R&D Department of Miyun Division.

Several craftsmen surround the machines on the production table.

The machine was made by several craftsmen from scrap materials from the ironworks, also using the lever principle, but with twisted parts.

Then use a special belt made of cowhide, use the crank to rotate with the wheel to press down one end of the lever, and the other end of the lever is lifted and automatically lowered.

Similar to the steam engine lever hammer that is now in use in the Miyun Division.

But when the machine was up and running, it was immediately noticeable that there was a difference.

This machine is too fast.

"Dangdang Dang"

The dense beating sound, the hammer head beating up and down, and the speed so fast that you can only see the afterimage, you can't breathe.

Observed for a whole day.

In the evening, the kerosene lamps in the workshop were lit, and several craftsmen chose to work overtime, without a trace of dissatisfaction on their faces.

They want to produce results as soon as possible.

"It's time."

Someone shouted, and someone hurriedly turned off the switch and stopped the machine.

After the machine stopped, several people hurriedly stepped forward to take action, removed the belt on the machine, and carefully observed the situation.

"It's fluffy, but it's at least twice as much better than the sixth experiment."

"It seems that the idea of adding a coil to the belt is correct."

Several craftsmen expressed their opinions, and some of them recorded their analyses in writing.

"Since adding iron can be improved, why don't you try to make a full iron chain?"

Another craftsman suggested.

"I'm afraid this technique is a little difficult."

"I don't think the technology needed is difficult, but I'm afraid that the production cost is too high, and it's not a simple thing."

"Let's do it first, if the cost is high, find a way to reduce the cost, and if you encounter technical problems, then brainstorm and solve the problem."

A craftsman pointed to the machine on the making table.

"Is this machine difficult? We didn't find it difficult at the time, but we still do it. ”

This machine is incredibly fast for forging.

Only one worker needs to hold the pliers and put the iron on the machine table, and 120 catties of steel can be punched every hour.

What is this concept?

Ten hours is 1,200 catties, and ten hours a day is 36,000 catties a month.

The output of a worker.

One hundred such machines have a monthly output of 3.6 million catties and an annual output of more than 40 million catties.

Only 200 workers are needed to meet the key forging process in Beiping's 70 million jin plan for railway iron in the three provinces.

Then switch to knives.

The Ming Dynasty's standard weapon, the Yanling knife, weighs two to three catties.

A worker can forge more than 12,000 blade mold bases when using this machine in a month, of course, this is only theoretical.

Forming tools require careful grinding, and it is not necessary to solve a single process to increase the entire output.

But.

The cost and time of making knives have undoubtedly broken through the traditional efficacy and entered a new era.

The results were published in the latest issue of the Technical Bulletin.

The principle of the new technology, the benefits it brings, and which components are used are explained in great detail.

A few days passed.

A few technicians came from the headquarters and met with the inventors of this technology, originally thinking that they would ask about the new machine, but I didn't expect these colleagues to ask about belts.

In the R&D workshop of the Miyun Sub-district Technology Division, they watched the high-speed rotating belt with relish.

"It's amazing how you came up with the idea of adding a coil to the belt."

The technical department of the headquarters and the technical department of the Miyun sub-district have competed with each other, but the abundant technology of the iron-smelting industry, which is the leading in the Miyun sub-district, has made the technical department of the headquarters bow down in this regard.

However, the Headquarters Technology Division has the advantage of the Headquarters Technology Division in that it has a more comprehensive technology inventory that encompasses a wider range of industries.

This is the shortcoming of the Miyun Sub-district Technology Division, which is the difference between the two environments.

"Looks like you're very concerned about this belt technology."

The technician of the Miyun Division asked with a smile.

The technicians from the headquarters did not deny it.

For new technologies, the Technology Division determines the buyout price and the rating of technical staff based on prospects and operational efficiency.

Subsequent technicians, using these new technologies to invent new technologies.

In addition to paying a certain royalty to the Technical Division, the buyout fee is followed.

Of course, the royalties will be determined on a case-by-case basis, so that neither the technical division will pay too high a price nor the technical staff will suffer at a loss.

Maintaining a win-win situation as the goal, this practice can be understood by technicians.

Therefore, several technicians who rushed to the headquarters did not hide it, and they did pay more attention to the belt of re-technology.

After the two sides communicated, they also gave each other a wake-up.

Yes, this belt is not only used in twist lever hammer forging machines.

"It can be polished."

A craftsman slapped his thigh and shouted excitedly.

"A few days ago, we were thinking that cutting the knife is a small job, and I thought of a new way."

Just do it.

The man submitted the project, got approval, allocated funds and the right to use materials, and started new research and development.

At first, I thought about using iron, but finally I switched to a stone mill.

A round stone mill is fixed vertically to the machine, and gears and belts are used to make the stone mill run at high speed.

