The morning sunlight slanted in through a hole in the workshop ceiling, illuminating the pale blue board on the workbench. Chen Hao squatted there, water still dripping from the spray bottle in his hand, staring intently at the edge he had just cut, his brow furrowed.
"Is this considered a fair deal?" he asked.
Carl leaned closer to examine it, his finger lightly tracing the cut surface. "It's not chipped, but it's uneven. The seam definitely isn't pressed tight enough."
Susan stood on the other side, holding the soft plastic strip in her hand, bending it back and forth several times. "The material is soft, but it can't fit this curve. It curls up as soon as you press it."
Nana's screen was lit up, displaying a magnified simulation of the interface. A red line ran across the joint, indicating "Actual gap: 0.6 mm".
“The design requirement is within 0.3,” she said. “The current assembly results in a 47 percent increase in air leakage.”
Chen Hao stood up, placed the spray bottle on the table, and a little water splashed out, seeping down the cracks in the wood.
"So, we can cut the board, but we can't fit it together?"
"To be precise, it's impossible to achieve a stable seal." Nana pulled up another set of data. "Polycarbonate has a high coefficient of thermal expansion, and it will expand and contract slightly due to temperature differences between day and night. If the fixing structure is too rigid, it is prone to cracking; if it is too loose, it will not provide a seal."
“So we need something that can move with it.” Chen Hao stroked his chin. “Like… a spring?”
“Elastic strips can be used,” Nana nodded, “but the existing materials lack sufficient ductility and a pre-compression structure design.”
“Then let’s make a frame that can hold it down.” Chen Hao turned around and walked to the bulletin board, picked up the chalk, and drew a grooved metal edge next to the original drawing. “Dig a groove here, insert the soft strip, and then slowly press it down with screws, like sandwiching a sandwich.”
Susan looked at his sketch and said, "How close should the pitch be? If one piece is loose, the whole loop is ruined."
“At least twelve points in a circle,” Carl estimated. “The hand drills we’re using now have large offsets when drilling, and if it’s installed crookedly, it will leak even more.”
“If the machine doesn’t work, the man will fix it.” Chen Hao grinned. “I’ll keep an eye on each hole, and if it’s crooked, I’ll grind it down and start over on the spot.”
“It’s too inefficient.” Susan shook her head. “It takes half a day just to drill a hole in a window, and you have to make sure that the precision is consistent in every position.”
"Otherwise what?" Chen Hao shrugged. "Wait for a CNC machine tool to fall from the sky? Right now, we're just using rudimentary methods to make steel; as long as we can produce iron, that's fine."
Nana suddenly spoke up: "I suggest adjusting the assembly sequence. Build the frame first, then embed the pressure strip system, and finally install the mainboard. This will reduce stress concentration."
"Okay." Chen Hao made the decision. "Let's try making a mini version with the scraps first, and see if it can hold its breath."
Several people started cleaning the countertop, and brought over a small piece of scrap board and a section of old aluminum rail. Carl carefully cut off a section with an angle grinder to make a 10-centimeter square test frame.
“This thing is too small, the results may not be accurate,” he said as he filed the edges.
"Even if it's inaccurate, it's better than guessing blindly." Chen Hao took the file and squatted down to help polish the inner groove. "At least we can tell whether the pressure bar will pop out."
Susan cut a small piece of soft plastic with scissors, inserted it into the groove, and tried to press it down. The edges of the plastic curled up and it wouldn't stay in place.
"It's too thick," she said. "It bulges out when you put it in, and you can't flatten it."
"Thin it out a bit." Chen Hao took a utility knife and started scraping. "Little by little."
He made a few cuts with the blade, creating a bevel on the plastic. He put it back into the groove, and this time it stuck. He pressed down hard with his palm, releasing it after five seconds.
The plastic rebounded and arched slightly.
“Even a paperclip could hold it down for five minutes,” Chen Hao muttered. “We can’t just keep pressing it down every day when we’re building a window.”
“A pre-compression design is needed,” Nana said. “Ideally, the pressure strip should always be under stress, continuously providing closing force.”
"Like a taut rubber band?" Susan asked.
"similar."
"Do we have anything that can keep it taut?" Chen Hao looked around the workshop. "We don't have springs, the rubber bands are worn out, and the steel wire is too stiff..."
Carl suddenly looked up: "Where are the tent poles? Those fiberglass poles, they spring back when you bend them."
“Two of them are still in the warehouse,” Susan said. “They were used to tie the roof tarpaulin.”
"Let's try it." Chen Hao stood up. "Cut a piece and stuff it into the frame, using its elasticity to hold down the plastic strip."
While Carl went to fetch the materials, Chen Hao continued trimming the edges of the plastic with a blade. Susan, standing nearby, recorded the thickness and springback of each adjustment.
"In the third round, cut it to 1.2 millimeters, and after pressing it in, keep it in place for about thirty seconds," she read out the data.
"It doesn't even last as long as I just blow on it," Chen Hao said with a wry smile.
Carl returned carrying the support pole, cut it into ten-centimeter sections, and inserted them into the grooves of the metal frame. They covered it with treated plastic strips and then tightened it from above with screws.
The first screw was tightened all the way in, making a slight "click" sound.
"It's done?" Chen Hao stared at the interface.
Susan shone her flashlight into the crack, but when she looked from the side, no light came through.
"It seems... it really blocked it."
“Don’t get too excited.” Carl tightened the second screw. “Look at this corner.”
As the screws tighten, the fiberglass rod begins to bend and deform, causing the entire frame to twist slightly. The plastic strip bulges under pressure, forming a small bulge.
