sweeping the world

Chapter 999 The Big Teapot Project

The Han Empire actually had a mechanical drive, but to put it bluntly, it still relied on manpower to drive, not a mechanical drive in the true sense.

The navy now has fifteen gunboats, among which the "Quanzhou" is equipped with a gear-mode drive device, but the gears are driven by manpower (animal power), and only a small part of the gear structure is made of metal.

The so-called gear drive mode can be regarded as an alternative super-complex version of "donkey grinding", which is composed of many large and small gears and bearing shafts to form a force-increasing method of large and small gears.

The test of the driving device of the "Quanzhou" was not successful. Firstly, the materials composed of the parts could not withstand wear. Secondly, there were problems with the arrangement of the gears, resulting in a too short service life and a too high failure rate. Waiting questions.

The layout is a component relationship, but there are still errors in the layout position.

Historically, steam engines have been researched and installed on ships. It is not unreasonable to use the left and right sides of the ship's side for the layout of the paddling device. The main reason is that the horsepower is insufficient, and the layout can be adopted as much as the horsepower. a greater role.

The first-generation marine propulsion device is the kind of blade that looks like a circular waterwheel. It is not a blade like a propeller. It may not be that the imagination is not enough, but the lack of power is the premise. The blade area of ​​​​the circular waterwheel is larger , and then the alternate scrolling modes are more efficient.

"Your Majesty, the thrust device is arranged at the stern, and the position of the rudder has also been changed..."

The Jockey Club talks about a lot of professional terms, including some parts of the ship and related components.

Some Liu Yan can understand, but more can't understand.

The rudder is the part that controls the sailing direction of the ship. It can not be arranged in any position, and not every ship has the same size of rudder. It is still necessary to consider the tonnage of the ship itself, and then study how to arrange it. Design the size of the rudder according to the tonnage of the ship.

"The rudder of the 'Quanzhou' has been changed seventeen times before finally determining the location and size of the layout so that the ship can turn with maximum flexibility." Base: "The rudder is being redesigned, and the hull is being redesigned as well."

Liu Yan remembered that there seemed to be such a report, which mentioned that the "Quanzhou" had only been used for less than two years, and there was a problem with the keel that could have been used for ten years.And that was under the premise of continuous maintenance of the keel, but there was still a big trouble that the voyage had to be stopped.

Facts have proved that as long as it is related to science and technology, there is really nothing that can be done overnight. It is all about continuous experimentation and continuous improvement in the discovery of problems. The perfection may reach 90.00%, but it is discovered that it cannot be reversed. conundrums, which ultimately overturned the overall design.

If you have not been involved in a certain field to a certain extent, you will not find that field is far more complicated than what you know. It can even be said that the more you study this field, you will find that the confusion is not getting less and less, on the contrary. More confusion arose as the research progressed.

People who don't know how to look at a ship are looking at a long-shaped object.

When a knowledgeable person looks at a ship, he or she will wonder if the design is right just by looking at the hull, and whether the design on the horizontal plane and below is optimal.

When a ship is sailing in the water, it must be considered what kind of lines it should be in order to minimize the resistance of the water itself.After repeated experiments, it was first discovered that sharp triangular lines or perfect arches would be the best design solution.

Further in-depth research will also lead to a razor shape below the water level, which will not only minimize drag, but also provide maximum stability for the ship.

Liu Yan had already boarded the iron boat, and seeing that the deck was all metal, the answer he got was that it was only covered with a layer of iron.

The iron ship is divided into three layers, the deck has only one layer, and the cabin has two layers.

The flagship cabin was placed in the middle and back, exactly in the middle of the stern mast and the midship mast.

"The mast is made of wood..." When Sang Yu looked at it from a distance, the mast was also pitch black. When he took a closer look and tapped it, he found that it was not made of iron: "That's right. The sail is made of fire cloth. Since the sail It won’t burn, and it doesn’t matter if the mast is iron or not.”

That's right, Sang Yu was talking about Huo Huanbu.