Then he pressed the knife lightly against the surface of the stone mill, and countless fires splashed in all directions, making a screeching sound.

But.

The idea worked.

The edge of the knife, the speed visible to the naked eye is sharpened.

"We need smaller, more efficient steam engines."

With the increasing number of machines, steam engines were used as power, although many models were developed according to the order requirements.

But in general, the progress of the steam engine has not changed across the times.

However, more and more demand has led the technical department to increase the research on steam engines, which are more efficient, consume less energy and are smaller in size......

In the end, they converged into one direction.

Airtightness.

Only when the airtightness is solved, then all the problems can be solved well.

Xiao Jiu, as the founder of the Technology Department and one of the inventors of the steam engine, is one of the people with the best technical talent.

He led the group to overcome the problem of airtightness of the steam engine.

And in the technical newspaper, the topic is disclosed, and craftsmen with ideas are called on to participate in this project.

The role of the technology newspaper is epoch-making.

It's not just a simple effect of later newspapers.

In ancient times.

Communication between people is difficult and costly, and technically, it is even more difficult.

There is communication between craftsmen and craftsmen only when they meet.

And this exchange, the honesty of the technology will not be done easily.

The spread of technology mainly depends on the master and the apprentice.

The spread of a technology is the transmission between a single person and a single person, and it may take more than ten or twenty years.

Efficiency lags behind.

China Heavy Industry has a large number of craftsmen, among which there are many outstanding talents, who pass the technical newspaper, as well as the technical department.

With more advanced technical communication methods and an environment where countless experiments can be carried out, they also ensure their status in the factory and the security they need for life.

This is undoubtedly more advanced and efficient than the environment of the first and second industrial revolutions.

And ancient China already had a rich technological heritage, far exceeding the technical heritage of Britain before the first industrial revolution.

As the size of the factory increases, production problems arise, and people need all kinds of more advanced efficiency, which promotes a variety of new technologies.

This is a natural principle, and it will definitely develop this way.

The first and second industrial revolutions, the continuous enthusiasm of technology, is for this reason, the experience summed up by a large number of scholars in later generations.

Technical Department of China Heavy Industries Headquarters.

In the steam engine R&D workshop, Xiao Jiu called on more than 20 craftsmen who were interested in ideas to study the air tightness of the steam engine all day long.

A craftsman named Han Youchang did not close his eyes in the workshop for three days and three nights, Xiao Jiu persuaded him to rest, and he stubbornly said that he had inspiration.

"If you don't sleep, I feel like I'm thinking right, as long as I break through the airtightness as soon as possible, I'll go back and sleep in the dark, what's the matter."

One of the most important parts of a steam engine is the piston.

When everyone was talking about the idea of the piston, this person said: "So many people have studied the piston, and it has taken so long to make a breakthrough. I don't believe it's these good craftsmen who aren't smart, I see, the problem isn't with the pistons. ”

This view of his was not recognized by the majority of the people.

But the Technical Department did not restrict the craftsmen, so Han Youchang decided to study his own direction, and after thinking about it, he decided to add a circle to the piston.

Aren't you impossible, I'll add you a partner.

He tried many methods, and finally finalized the collar that people wear every day, that is, to trap the piston.

"Pig iron for pistons, so the collar I want to add, wrought iron should be used, which material is appropriate, I need to keep trying, I'm afraid that all materials will not work, and if you need new materials, then it will be a big trouble."

Han Youchang tried all kinds of wrought iron, but it wore out too quickly, and at the same time, the elasticity was not large, and it could not be tightly attached to the cylinder wall.

"It's not that there's a problem with my idea, it's a problem with the material, which limits efficiency." Han Youchang found Xiao Jiu and told Xiao Jiu about his latest achievements.

Han Youchang's idea has indeed changed the efficiency of the steam engine through experiments, proving that this direction is indeed a breakthrough.

Xiao Jiu joined in, providing more ideas.

"Would you like to try pig iron too? Pig iron has a handicap. ”

"Try?"

Han Youchang's dead horse is regarded as a live horse art,

In his opinion, the pig iron used for the piston and the pig iron used for the collar are not quite in line with the current craftsmen's experience in technology.

The collar is five inches thick, eighteen inches wide, and six feet two inches in diameter, and is made of pig iron.

Collar of new material.

It fits tightly to the cylinder wall, and because of the handicap, the wear rate is greatly reduced, so that the steam engine can work for a long time.

Another new breakthrough, not only did Han Youchang see hope, but even Xiao Jiu's eyes showed brilliance.

After several run-ins and improvements.

Finally, two grooves are made on the top of the steam top, that is, the piston, which are used to fit the two collars, and they are constantly close to the cylinder for repeated friction and sliding.

The stamped statement has gained people's approval.

Not only on the piston "capped", but also at both ends of the cylinder, it is the cylinder head and expansion ring of later generations.

(End of chapter)