Bidding for equipment for a brand new automobile factory is naturally not a result in a day or two.

Cao Yang personally took Li Shigui, Pan Jinxing and Zhang Sheng to visit the wharf, and the rest of the work did not need to be followed by him, the boss.

The final result will definitely have to wait until next year to come out, and I can't come in a hurry.

However, he just wants to be in a hurry, and he doesn't have time.

Because the relevant departments came to visit Nanshan Special Steel, Xie Lingyun was reporting the visit to Cao Yang.

"Mr. Cao, the above hopes that we will cooperate with Anshan Iron and Steel to develop special steel plates used on aircraft carriers."

Xie Lingyun put a satellite on Cao Yang at the beginning.

Special steel plates for aircraft carriers?

If you think about it, it's not easy.

Huaxia is a major steel producer, but it has been in a backward position in the field of special steel for a long time.

In some civilian fields, the need for special steel in China can still be solved by imports, but the steel used in the construction of aircraft carriers is very special, this kind of steel is prohibited from export technology in the world, and Huaxia must first overcome the manufacture of special steel if it wants to complete the reconstruction of aircraft carriers.

And there is not only one kind of special steel plate for building aircraft carriers, according to different locations, the steel thickness required, types and other requirements are different, so it is a difficult work to develop steel for aircraft carriers.

Even if Nanshan Special Steel is far ahead in the field of special steel in China, there are many difficulties in getting special steel for aircraft carriers.

"Many of the special steels used in aircraft carriers are high-thickness plates, and our current equipment should not be able to produce them, right?"

Cao Yang did not shirk responsibility, but knew that Nanshan Special Steel, as a special steel processing plant that did not even have crude steel smelting, did not have the ability to produce aircraft carrier steel plates.

Not to mention whether the quality can be up to standard, you just don't even have the relevant equipment.

"Yes, large aircraft carriers need a wide variety of steel plates, which can generally be divided into three categories: hull plates, armor plates and structural plates."

"Among them, the highest requirement for steel plates for aircraft carriers is structural steel plates."

"Structural panels are mainly used for airstrips, that is, flight decks, as well as bulkheads and hull structures, especially flight decks, which are extremely demanding."

"First of all, the flight deck is required to be able to withstand the strong impact and high friction during the take-off and landing of carrier-based aircraft weighing 20~30 tons."

"Secondly, you have to withstand the flames of jet planes up to several thousand degrees."

"Also, just like Mr. Cao said, the thickness of the flight deck is generally 40~50 mm, and the unevenness is required to be less than 5 mm/m, otherwise it will affect the quality of aircraft lifting, which we do not have the production equipment to produce."

"In particular, the steel plate surface of the tailored welded flight deck should be as large as possible to minimize the weld seam and increase the strength, and our equipment is not satisfied at all."

"The relevant departments are also aware of this difficulty, so we hope that we will cooperate with Anshan Iron and Steel to develop aircraft carrier steel plates, and they have relevant equipment to produce."

Xie Lingyun is also under a lot of pressure now.

He turned out to be just the chief engineer of a local iron and steel enterprise like Shaogang, and he was still a deputy.

Later, after adding Nanshan Special Steel, there was a leap in life.

But he has a clear understanding of his own level, and he has no confidence in the steel plate of the aircraft carrier.

But this kind of thing, he felt that he did not dare to refuse on his own.

So as soon as the inspection team left, he immediately reported to Cao Yang.

"Everyone knows the importance of aircraft carrier steel plates."

"Since the relevant departments have found us, it is naturally incumbent on us to fully cooperate."

Cao Yang knew that since this kind of thing had been found in Nanshan Special Steel, there was actually no room for refusal.

Nanshan Group's position in China is becoming more and more special, Nanshan carbon fiber high-end products are used in a large number of aerospace, and now Nanshan special steel products are also used in the military industry.

In the future, it will be related to the steel plate of the aircraft carrier, which is not a bad thing.