According to legend, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Liu Che obtained a piece of fire cloth from the Western Regions and found that it could not be burned no matter how hard it was burned. He regarded it as a priceless treasure.

The so-called fire cloth is a kind of asbestos cloth. For a long time, it has been regarded as a priceless treasure. Anyone who can possess it must hide it and never let others find it, otherwise some people want to kill the family and rob it. people.

There are asbestos mines in Zhuxia, more in the Hexi area, and only two mines have been explored in the south.

It wasn't people from Zhuxia who first discovered the characteristics of asbestos mines, but people from Asan's side, and then it spread to the Western Regions.

If you look through the history books, you will find that the people who sold Huohuanbu as treasures in the land of Zhuxia were either from the Western Regions or the so-called Tianzhu people.

The Han Empire swept across the Western Regions, and a family wanted to exchange the secret of asbestos for the price of survival. Of course, the secret was learned by the Han people, and that family did not win the chance to survive.

The Navy has long wanted to obtain a sail that is not afraid of fire. The four Han people who learned the secret of Huanbu accepted the reward offered by the Navy. They got what they deserved. Got the secret.

When something is no longer a secret, there is nothing surprising about it, especially when state power is used for production, the lack of things is due to the lack of minerals found, and it is definitely not due to insufficient productivity.

Huohuanbu, which was originally a treasure, has become an ordinary treasure only because the navy has mastered the production technology.

"It's just an iron shell?" Liu Yan put it on and inspected it. There is a metal structure inside the hull, but in fact the main material is still wood: "Since it is a wood structure, what is the consideration for using a metal waterproof hatch?"

The horse club showed an embarrassed expression, and replied: "I have related concepts, let's accumulate experience."

That's right, this is an experimental ship. The premise of ensuring that it will sink without launching is to maximize its use value, regardless of whether it is a reliable thing, install it if it can be installed, and build it if it can be built. establish.

Liu Yan got out of the bilge, instead of checking the sailors' lounge, he came to the stern.

It has been emptied here. Looking at some structures, we can find that it seems to be vacant for some purpose. Looking at the style of the structure, we will find that it is not randomly arranged, as if it is waiting for something to be installed.

"I thought that the iron-clad ship was not driven by wind." The horse club didn't know why, and a frenzied expression appeared on his face: "'Quanzhou' can run 5 knots at the fastest using mechanical drive. Although it can only last for [-] minutes However, I believe that ships should use mechanical energy instead of relying solely on natural wind."

What the Jockey Club didn't say was that the "Quanzhou" ran for 24 knots that time, but the cost was that the gear mechanism was spinning and collapsed. At that time, there were 13 people in charge of supervision and maintenance, and [-] of them were closed forever. Eye.

"'Quanzhou' is nearly 35 tons, and can run [-] knots. I have guessed..." Ma Hui said excitedly: "If we can ensure the operation of that set of equipment, and drive ships under [-] tons, can we run as far as [-] tons?" [-] knots?"

Liu Yan couldn't hold it back. After laughing dumbfoundedly, he looked at Ma Hui, whose face changed from excited to constipated, and reminded: "Volume."

If the device installed on a thousand-ton ship wants to be installed on a hundred-ton ship, the size of the machine must be reduced, and it is necessary to consider whether it can still perform the same performance once it is reduced.

"..." Of course, the Horse Club has taken miniaturization into consideration. If someone else opened his mouth, he would just open his mouth. He could only hold back when facing the emperor, and complimented against his will: "Your Majesty is wise."

Those who engage in scientific research, they may be bronze in other fields, but they will be kings in the fields they are familiar with.

They are not afraid of repeated failures on a scientific research project, because all failures are to accumulate experience for success.

Those who engage in scientific research are most afraid of bureaucrats. Those bureaucrats obviously don't know a single fart, but they like to talk nonsense because of their official positions. If you do, you will lose the chance to continue to fail.

Liu Yan mentioned the "idea", at least he was right.

The horse will be depressed and then give birth to greater excitement.

Many scientific and technological products of the Han Empire were inspired by the emperor. Those who were not engaged in scientific research would take it for granted that the emperor knew everything, but those engaged in scientific research knew that the emperor must have the quality and knowledge of scientific research.

