Chapter 98 Steam Engine
There were also two hot water boilers among the materials originally prepared by the Executive Committee, but now they are used to build public bathrooms. Besides, the size is too large and there is no way to send them to the Cliff Office for installation. However, even if the Cliff Office does not take the initiative to make this request, the relevant departments have already begun to develop boilers - the executive committee has instructed to build steam engines as soon as possible in order to improve the production efficiency of Tiandu Iron Mine.
The world's first practical steam engine was used for pumping water in mines. Later, with the continuous improvement of steam engine technology, it was gradually extended to industries such as smelting, textiles, and machinery manufacturing. As for being used as propulsion power, that was already a hundred years after the invention of the steam engine. At present, the water pumping operation in Tiandu iron ore mining relies more on water pumps. Every time a few large water pumps are started, the entire civil power supply in the No. 2 Base must be stopped to ensure production power. This naturally Caused a lot of inconvenience. There have long been calls from the public for the Executive Committee to launch the steam engine project as soon as possible to free up the currently limited electricity for public use.
The time-travelers who have mastered the black technology that transcends the times naturally no longer need to take the detours in history. From the moment the time-travelers came to this time and space, the steam engine was invented more than sixty years earlier than in history. As for the components of steam engines that have been invented one after another, such as separate condensers, planetary gears, parallel motion linkages, centrifugal speed regulators, etc., they will all appear in this world more than a hundred years earlier than originally planned. superior.
Now that Tiandu Iron Mine is being mined, it can fully provide the pig iron needed to manufacture steam engines, and the machining department can also complete some simple metal processing tasks. Not wanting to wait any longer, the Executive Committee ordered the start of steam engine development. research and development work. Of course, what the Executive Committee expected was not just a power device for pumping water, but more importantly, a steam engine that could be used as propulsion power as soon as possible.
There are quite a few Doraemon members among the Time Travelers, and even some high-ranking people in the Executive Committee have clearly expressed their appreciation for Doraemon in private. And in order to achieve that rough and heroic mechanical beauty, a powerful steam engine is absolutely an indispensable part. Just to produce steam engines under the existing conditions, we still inevitably encountered technical obstacles in some key processes.
The welding problem is just one of them. As for the solution to welding, the relevant departments have already had detailed plans before the time traveled - the word "multi-rivet steaming steel" is the best way to solve this problem. Roger and Shi Diwen, two senior fitters who had returned from overseas, once again came in handy, using riveting technology to solve the problem of boiler manufacturing. Although the sealing performance of this relatively primitive process is not as good as welding, it is enough to deal with the non-high-pressure boilers currently being used in primary steam engines.
At present, most of the mechanical processing equipment has not been installed in place, so many parts on the steam engine have to be handmade by technicians, especially parts such as pistons, valves, gears, etc., which consume a lot of man-hours. The first steam engine took more than 20 days from drawing to assembly. The test run of this steam engine will be held tonight. Schneider brought Luo Shengdong here because he wanted him to see with his own eyes the tremendous power of steam power.
Luo Shengdong looked at the scene in front of him, and his mind was already a little confused - there was a complex device made of pig iron placed on the huge floor. On the right was a huge iron wheel that was nearly a person tall. This iron wheel was only a few meters tall. A thick spoke, and several iron rods connected to the spokes connected it to the iron can at the other end. Next to the iron can, there was a larger iron bucket, with a strong charcoal fire burning underneath.
Luo Shengdong looked around and saw that many leaders of the Haihan people he knew were already there. He knew that this thing in front of him must be something extraordinary, so he lowered his voice and asked Schneider: "Mr. Shi, can you tell me, What is this? ”
"This is a steam engine, the greatest invention in the world for hundreds of years." Schneider stared at the steam engine gradually emitting white smoke from the chimney, and said slowly: "Look carefully, this is something that can change the world." The power of the world!”
Luo Shengdong thought to himself, if you build a giant cannon that can collapse mountains and split cities, or if you have mountains of gold and silver, I believe you have the power to change the world, but just such a black lump of iron can do it. Change the world? Do you really think I was bullied since I was a child? Competitive chicken? It sounds a bit familiar, but I wonder what it has to do with the "activating chicken" that Ren Liang mentioned?
No one in the time-traveling crowd present cared about Luo Shengdong's little thoughts. Their attention was all on the steam engine. With the availability of steam power, the productivity of the entire Cross Group will be greatly improved. Pumps, hoisting equipment, forging presses and even steam locomotives driven by steam engines will greatly accelerate the pace of the Cross Group changing the world, and in the future The steam-powered fleet spanning the seven seas no longer seems out of reach.
