Chapter 343 The expectations of the Three Machinery Department
"Deputy Engineer Shen, our factory has never studied this kind of starter motor used in aircraft engines before."
Wu Wei looked at Shen Yanhuan, the deputy chief engineer of the Third Machinery Department, who came to visit, and he didn't dare to brag casually.
They went through a lot of trouble to bring a physical motor here. If BMW Motors talks casually, they will definitely fall into a trap later.
Wu Wei, who has been in the system before, still has this awareness.
"General Engineer Wu, I completely understand that you have no experience in R&D and production of starter motors for aircraft engines."
"I came here specifically to communicate with you today. I hope that BMW Motors can consider cooperating with Changan Engine Factory to produce this starter motor locally."
“We can not only provide the actual motor, but also the corresponding design drawings.”
When Shen Yanhuan said this, Wu Wei felt a little strange.
There are physical objects and drawings, but no other manufacturer can produce it?
It seems that the technical threshold for motors used in aircraft engines is relatively high.
"Vice President Shen, why don't you guys take a rest in the hotel nearby today? Our factory director just went out to inspect the supplier. I will discuss it with him when he comes back and I will reply to you then. Do you think that's okay? ?”
Wu Wei was a little undecided.
The country is now centered on economic development, and the funds received by the military industry are relatively limited.
Let’s not talk about whether the motor that the Three Machinery Department hopes to be developed by BMW Motors can be successful. Even if it is successful, the quantity will be unknown by then.
Aviation engines are very difficult to work on, as Wu Wei has heard.
If BMW Motors spends a lot of manpower and material resources to produce the starter motor used in aeroengines, but the aerospace engine itself is still unable to be developed, then it is impossible for BMW Motors to receive any orders.
Judging from Wu Wei's life experience, this possibility is still very high.
Analyst Shen Yanhuan could understand Wu Wei's answer.
Many other domestic motor manufacturers are unwilling to try to localize aircraft engine motors. In fact, part of the reason is not purely technical, but unprofitable.
The funds provided by the Third Machinery Department are not sufficient, and there is a high probability that motor manufacturers will have to pay for research and development.
If there are no orders after the research and development is completed, wouldn’t it be a waste of time?
In this case, it is better to surrender from the beginning and start a money-making project of converting military into civilians.
"Okay, then I will leave the motor samples and technical information directly with you, but you have to arrange for special people to look at it."
Although the samples and information in front of us are quite important, they are not very sensitive in terms of confidentiality. After all, this is an engine product imported from Anglia in China more than ten years ago.
So far, there is no way to imitate it in China. People abroad have developed more advanced products.
Shen Yanhuan didn't mind leaving things at BMW Motors, so Wu Wei naturally had no objection.
That evening, as soon as Jiang Hui returned to the office, Wu Wei reported today's situation to him.
"The Ministry of Three Machinery wants to start a localization project of aero-engine starter motors?"
Jiang Hui has often dealt with the First Machinery Department, the Fifth Machinery Department and the Seventh Machinery Department in the past few years, so he naturally knows what each department is responsible for.
The Third Aircraft Department is now the department in charge of the aviation industry. Whether it is a fighter jet or a transport aircraft, as long as it is an aircraft, it is considered their responsibility.
It's just that in the 1970s and 1980s, the Three Machinery Department didn't seem to have many achievements?
"Yes, they left prototypes and technical information in our conference room. I took a preliminary look at the information. Some of the drawings had English marks on them, and the manufacturer information that appeared on the material grades of some parts looked like Like foreign manufacturers.”
"I guess it was the aircraft engine imported from the Third Machinery Department, but the starter motor has never been successfully localized."
After Wu Wei explained this, Jiang Hui probably knew what he was talking about.
In all likelihood, this is the starter motor used on turbofan 9.
Since the 1970s, Western third-generation fighter jets have adopted advanced turbofan engines.
Compared with turbojet engines, turbofans have the advantages of greater thrust, less noise, and lower fuel consumption.