"The animal power device made by the Navy..." Liu Yan touched the metal bracket and said with a smile, "I know it's a transitional product at best, so let them make it."

Ma Hui stopped breathing, and stared at Liu Yan's mouth helplessly, his heart was beating violently.

"Everything should be tried, otherwise how will we know if there is any result?" Liu Yan didn't pay attention to the Jockey Club, and walked a few steps to look at a bite device on the ground: "Of course animal power is not good, and it is a product that is doomed to fail." , just let the gear application get enough accumulation, it is the success of the gear application.”

The horse will continue to hold its breath, and that sixth sense of something rewarding will intensify.

"It's an event today, you can go to Chang'an." Liu Yan squatted down and looked at the occlusal device, guessing what it was used for fixing, and said, "The Shaofu is working on the 'big teapot' project, you may be able to join it."

The horse will know that this is what he has gained. When he resumed breathing, he inhaled and exhaled in big gulps. He didn't know if he was holding it back or what, his face was flushed.

The so-called "big teapot" project is of course the research on the steam engine. The related work has been going on since the tenth year of Yuanshuo. After four years, I have figured out how steam is produced. From the beginning, I simply experimented with boiling water to observe the steam. The thrust of steam was also tested, and various pipes played the role of steam.

Liu Yan went there before leaving Chang'an, and found that the relevant personnel had entered the stage of observing the steam entering the cylinder.He also heard that several explosions had occurred before, but fortunately there were only injuries and no one died due to the accident.

Once the research on the steam engine enters the cylinder stage, all that remains is to figure out what the internal structure of the cylinder should be.

Liu Yan is not familiar with steam engines, but he knows that cylinders need to have two things such as sliding valves and pistons, and no amount of relevant knowledge.

The "big teapot" project shocked the researchers just because Liu Yan mentioned sliding valves and pistons. They wondered what was missing before, but it took time to think about it from scratch, and it also required repeated failures. , constant changes to components and construction after numerous failures, finally yield results.

Liu Yan didn't understand the layout of the sliding valve and piston of the cylinder, or he should have presided over the experiment himself.Although he is eager, he can only wait patiently. Perhaps the "big teapot" plan will produce results this year, and it may take another three to five years or even longer.

If the "big teapot" plan is successful, the navy will not be the first to benefit, and it will definitely be used on land first.

Just understanding steam to generate power does not mean mastering the way to use power. The next step is mechanical technology. Otherwise, there is only a steam engine without a supporting linkage mechanism and flywheel device, and the power generated is only evaporating. Effect.

When the "Quanzhou" went to develop gear machinery, wasn't it just exploring the power output of the steam engine?

The kinetic energy of the steam engine drives the flywheel to run, and the next step is the bearing and gears. Their rotation is a kind of use of power. As long as they can rotate, the next step is to consider increasing the horsepower.

Liu Yan looked around and found that the layout of this place was waiting for the installation of related machinery. He just wondered why the "Quanzhou" chose the stern layout after it was proved that it was not suitable to install it at the stern.

"A set of grinding tools has been built in Kuaiji, and a batch of gears have been cast." The Horse Club was not sure whether Liu Yan knew about it, and naturally dared not hide it when asked: "I know that steel is used."

Liu Yan nodded, but said nothing else.

It’s great to have the spirit of exploration, especially in technology-related aspects. Isn’t it the premise of trying everything to produce results?
Maybe it’s because they want to experiment with something, but they don’t get what they want to get, but they produce new scientific research results. This is what the technology tree is all about.

In the country founded by Liu Yan, in the 12th year of Yuanshuo, the annual pig iron production had reached that of Russia in the mid-nineteenth century.

Perhaps it should be said that the total pig iron production of various countries in the world today is probably a fraction of that of the Han Empire.

The Han Empire's current annual pig iron production is 26 tons, and its steel production is [-] tons.

It doesn't look like much, but what you need to know is that it is now AD [-], not [-]XX!
(End of this chapter)