Steam engine!
That's a steam engine!
That was the engine of the First Industrial Revolution!
Lu Chen didn't expect that the progress of this thing would be so fast. It has to be said that there are still many skilled craftsmen in Da Qi, and they actually built a steam engine with their bare hands.
In fact, Lu Chen had already been promoting this project, but he felt that technology of this level would take at least three to five years.
Who would have thought that the finished product would be available now?
The moment he walked into the laboratory, he was shocked by what he saw.
The smooth shape and unique mechanical beauty are simply amazing.
It is really hard to believe that without modern tools, these craftsmen almost restored the drawings he drew with just their hands and eyes, plus a few measuring tools.
Seeing Lu Chen coming in, the craftsmen came up and greeted him.
"National Master, you are here!"
"Master, come and take a look at what we have made."
"Do you think it meets your requirements?"
Everyone present was very excited, because if this thing was really as Lu Chen described, then they had definitely ushered in a new era.
All of the people present here are qualified to be recorded in official history.
It’s exciting to think that I can be recorded in the official history as a craftsman. I must have a separate page in the family tree for me in the future!
Lu Chen didn't rush to check the steam engine's data. Instead, he shook hands with each of them and said, "Thank you for your hard work. I heard that you haven't been home for three or four months because of researching these things. I'm sorry for you."
After saying that, he said to Mou Ping behind him, "Whether this thing succeeds or not today, everyone will get a three-month salary increase, and then they will be given ten days off so they can go back and have a good rest."
When the leading general heard this, he was already moved to tears.
To put it nicely, these craftsmen were called generals, but to put it bluntly, they were just handicraftsmen. Their status in the feudal dynasty was even lower than that of farmers.
In the past, when I worked for the Ministry of Industry, not only was the pay low, but I was also scolded from time to time.
If anything goes wrong with the project, their whole family will suffer.
But since coming to the Chinese Academy of Sciences and following Lu Chen, their lives have changed dramatically.
The most basic thing is that the wages have been increased, and it is five times the previous amount from the Ministry of Industry.
The living environment has also changed. They all have their own houses, with separate doors and courtyards.
Everyone still remembers the expression and state of their wife and children on the first day they moved into the new house. When they thought of that scene, many people's eyes became moist, and they all felt very sorry for their wives and children over the years.
As for the working environment, it couldn't be better. You know, many of them don't even have the most basic protective clothing when working in the industry department, and some even have to work shirtless.
Nowadays, when doing some dangerous work, they have to dress neatly from head to toe, and Lu Chen treats them as treasures.
As for the fact that their children can study in the private school of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, they have five insurances and one fund, and free medical treatment if they are injured, which makes them feel proud.
Working for such a Chinese Academy of Sciences and devoting themselves to the national teacher until their death, they have nothing to regret!
After winning over some people, Lu Chen felt that it was time to get down to business.
He looked at the machine in front of him and said, "Have you tested it before?"
"We just did an experiment, and the results are quite good. Please wait a moment, sir, and we will demonstrate it again."
Lu Chen nodded. He said it felt a little warm to the touch. This group of people was still very reliable. They called him over because they had produced results, not just for show.
At the old master's command, several young men took up their bare chests and shovels to push charcoal in.
Several other men operated the blowers, and soon a roaring flame began to burn and the boiler began to heat up.
Compared with an internal combustion engine, it does take a little longer to start a steam engine, but Lu Chen has the patience.
After a cup of tea, a gurgling sound came from the boiler, and then Lu Chen saw the piston and lever system connected to the steam engine move.
As the piston moves up and down, the lever begins to move back and forth, and the grinding wheel in front of you begins to turn.
Lu Chen's eyes lit up. This thing really started moving!
As the millstone turned faster and faster, Lu Chen's eyes became brighter.
He wanted to go forward and see the effect of the sealing ring, but he didn't dare to.
If this level of steam were to leak, no matter where it sprayed on your body, it would be no joke.
Junior high school physics tells us that the temperature of water vapor is much higher than 100 degrees!
So Lu Chen turned around and looked at Ma Tongdao beside him as if it was a matter of course: "Go and take a look. Is there any white steam coming out of the connection? If so, describe the amount of steam coming out."
Ma Tong was quite courageous and walked over without saying a word, but Lu Chen felt that this should be described as ignorance and fearlessness.
Ma Tong came to the machine, took a closer look at the connection port, then turned to Lu Chen and said, "Sir, there is only a small amount of water vapor, vague and not obvious."
Lu Chen nodded in satisfaction. If that was the case, the sealing effect of this machine was still very good.
At this time, Chen Sheng said, "Sir, we can continue to polish the sealing ring and try to make sure that not even a trace of steam leaks out."
Lu Chen nodded in satisfaction and asked, "How long does it take to make a sealing ring like this, and how much does it cost? Also, how did you make this boiler? Can you mass-produce it?"
"The cost of the sealing ring material is not high, but it does require a lot of experienced craftsmen to carefully polish it, which is quite time-consuming. As for the boiler, it was also assembled by hand by us craftsmen. Mass production is unlikely, but we can still produce about one per month."
Lu Chen thought to himself that this was indeed the case. In the absence of a boring machine, this efficiency was already quite high.
Although there were some regrets, the flaws outweighed the merits. He grinned and said, "That's great. Since we have the first one, we can also have the second one. Many times, the breakthrough from 0 to 1 is the most difficult to achieve."
Lu Chen turned to Mou Ping and said, "Go and invite all the businessmen we're friendly with over here. I'm going to demonstrate to them what a steam engine is and show them how useful it is. Others can attract investment with just a PowerPoint presentation, but now that I've made the actual product, there's no reason they wouldn't invest in it!"
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