At most, when it is sanctioned by the United States in the future, it will be sanctioned more violently.

However, the relationship between everyone is not bad now, and it is estimated that the expansion of sanctions will not happen in a few years.

Nanshan Group still has time to further improve the product localization rate of each business division.

At that time, even if it is sanctioned, it can ensure the normal operation of each enterprise to the greatest extent.

"That's true, then I'll ask someone from Angang to come over for a meeting first?"

"Let them explain to us the basic requirements of the aircraft carrier steel plate first, and we can also carry out targeted cooperation and development?"

Although Nanshan Special Steel is a technical leader in the field of domestic special steel, it really does not know about aircraft carrier steel plates.

Unlike Anshan Iron and Steel, it has a relatively deep technical accumulation in marine steel plates.

"Arrange it as soon as possible, we will first meet the needs, and then we can dispatch personnel to carry out relevant research work."

For such a big job, Cao Yang must personally participate in it.

Otherwise, I don't know when the results will come out.

The action on the side of Anshan Iron and Steel was also very fast, and two days later, the president of the Iron and Steel Research Institute of Anshan Iron and Steel Group flew over with technical personnel.

After a simple greeting, the two sides did not have politeness and went straight to the topic.

"Mr. Cao, there are many types of aircraft carrier steel plates, among which the most difficult is the steel of the flight deck, and we hope that Nanshan Special Steel can assist us in our research is the flight deck steel plate."

Zhou Mulan, as the dean of the research institute of Anshan Iron and Steel, naturally did not expect Nanshan Special Steel to help get all the aircraft carrier steel plates done.

In his opinion, the flight deck, the most difficult steel plate, would be good if Nanshan special steel could play some role.

After all, Nanshan special steel has very good performance in bearing steel, gear steel, and various special steels on high-speed rail, and still has some secrets of its own.

"The flight deck is the heart of the aircraft carrier, the platform for the take-off and landing of carrier-based aircraft, and the most vulnerable place for the aircraft carrier. Therefore, the type, thickness and performance requirements of flight deck steel are very high. ”

"There are many types of flight deck steel, but there are two main categories: high-strength low-alloy steel, also known as HSLA; There is also high-strength heat-resistant steel, also known as HSS. ”

"HSLA steel is a carbon steel with a small amount of alloying elements, which has high strength, high toughness, good welding properties and corrosion resistance."

"HSS steel is a carbon steel with more alloying elements, which has high strength, high heat resistance, high wear resistance and corrosion resistance."

"Both steels can be used to make flight decks, but each has its own advantages and disadvantages."

When it comes to professional things, Zhou Mulan can be described as dancing with her eyebrows and full of energy.

Before this meeting, Cao Yang also had a brief understanding of Zhou Mulan's situation.

She has been engaged in the research and development of steel for surface ships for 25 years and has rich experience.

Last year, it was even responsible for the repair of the symmetrical spherical flat steel needed for the "Varyag".

He is definitely a bigwig in the field of marine special steel, worthy of respect.

The main purpose of their coming here today is to eliminate the illiteracy of Cao Yang, Xie Lingyun and others, so that everyone can have a basic understanding of the special steel of aircraft carriers, and then they can carry out further work.

So Cao Yang also honestly took a small notebook and recorded some things from time to time.

After all, if Nanshan Special Steel suddenly comes out with a mature aircraft carrier deck steel, it will definitely be very eye-catching.

The learning and research process in the middle should naturally be done sufficiently.

And Cao Yang is listening carefully, let alone others.

"The advantages of HSLA steel are low cost, light weight, good plasticity, and can be made into steel plates of different shapes and thicknesses as needed."

"But the disadvantage is that the strength is not high enough, it cannot withstand the impact of high temperatures and high speeds, and it is easy to be damaged by the tail flame and catapult of carrier-based aircraft."

"Therefore, HSLA steel is generally used in non-critical parts of the flight deck, such as hangar decks, lifts, etc."