“Uneven force,” Nana pointed out after scanning. “The inconsistent elastic distribution of the support rods causes the pressure to concentrate at two points.”
"Then it's unusable." Chen Hao loosened the screws and disassembled the parts. "What a waste of time."
“Let’s think about it another way.” Susan flipped through her notebook. “Since we can’t make the soft material seal itself, could we add a movable cover on the outside? For example, we could make a small door that can be opened, which is closed normally and opened during maintenance.”
“It’s too complicated.” Chen Hao shook his head. “What we need is something simple and durable, not multifunctional.”
"Or should we abandon the complete seal and use a layered barrier instead?" Carl suggested. "Like roof tiles, one layer on top of the other, so the wind blows upwards and can't get in."
“It can only protect against rain, not crosswinds,” Nana rejected. “In winter, the prevailing wind direction is northwest, at an angle close to 45 degrees, so this type of structure has a high probability of failure.”
The workshop quieted down. Only the cooling fan of the cutting machine was still running, humming softly.
Chen Hao sat down on the ground, leaning against the tool cabinet, looking up at the beam of light streaming through the roof. Dust motes floated in the light.
“We have good materials, ideas, and energy, but we’re stuck on how to fit the two pieces together perfectly,” he muttered to himself. “Isn’t that frustrating?”
“A technological gap,” Nana said calmly. “The existing processing capabilities cannot match the performance window of the new materials.”
"To put it another way—" Chen Hao grinned, "we're not worthy of this board."
Susan couldn't help but laugh. "If it were conscious, it would probably feel quite aggrieved to have ended up here."
“That’s right.” Chen Hao stood up, patted his butt, “But now that it’s here, we can only try to be worthy of it.”
He walked back to the front of the table and arranged all the specimens in a row: frames with crooked holes, strips with warped edges, deformed rods, and cracked plates.
"Solve the problem one by one. If we can't get the seal right today, we'll try again tomorrow. At worst, we'll treat the workshop as a testing ground and test it every day."
"I suggest setting up a test log." Nana opened a new document, "to record the parameters for each failure and avoid repeating the same mistakes."
"Write it down." Chen Hao picked up a marker and drew a large square on the wall next to him. "From now on, this will be the 'failure wall.' Whoever messes up will have to go up here and write their lesson."
Susan picked up her pen and wrote in the first square: "Specimen No. 1 - the pressure strip is too thick, and the springback fails. Conclusion: brute force cannot suppress everything."
Carl continued, "Number Two - Insufficient frame rigidity, deforming under stress. Note: Material selection is more important than precision."
Nana entered the last line of electronic record, looked up and said, "Synced to cloud backup."
"That's good." Chen Hao looked at the wall. "Even in failure, something will be left behind."
The midday sun was overhead, its rays shrinking to a small beam that fell on the center of the workbench. They lifted the No. 3 main material back up, preparing for the second cut.
"Slow down this time," Carl instructed before starting the machine. "Get the spray bottle ready."
Chen Hao picked up the spray bottle and stood by the counter. The water flowed finely and evenly, sprinkling onto the area where the blade touched the board.
The cutting began, at half the speed of before. The blade advanced slowly without any unusual noise.
Twenty minutes later, the first incision was completed. The edges were smooth and there were no cracks.
"Passed." Nana scanned and confirmed.
"Next step: assembly." Chen Hao put down the spray bottle and picked up a pair of calipers. "Make sure the measurement is accurate this time before screwing in the screws."
Susan held the frame steady while Carl drilled holes at the designated locations. Once the first hole was completed, Chen Hao immediately used calipers to measure the deviation.
“0.5 millimeters.” He frowned.
“It exceeds the standard,” Nana said.
"Again." Chen Hao smoothed out the hole. "The next one must be pressed to within 0.3."
The second hole took three attempts to pass. On the third hole, the drill bit suddenly slipped, leaving a diagonal mark.
"It's ruined." Karl released the handle.
The entire border section is now unusable.
Chen Hao stared at the scratch without saying a word. He picked up the scrapped part, walked to the wall, and wrote a new line on the "car overturning wall":
"Manual drilling lacks precision. Conclusion: Relying on eyesight and hand steadiness is not suitable for fine work."
He returned to the front of the table and looked at the remaining materials.
“We can cut the board, but we don’t have the skills to drill holes. We have ideas for making frames, but we don’t have the tools to maintain their shape.” He paused, “But we still have to do it.”
He turned to Nana: "Can the solution be optimized? Perhaps fewer holes be drilled, or a different fixing method?"
Nana brought up the model and quickly performed calculations.
“There is an alternative,” she said. “It could be changed to a snap-fit structure, reducing the number of screws to four, which could be concentrated in the corners.”
"What do we do in the middle?"
"Add a transverse pressure beam to assist in sealing using gravity."
"Sounds like a butcher's chopping board at the market," Chen Hao grinned. "But... as long as it saves trouble, it's fine."
"The frame cross-section needs to be redesigned." Nana continued working. "It is estimated that it will take forty-five minutes to output the new drawing."
"Then you get started." Chen Hao flexed his wrists. "Let's get the usable ingredients ready first."
Susan began sorting the scraps, while Carl checked the straightness of the remaining metal strips. The clanging of tools returned to the workshop.
Chen Hao stood in front of the control panel, holding the old ruler in his hand, and gently tapped the surface of the panel.
The wind outside blew through the broken window, rustling a corner of the drawings on the bulletin board.
A new notification popped up on Nana's screen: [New structure scheme generated successfully].
She looked up, about to speak.
Chen Hao raised his hand, signaling her to wait a moment.
He stared at the swaying blueprint and slowly began to speak:
"If we can't even drill accurately, why should we think that changing the design will solve the problem?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com