the total mass is also increased a lot, which in turn leads to a decrease in the bomb carrying capacity of the aircraft.

The rotary cylinder engine developed by the Academy of Sciences solves the above problems very well, because the cylinder rotates with the propeller, as long as it starts, the cylinder can get better cooling, so the cooling system is omitted, and the rotating cylinder also plays the role of flywheel balance.

Of course, this design was not the first of its kind at the Academy of Sciences, as early as the British company Thorpweiss "Camel" fighters were installed with rotary cylinder engines. The "triplane" launched by the German Fokker company is also equipped with a rotary cylinder engine.

But Tesla is Tesla after all, and with the addition of aviation talents such as Ba Yuzao, the performance of this engine is quite excellent.

With Cheng Nuo's ignition, the engine instantly sounded a huge roar, and the whole machine immediately burst out with a unique sense of power.

Looking at this engine, Haber couldn't help but ask, "What is the maximum power of this engine?" ”

Without waiting for Cheng Nuo to reply, Gustav replied directly: "Other engines are up to 120kw, and the power of our engine can reach 200kw, and the power is very strong. ”

Haber said excitedly: "The power is so big? Is it the technology of our German Reich? ”

Gustav did not hesitate and said directly: "Of course, 100% original technology, star-shaped layout cylinders, the number of cylinders is greatly increased compared to the past, and it is a very effective solution to the problems of power output, weight and reliability." ”

After saying this, he didn't forget to look at Cheng Nuo, which meant not to make a noise first.

And Cheng Nuo is also happy to do this, so that the other party is also willing to cooperate from a different angle.

This engine looks good, but the problem is also very big, the overall life is short, the fuel consumption is high, and due to the large mass of the cylinder, the gyroscopic effect caused by rotation makes the aircraft less maneuverable, resulting in the aircraft turning left is very slow, turning right is extremely fast, and it is difficult for new pilots to adapt.

A few years later, this type of aero engine was eliminated, and Cheng Nuo moved it out at this time, also to squeeze its surplus value, so as not to end up being worthless in his hands.

Sure enough, through Haber's mouth, the news of Krupp's successful development of a new aero engine quickly spread throughout Berlin and won wide acclaim.

And Cheng Nuo also took this opportunity to not only come to steelmaking technology and artillery technology, but also to turn away several machine tools with excellent performance.

What lathes, planers, drilling machines, etc., Cheng Nuo did not refuse, as long as he gave it to him, he would accept it, and then use the ships of the intermediary country, and then transfer them back to China.

When encountering that kind of giant machine tool, even if it is openly prohibited, Cheng Nuo will find a way to secretly disassemble it into several parts, transport them back to China through ships from different neutral countries, and then assemble them when everything is almost there.

The Germans also generously taught the machine tool design principles, tool design methods and the technology of adjusting machine tools for different purposes, so that Cheng Nuo and others can quickly get started.

The reason why Cheng Nuo is so interested in machine tools is also because machine tools are the key to industrial development.

To take the simplest example, although the books say that the Watt steam engine caused the Industrial Revolution, these things don't seem to be difficult to create.

But in fact, it was not until the invention of the Wilkinson boring machine that the cylinder boring accuracy limit required by the steam engine could be met, and then applied to industrial production on a large scale.

Put it here in Chengnuo, with the addition of machine tools, we can gradually move towards the road of domestic industrial independence, and the design and production of various machinery such as guns, engines, agricultural machinery and clocks and watches are possible.

Even if Cheng Nuo does not want to invest too much in heavy industry, he can make a continuous contribution to the development of domestic industry by only establishing a factory that produces machine tools.

But in general, this trip was very rewarding, and after eating, I began to hit Planck, Einstein and other well-known scientists.

As the saying goes, it's all coming......