"The advantages of HSS steel are high strength, good heat resistance, good wear resistance, can withstand high temperature and high-speed impact force, and is not easy to be damaged by the tail flame and catapult of carrier-based aircraft."

"But the disadvantages are high cost, heavy weight, poor plasticity, and cannot be made into complex shapes and thicknesses."

"Therefore, HSS steel is generally used in key parts of the flight deck, such as take-off area, landing area, etc."

Obviously, although Anshan Iron and Steel has not yet completed the aircraft carrier steel plate, it has also done a relatively in-depth analysis and research on the aircraft carrier steel plate.

Otherwise, Zhou Mulan would not have been able to quickly say all kinds of performance data without reading the PPT.

"Steel generally has a certain magnetic force."

"Since the earth itself has a magnetic field, ships made of low-magnetic steel will be magnetized by the earth's magnetic field and produce magnetic force after a long time. Magnetism is very bad for warships. ”

"Because it is easy to be detected by enemy magnetic detectors, or attacked by enemy weapons such as magnetic mines."

"Therefore, with steel for aircraft carriers, the smaller the magnetic force, the better......"

"On the whole, aircraft carrier special steel not only requires thickness, strength, hardness, high temperature resistance, low temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, magnetic resistance and other properties, but also requires quality and stability in the production process to avoid cracks, porosity, inclusions and other defects."

"At present, there are only two countries in the world that have mastered the technology of aircraft carrier deck steel, and neither of them will export to us, and we dare not buy them even if they are willing to sell them to us."

When Zhou Mulan said this, her expression was a little more sad.

China's steel production has exploded in the N countries behind it, but there is no way to produce steel for aircraft carriers.

This greatly limits future developments.

After all, Huaxia's demand for aircraft carriers in the future is increasing, and the number of production is expected to be no less.

If you can't solve the steel plate problem, then there is no way to start anything.

"Do we have a specific target for our next research?"

Cao Yang didn't think that Angang would want to become a fat man in one go, and directly innovated to research a new steel plate.

Therefore, the most reasonable and fastest way is to see if we can study a steel plate with similar properties according to the technical plan of the Americans, or the technical plan of the north.

"Of course, there is!"

Zhou Mulan gave the answer without any hesitation.

"I have written an article before, discussing the historical development of steel for high-strength structures for aircraft carriers in the United States, and making a comparative analysis of the performance characteristics, application parts, mechanical properties, and chemical composition of steel for structural steel for aircraft carriers in the United States."

"The next step for us to do is to benchmark the aircraft carrier steel plates of the United States and produce products with performance not lower than theirs."

Zhou Mulan's answer did not surprise Cao Yang.

Whether you admit it or not, the most advanced aircraft carrier right now is in the United States.

People's aircraft carriers have been developed for so many years and have accumulated very deep technology.

The special steel used for aircraft carriers has also been developed over several generations.

Anshan Iron and Steel and Nanshan Special Steel can work together to make the aircraft carrier steel plate that the Americans are now using, which is a very good result.

Anyway, the Americans don't have a patent for this thing, and they won't register a patent.

As long as Huaxia researches it, it is a technology that belongs to Huaxia.

"Since we are about to start a study on the steel plate of the aircraft carrier of the United States, it is also necessary to do some understanding of the situation of the aircraft carrier in the United States."

"Then I will share with you the steel situation of typical aircraft carriers in the United States."

At this time, Zhou Mulan began to pay attention to PPT.

"The high-strength structural steel of the American aircraft carrier has developed from the original HTS steel and HY steel to the current HSLA steel, and its yield strength value is from 352 MPa to 903 MPa, a total of 5 grades."

"Among them, there are currently four varieties of HSLA steel: HSLA-65, HSLA-80, HSLA-100 and HSLA-115, with yield strengths of 449 MPa, 549 MPa, 689 MPa and 795 MPa, respectively."

"Among them, the first application of HSLA-65 steel on aircraft carriers is the aircraft carrier 'Bush/Shi', and the first application of HSLA-115 will be on the future aircraft carrier 'Ford'."