"Start it!" Tao Donglai gave the order, and at the same time said a bloody line that was widely circulated in later generations: "Let the whole world tremble in front of our steam engine!"
Roger, who was in charge of operating the steam engine, opened the steam valve, and a thick stream of steamy white smoke rushed out from the chimney. Driven by the steam, the piston in the cylinder began to move slowly but firmly, and then the connecting rod drove the spokes of the huge iron wheel, pushing the iron wheel to start rotating from slow to fast.
"Successful!" The technicians who had been working hard for many days excitedly clapped and hugged each other to celebrate this moment of victory. Members of the executive committee also expressed their joy with warm applause.
"This..." Luo Shengdong was stunned and was too frightened to speak. This iron wheel probably weighs more than a thousand kilograms, and there is no one pushing it on the left and right, so how can it start turning on its own? The sorcery of the Haihan people is so powerful!
"It's moving! Did you see it? It's moving!"
Schneider excitedly grabbed Luo Shengdong's shoulders and shook him repeatedly, which restored some of Luo Shengdong's consciousness. He quickly asked: "Mr. Shi, why can this thing automatically move without wind? Is it some kind of advanced magic?" Schneider laughed. Said: "Magic? No, this is not magic, this is science!"
"I am stupid. I have only heard of Confucianism and Taoism. Who created this science? Also, what kind of chicken is this Zhengqi Chicken?" Luo Shengdong couldn't help his curiosity and asked Schneider repeatedly. .
Schneider explained patiently: "A steam engine is not a chicken, it is a mechanical device driven by steam, just like the one you see in front of you. As for science, it is a pursuit of knowledge and understanding of the world. The method is a belief that every Haihan person will abide by! ”
Luo Shengdong was confused by what he heard. He could only roughly understand the word "faith": "I see, this science must be the state religion of Haihan Kingdom! But why are you all so excited?"
Schneider pointed to the big rotating iron wheel and said: "Isn't it exciting to see a machine that does not require human or animal power?"
Luo Shengdong scratched his head and said: "But what is the use of this thing?"
Schneider looked at Luo Shengdong as if he were a monster: "Mr. Luo, I thought you were a person with a rich imagination and could accept new things quickly, so I brought you to see the steam engine. I didn't expect your mind to be so closed. This only requires Attach four wheels and it can move on land by itself, put paddles on it and it can push the ship instead of the wind, and put on rigging and it can pull thousands of kilograms of weight... You actually ask it if it has What’s the use?”
Luo Shengdong suddenly remembered the big iron ships in the Victory Harbor, and stammered: "Is this what those iron ships... use?"
"The one used on the ship is better than the one we are building now." Schneider did not intend to hide anything. Even if Luo Shengdong saw this black technology that transcended the times, he would not be able to copy it: "Our current manufacturing level is still very limited. , I can’t make something that good yet, but it’s enough to make something like this. Mr. Luo, I can see the birth of the world’s first steam engine with my own eyes. When you are old, you can tell your grandson. We have something to brag about.”
Only now did Luo Shengdong understand what he saw. Isn’t this “steam engine” that Schneider is talking about just a silly, black and crude version of an “engine”? The big iron ships at the port and the strange vehicles that carry stones all use advanced, smaller versions of this thing.
Luo Shengdong has long found it strange that the Haihan people have such technology as "engines". Why don't they manufacture these powerful mechanical devices on a large scale? Instead, they need to use a large amount of manpower to supplement the mechanical devices in various construction projects. insufficient. Now seeing this whirring iron lump, Luo Shengdong finally understood - it was not that the Haihan people did not want to use mechanical devices on a large scale, but because they had never been able to build one before!
Now that the Haihan people finally built this device, Luo Shengdong sadly discovered that the gap between the Ming Dynasty and these Haihan people seemed to be even wider. When he thought that in the future there would be countless strange ships powered by such devices crisscrossing the sea, Luo Shengdong felt more and more that it was meaningless for him as a navy commander to take charge. One such machine can replace twenty or thirty people in raising and lowering the sails, and these saved crew members can be used to operate the iron cannons that the Haihan people claim to bring onto the ship. Although he has not seen the real thing, Luo Shengdong feels that the powerful battleship full of artillery that Tao Donglai once mentioned may really appear in the future Victory Port.
"Why can the charcoal fires of the Ming Dynasty be used only for cooking, while the Haihan people can use them to build this powerful steam engine!" Luo Shengdong was very unhappy about this. At this moment, he seemed to feel that God was dealing with this. Da Ming showed no concealment of his deep malice.
(End of chapter)