Under this pressure, in December 1971, the relevant leaders of China held an aviation product quality symposium all night, and agreed on the spot to introduce a batch of civilian Spey engines from the British Rolls-Royce company to develop our country's turbojet engines. Fan engine, this is the origin of the turbofan-9.
Chang'an Aviation Engine Factory began to develop the turbofan-9 dual-rotor afterburning turbine based on the Spey MK202 engine patent license and production contract signed between China Technology Import Corporation and Rolls-Royce on December 13, 1975. Fan engine, codenamed WS-9.
In March 1976, Changan Engine Factory began full trial production.
On July 25, 1979, the first turbofan-9 engine was assembled using components made of English wool and purchased parts and accessories from Rolls-Royce.
In the second half of 1979, four engines were installed in two batches. On November 13 of the same year, both parties jointly completed a 150-hour long-term test run assessment.
From February to May 1980, two WS-9 engines and two sets of components manufactured by China completed high-altitude simulation tests in England, starting tests at minus 40 degrees Celsius, and cyclic fatigue strength tests of five major components. The results All meet the technical requirements.
On May 30, 1980, representatives from both parties signed a document confirming the successful assessment of the WS-9 engine.
According to the plan, the next step is to carry out comprehensive localization.
However, work in this area has not always been smooth.
If we follow normal historical development, it would not be until 2007 that the domestically produced turbofan-9 engine would be officially mass-produced.
It took more than thirty years of hard work to finally fully understand the aero-engine technology and fully localize it.
But in the past thirty years, Luoluo's technology has been updated several generations ago.
Fortunately, after thoroughly understanding these technologies, in the next twenty years, China's aero-engine technology has developed by leaps and bounds, breaking through various new technologies one after another, and finally quickly catching up with the international mainstream level.
This situation is probably something that many people did not predict.
"I'll talk to them tomorrow and see what plans the other party has."
Although automobiles and related industries are the main business of BMW Technology, the market for aviation engine starter motors is also very broad in the future. If BMW Motors starts to get involved now, it will definitely be able to reap this dividend in the future.
Of course, this cycle is a bit long and ordinary manufacturers cannot handle it.
……
"General Engineer Shen, I feel that Wu Wei is not very interested in our starter motor project. Otherwise, with the technical level of BMW motors and complete drawing information for reference, it would take at most two or three years to deliver the motor to Localized.”
While Jiang Hui and Wu Wei were discussing today's events, Li Zhongxi and Shen Yanhuan, who had returned to the hotel, were also discussing today's situation.
They will consider coming to BMW Motor for help and have done some research on the situation of BMW Motor. They even know that BMW Electric is nominally a foreign-funded enterprise, but is actually a domestic private enterprise.
"It's normal for Wu Wei to have such a reaction. He produces motors for cars and home appliances, and the monthly production is in short supply. It should be very profitable."
"Their R&D staff are definitely busy developing more of these products."
"Now we put a project in front of him that we don't know when he will have the opportunity to make money. It is normal that he is not very interested."
"If Wu Wei was still in school, he would probably be very active in cooperating with the funds provided by the ministry, even if the funds may not be enough in the end."
"But when it comes to the factory, there are more things to consider. People definitely want to make money."
Ana Shen was not angry.
He is very clear about the situation in the factories affiliated to the Third Machinery Department in recent years.
Some manufacturers are now unable to even pay wages.
Most manufacturers are struggling to survive by relying on funds.
Most of the various funds are used to ensure the normal salary payment of employees, and many research and development work have come to a standstill or are progressing very slowly.
A penny stumps a heroic man.
Nowadays, the social atmosphere has begun to change. Without enough funds, many projects are difficult to implement.
"There are too many domestically produced parts that need to be solved for the turbofan-9 engine. Except for the starter motor, there are no signs of breakthroughs in the casting technology of compressor blades."
"There are still a series of difficulties waiting for us such as precision forging and precision casting processes with no margin, digital electronic control systems, etc."
As the director of Chang'an Engine Factory, Li Zhongxi is also under great pressure.
The introduction of this engine from Rolls-Royce was a project decided by the chief executive himself.