"In addition to these two basic aircraft carriers, we have to mention the 'Nimitz' class aircraft carrier, which is currently the most advanced large aircraft carrier in the world, and it is also the main component of the active aircraft carriers of the American Navy, with a total of 10 aircraft carriers."

"It has been 40 years since the construction of the first ship, and the hull structural materials of the aircraft carrier have developed rapidly during this time, from the initial HY series to the HSLA-80 and HSLA-100 steels with mature technology, the development of these hull materials can be fully reflected in the 'Nimitz' class aircraft carriers."

Listening to Zhou Mulan's introduction of these contents that he had never been exposed to in ordinary times, Cao Yang couldn't help but straighten up.

If these background information are not well understood, it may also have an adverse impact on the subsequent research on aircraft carrier steel plates.

So he listened very carefully.

Fortunately, men have a certain interest in the military, and listening to this thing that seems a little boring is actually a bit interesting.

"The flight deck of the 'Nimitz' class aircraft carrier consists of steel plates with a thickness of 20 ~ 50 mm and composite armor materials."

"In order to reduce the weight of the aircraft carrier itself, the hull of the early 'Nimitz' class mainly used HY-80 high-strength steel with a yield strength of 549 MPa, and the armor structure used HY-100 ultra-high-strength steel with a yield strength of 689 MPa."

"The main structural materials of the 'Nimitz' class aircraft carriers built after the mid-80s of the 20th century were changed to HSLA-80 and HSLA-100 high-strength low-alloy steel."

"Among them, HSLA-100 steel is the steel that we focus on researching and learning, which can not only be used in aircraft carriers, but also in the non-pressure-resistant shells of nuclear submarines."

"This steel is a low-carbon copper precipitation strengthened steel, and its strength properties have reached the level of HY-100 steel, the plate thickness can reach 100 mm, and the welding material is the same as that of HY100 steel."

"The difference compared to HY100 steel is that it can be welded at a lower weld preheating and interlayer temperature, which reduces the cost of construction."

"Of course, for the United States, the most advanced aircraft carrier steel plate is HSLA-115, which is expected to be used on Ford-class aircraft carriers, but we know less about this steel."

"Basically, in terms of nomenclature, it should be better than HSLA-110 in terms of yield strength and so on."

Although the speed of Zhou Mulan's introduction is not very fast, the information is relatively new to Cao Yang, so it really takes a little time to digest.

"According to my understanding, to produce HSLA-100 or HSLA-115, the most important thing is the alloy element ratio and processing technology, this understanding is correct, right?"

Although Cao Yang had participated in some special steel research of Nanshan Special Steel before, in front of Zhou Mulan, he did not dare to make an axe easily.

Otherwise, the "fake Li Kui" meets the "real Li Kui".

"That's fine."

"The low carbon and carbon equivalent levels in the HSLA series steels, combined with their internal non-martensitic structure, ensure a high level of toughening and excellent resistance to hydrogen-induced cracking."

"In HSLA steel, copper and nickel are the main alloying elements."

"The addition of copper can make HSLA form a copper-rich phase after solid melt treatment and aging, and the copper-rich precipitated phase hinders the dislocation movement, improves the yield strength, and produces precipitation hardening."

"It also improves the corrosion resistance of the steel in seawater and increases the wear resistance of the steel."

"The addition of nickel prevents thermal brittleness caused by copper and also improves hardenability."

"Niobium is also an important element, with a content of about 0.02%~0.06%, which can refine the grains, and the fine grain structure produced after adding niobium is conducive to the strengthening and toughening of HSLA steel."

"In addition, compared to HY steel, the toughness of HSLA steel has been strengthened, which has a direct benefit to the hull by improving the bulletproof effect."

"When welding with HY welding materials, the hot cracking resistance and cold cracking resistance of HSLA steel are better than those of HY steel, and the preheating cost is lower, and the welding cost can be reduced by 50%."

