In the brightly lit workshop, the air seemed to freeze, with only the crisp sounds of tools clashing against metal and people's deliberately hushed breathing remaining. All eyes were focused on the moving parts of the gantry planer, which were being gradually "dissected."
Under Liu Li's direction, the experienced mechanics skillfully and cautiously disassembled the heavy protective cover. As each bolt was unscrewed, the steel outer shell covering the complex transmission mechanism was slowly peeled away, revealing the intricate network of levers, connecting rods, cams, and dense wiring harnesses inside.
Liu Li kept a close eye on each step of the disassembly process, occasionally reminding people: "Be careful of that bundle of wires on the left, don't pull it." "This pin might be for positioning, don't force it."
Master Wang Jianguo stood a little further away, his hands behind his back, his eyes scanning the surface of every exposed part like a hawk, observing the wear marks and lubrication conditions. Fu Jingchen held a partial structural drawing in his hand, quickly comparing it with the actual part to confirm the name and function of each component.
When the last obstructing cover was removed, revealing the core mechanical-electrical interlocking mechanism, Liu Li's heart skipped a beat. It was a complex device consisting of a linkage rod, a return spring, and several precision microswitches, responsible for triggering signals when the worktable reached a specific position, ensuring the coordination and safety of the main drive and feed systems.
"Squad Leader Li, manually rotate the engine slowly to simulate the operation of the workbench," Liu Li ordered in a deep voice.
As the mechanic slowly turned the crank lever, the linkage mechanism began to operate. Initially, everything seemed normal. However, when the simulation reached the end of the worktable's stroke, requiring the triggering of a critical limit signal, an anomaly occurred!
The linkage rod responsible for engaging the microswitch experienced a barely perceptible momentary lag when it reached a certain angle, accompanied by an extremely faint "click" sound. If the room hadn't been completely silent, it would have been almost ignored. At that very instant, the contact point between the end of the linkage rod and the microswitch button also shifted slightly, causing a deviation in both the engagement force and timing!
"Stop!" Liu Li shouted immediately.
She crouched down, getting very close to examine the linkage rod closely. Under the bright light, she finally discovered the problem—the part where the linkage rod mates with a bronze bushing that acts as a fulcrum had developed slight wear and barely perceptible elliptical deformation due to long-term impact and insufficient lubrication! At the same time, the return spring also showed signs of fatigue, with a slight decrease in elasticity.
It is this micrometer-level deformation and spring fatigue that causes the linkage rod to malfunction at specific positions, failing to accurately and promptly trigger the microswitch. The electrical system fails to receive the correct positioning signal, or the signal timing is disordered, leading to misinterpretation as obstruction or overtravel, ultimately activating the overload protection and causing the entire unit to trip! The unusual oil stains are grease squeezed out from the worn bushing gaps; the scratches on the protective cover are likely from a loose wiring harness connector rubbing against it during some abnormal vibration; and the "clunking" sound during operation is the struggling sound of the linkage rod each time it jams past the deformation point!
"That's the problem!" Liu Li straightened up, pointing to the worn linkage rod and bushing, her voice filled with barely suppressed excitement, but her tone was absolutely certain, "The worn and deformed linkage rod and bushing caused the sluggish movement and inaccurate signal triggering! That's the root cause!"
Master Wang Jianguo stepped forward, touched the worn area with his calloused fingers, looked at the slightly loose spring, nodded slowly, and said in a deep voice, "That's right, it's here. The problem is well hidden, but it's easy to spot."
Fu Jingchen immediately used a multimeter to test the corresponding micro switch circuit, confirming Liu Li's judgment—at the moment the linkage rod jammed, the circuit's on/off state did indeed exhibit unnatural flickering and delay.
"Found it! Really found it!" Sergeant Li couldn't help but exclaim softly, his face full of admiration. The tense atmosphere around them was instantly replaced by a feeling of relief and relief.
All the clues and all the analysis came together perfectly at this moment.
Liu Li looked at the small malfunction that had triggered a factory-wide crisis and let out a long sigh of relief. The culprit had finally been revealed. The next step was to figure out how to repair this delicate and crucial heart valve.
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