"In recent years, our country's aerospace engine development capabilities have made great progress, and we can produce a large number of turbojet engines with relatively advanced performance to meet the operational requirements of the Air Force."
"You don't have to worry too much, these problems can be overcome."
Seeing Li Zhongxi looking a little discouraged, Shen Yanhuan comforted him a few words.
"These engines are basically improvements and modifications based on the Polar Bear engine, and the overall technical level is backward, which has seriously restricted the development of my country's aerospace engine manufacturing industry and military fighter aircraft."
"In addition, the 606 Institute of Aeronautical Research Institute has canceled the J-9, J-13, Qiang-6, large transport aircraft and other projects that were launched in the 1970s, and the supporting turbofan-6 series has been developed for 20 years. The engine was also forced to be discontinued due to lack of assembly equipment. At this time, the gap between our country and the developed countries in the world in terms of aviation power has widened to more than 20 years.”
"I'm very anxious."
The more he knew about the current domestic aviation engine situation, the more anxious Li Zhongxi became.
The gap of more than twenty years can sometimes be even more suffocating.
"Now that the economy is developing rapidly, the funds received by our department will definitely increase in the future. Considering the domestic demand, the progress of some projects can also be accelerated."
"Like the engine you are currently responsible for, I think we can develop it as soon as possible, or directly design our own turbofan engine based on it."
Shen Yanhuan can be considered a professional in the aviation field, otherwise he would not be able to serve as the deputy chief engineer of the Third Machinery Department.
"I hope so. The performance of motors on aero engines is very critical. If BMW motors can fully cooperate with us in promoting localization this time, I am quite confident in them."
Li Zhongxi quickly adjusted his mood and brought the topic back to BMW motors.
"Well, BMW Motors can produce starter motors and wiper motors for car engines, and can also develop washing machine motors and other products in a short time to replace imported motors."
"This technical strength is definitely second to none in the country. If BMW motors can't handle it, then finding other motor manufacturers will be very difficult."
The two of them would come directly to Shencheng with technical information and motor samples, which was naturally a carefully considered choice.
To put it mildly, they are now treating a dead horse as a living horse doctor.
There are still many bottleneck parts in the WS-9 project that have not been domestically produced, and now we need to solve them one by one.
You can’t stop doing it just because you don’t see hope, right?
Fortunately, when Jiang Hui met them the next day, the situation was better than expected.
"General Engineer Shen and Factory Director Li, we at BMW Motor are very willing to cooperate with the Third Machinery Department to make some contributions to the development of the aerospace engine industry."
"But to be honest with you, BMW Motors has never been involved in technology related to aircraft engine starter motors before."
"We need to start studying again what issues need to be paid attention to in the localization of this part."
"Based on the situation of this project, it is estimated that it will take at least three years to successfully produce this product."
Jiang Hui knew that there was no need to rush this project, and there was no point in completing it very early.
BMW Motors still has many products under development, and there are not enough R&D personnel to devote themselves to aero-engine motor products.
Now we can only arrange for a team to thoroughly understand the technical information first, and then Jiang Hui will give appropriate guidance so that the project can move forward step by step.
In the end, when the entire project really requires domestic motors to be mass-produced, the speed will be accelerated.
Jiang Hui feels that even if Chang'an Engine Factory moves faster than the same period in history in this generation, it will at least wait until the 1990s before officially mass-producing the turbofan-9.
That speed is almost ten years faster than the same period in history, which is very difficult.
With this ten-year lead time, many future fighter jets and transport aircraft may be available ahead of schedule, which can be considered a great contribution to China's aviation industry.
"Time is not a problem. The localization of other parts of our engine is still in progress and may not all be completed within three years."
"As long as BMW Motors can come up with a specific localization plan in three years and produce one or two prototypes for testing, I think the progress will be fine."
Shen Yanhuan was afraid of Jiang Hui's performance and wanted to finalize the matter as soon as possible.
He hadn't done this kind of thing of getting up on a pole to deliver items for a long time, and he seemed a little unskilled.
Fortunately, Jiang Hui cooperated very well. For this special project, the two parties reached a formal cooperation plan in just a few days.
(End of chapter)