"Based on these advantages, it has a tendency to gradually replace HY steel for surface ships."

I have to say that Zhou Mulan's professionalism is still very deep, and she is also handy for all kinds of information.

"As for the processing technology of these steels, they are generally completed by a combination of electric furnace smelting, argon-chlorine decarburization refining, vacuum deoxidation, and calcium treatment to control the formation of inclusions."

"Among them, the heat treatment process is the most core content, and it is also the place where we need the full assistance of Nanshan Special Steel in the future."

The advanced heat treatment process of Nanshan Special Steel is also well-known in the industry.

Otherwise, there is no way to process the ordinary crude steel bought from Shaogang into the most advanced special steel in the industry.

For example, special steels such as high-speed rail bearings, although the difficulty is not necessarily as high as that of aircraft carrier steel plates, it is not easy to get anywhere.

Nanshan Special Steel, which has rich experience in this area, joins forces with Anshan Iron and Steel, and there is really hope that the problem of aircraft carrier steel plates will be solved as soon as possible.

Otherwise, the above would not have specially asked Nanshan Special Steel to cooperate with Anshan Iron and Steel to jointly tackle the steel plate of the aircraft carrier.

"As long as Nanshan Special Steel can help, we will go all out and be duty-bound!"

At this time, it is necessary to express one's position, and the conditions also depend on the occasion and timing.

Nanshan Special Steel can be selected as the assisting unit for the research of aircraft carrier steel plates, which can be regarded as a recognition of its strength.

There are so many domestic iron and steel companies, and I don't see other steel manufacturers above.

For example, Baosteel, Hegang or something, in the field of special steel, there is no way to compare with Nanshan special steel.

"Some of the early work can be carried out within Nanshan Special Steel, and the two of us set up a joint project team to conduct various experiments and tests in groups."

"A year later, after the theoretical studies and some basic tests, our ultra-wide mill was almost installed."

"At that time, we can try to make some formal samples, and then continue to adjust the formula and processing technology, and strive to complete the research and development and project acceptance of aircraft carrier steel plates before 2012."

Although it seems that there are still three years to go, Zhou Mulan does not feel that there is enough time at all.

To engage in material research, it is necessary to do a lot of basic tests.

There are even times when you do a lot of experiments, and you don't always get the results you want.

This is a very labor-intensive thing.

In addition, in order to produce high-thickness and large-size aircraft carrier deck steel, Anshan Iron and Steel also needs to order ultra-wide rolling mills, which also takes some time.

According to the design and planning of Anshan Iron and Steel, the rolling mill can weigh 760 tons, and is composed of about 40 sets of single machine equipment, covering an area of about 200 meters and about 100,000 parts.

When the equipment is in operation, the rolling force of up to 100,000 tons can roll steel plates with a width of 5.5 meters and a rolling length of more than 40 meters.

At that time, it will be the world's largest specification, the highest installed level, the strongest rolling capacity, and the largest single-machine equipment tonnage wide and heavy plate rolling mill.

These are all necessary conditions to ensure the smooth development of special steel for aircraft carriers.

This project is definitely a big job!

"No problem, I personally served as the research leader of Nanshan Special Steel, and led the team to participate in the formulation of relevant test plans with Mr. Xie, and strive to complete the setting of material formulas and process plans in advance, so that our aircraft carrier steel plate can be launched as soon as possible."

Although without Cao Yang's help, Anshan Iron and Steel could eventually develop aircraft carrier steel plates, but it would have to wait until five or six years later.

To complete this task before 2012, Cao Yang felt that he needed to make a move at the right time.

Of course, the degree of secrecy of this project must be relatively high.

Cao Yang also signed a bunch of confidentiality agreements.

If Nanshan Special Steel wants to use this project to carry out publicity, it is definitely inappropriate now.

Fortunately, whether it is Nanshan Group or Nanshan Special Steel, they don't need these technical bonuses to improve their status.

(End of chapter)