That evening, when Fu Jingchen came to the workshop to find Liu Li, he saw her hunched over her drawing board, her brows furrowed in a frown. Next to her was a thick stack of draft paper filled with data and symbols, and the water in the enamel mug had long since gone cold.
"Still thinking about it?" Fu Jingchen walked over and placed two steaming buns next to her. "Eat something first."
Liu Li looked up, rubbed her sore eyes, and sighed, "It's all about that gantry plane repair incident from last time. Engineer Fu, what do you think? How about we write down the cause of the malfunction, the troubleshooting process, and the 'makeshift' repair method, and compile it into a technical analysis?"
Fu Jingchen's eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! That failure was very typical, and the analysis process and solutions were innovative. Writing it into an article would definitely be a valuable reference for other factories dealing with similar problems."
“That’s what I think too,” Liu Li said, picking up a piece of draft paper with her scribbled-down outline. “But writing this down is harder than fixing a machine. How do you explain things clearly, make the reasoning sound, and make sure it’s understandable to others…”
She was a little worried. She wasn't afraid of doing manual labor, but this writing task was indeed a bit of a headache.
Fu Jingchen smiled, pulled up a chair and sat down: "Don't rush, I'm good at this. Let's divide the work. You take the lead in explaining the technical part, writing down the basis for the judgment at the time, the key steps of the repair, especially the design concept and effect of the compensation shim, as detailed as possible. The language doesn't need to be too fancy, just be as straightforward as you usually talk to me about technical issues. I'll help you with the rest: the article structure, the standardization of professional terminology, and the polishing of the text."
Upon hearing this, Liu Li immediately felt reassured: "That's great! With you overseeing it, I dare to write it."
They got right to it. For the next few evenings and on their days off, the two of them would get together whenever they had free time. The technical department office, a corner of the library, and even the cafeteria when it was quiet became their discussion spots.
Liu Li was responsible for writing the first draft. She locked herself in her dormitory, and under the dim light, she recalled every detail of the incident—how she discovered the unusual oil stains, how she distinguished the peculiar "click" sound, how she locked the interlocking device, and how she had the flash of inspiration to add a gasket. She tried her best to transform these thoughts and actions into words. When she encountered difficulties in writing, she would scratch her head or stand up and walk around a couple of times.
Fu Jingchen acted like a patient teacher, helping her organize her logic and transform her colloquial expressions into more rigorous technical descriptions. "Here, 'feels a bit stuck' can be written as 'there is a noticeable resistance when moving to a specific angle.'" "The effect of this pad can be supplemented with the measured gap change data, which would be more convincing."
Sometimes, the two would discuss for a long time over a single word or the accuracy of a piece of data. Liu Li insisted that technical details must be true and accurate, while Fu Jingchen ensured that the expression conformed to academic norms.
"Wow, writing it out like this makes what I did back then much clearer," Liu Li said, looking at the gradually taking shape of the draft with deep emotion.
“That’s the benefit of summarizing,” Fu Jingchen nodded. “It allows you to solidify your experience, improve yourself, and benefit others.”
The manuscript was revised several times, gradually improving from its initial roughness. Finally, Fu Jingchen neatly copied it onto standard manuscript paper, and the title of the article was "Practice of Repairing Mechanical-Electrical Linkage Faults of Gantry Planers Based on System Analysis Method and Precision Compensation Technology".
Looking at the thick stack of letters, still smelling of ink, Liu Li felt a mix of excitement and trepidation.
"Just... throw it out?" She held the envelope, feeling it was heavier than holding a wrench.
"Submit it," Fu Jingchen said confidently, pointing out the submission address of the journal "Mechanical Manufacturing." "It's one of the most authoritative journals in the domestic machinery industry. Our case is very valuable and worth a try."
Liu Li took a deep breath, carefully placed the manuscript into an envelope, and affixed a stamp. As she mailed it, she silently told herself that no matter the outcome, this was a new beginning. The feeling of being able to transform her firsthand experience into written words, allowing more people to see and use it, was quite wonderful.
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