Chapter 79 Assembling a Steam Engine
A pot of water was steaming on the stove.
"The water is boiling."
Hughes pointed at the mouth of the kettle and said: "This white thing is steam - actually, it's not quite accurate, steam has no color, but this high-temperature steam cools down quickly in the air and condenses into tiny drops of water, which look white in the air."
"Any ideas?"
The students surrounding were stunned for a moment and looked at each other.
Their ages ranged from young to old, and Hughes didn't care much about age and background. He simply asked Zoe to select those who had good grades in literacy class to participate in the advanced class.
As a result, there were even a few middle-aged people among this group of students, such as old Ivan.
Looking at the lord talking in front of him, Old Ivan still felt that it was a little unreal.
At that time, he was panicked and wanted to refuse, but Zoe insisted that he sign up for the advanced class. It was said that the lord really needed this group of students.
Old Ivan had no impression of the lord, but the school run by Hughes taught his children to learn to read for free. Thinking of this, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.
He really didn't expect that he would be able to attend the advanced class - he was indeed very interested in literacy, not because he loved knowledge so much, but because he had suffered too much from illiteracy.
Therefore, even if he had to join a patrol team that didn't pay much, he would still go to night school to attend a few classes. There was nothing wrong with learning a few more words. Although the daytime work was very tiring, he could see his two children in front of him, so he persisted in this way.
He was not very smart and learned to read by rote, so when he heard the distinguished lord asking questions and others speaking enthusiastically, his mind went blank.
“Can I steam something?”
“It will burn your hands!”
"In winter, there will be long mist, just like a breath."
"Indeed. Any other ideas?"
Hughes looked at the students one by one, and finally came to old Ivan.
Old Ivan suddenly became nervous, looked around, and had no idea in his mind.
He stared blankly at the steam in the kettle pushing up the lid.
"You can lift the lid of the pot." He whispered in a low voice.
There was a low laugh all around.
But Hughes did not laugh. He nodded solemnly: "The steam generated by boiling water can lift up the lid of the kettle. This is one of the greatest inventions of mankind. Its power is unimaginable."
The students were stunned. They looked at the lifted kettle and then looked at each other.
Great power?
"Don't ignore any phenomenon around you. There are too many things in this world worth exploring. Of course, remember to report before exploring. There are special experimental sites. Don't do experiments casually, especially in densely populated areas. This is very unsafe."
“It’s very important to remember this.”
"Okay, now let's look at the next part. We use the steam from a kettle to lift the lid, so what if we add a transmission shaft to the lid?"
Hughes walked towards the machine not far away and patted the cold and hard steel behemoth.
"We got the Type I."
This is a very simple steam engine, almost the most primitive form of a steam engine. Since Hughes had broken through all the bottlenecks in manufacturing steam engines, he wanted to make some advanced steam engines in one step, such as a triple expansion engine. But after some thought, he chose to start with the simplest form.
If for no other reason than to teach these students.
He needed these people to thoroughly understand all the technologies and principles of the steam engine. A partial understanding could easily lead to cognitive interference, so he disassembled each structure and made separate molds for Nini to make, in order to teach this group of people the principles rather than simply how to use them.
As for why——
"You are engineers, the soul of the factory. Workers can stop at correct operation, but you must understand the principles."
Hughes looked at everyone around him.
These people signed internship contracts with him, and after graduation, they would become the first batch of engineers in his factory.
Given the salary he promised, everyone accepted it happily and did not worry at all that Hughes would go back on his word.
The lord has already gained a reputation for never delaying salary payments. The money he spent on hiring workers was not wasted, and his reputation among his subjects is quite high.
Maintaining credibility is a costly thing, but Hughes believes it is worth it. A regime without credibility has no organization at all, and organization is the cornerstone of the implementation of his policies.
The students of different ages and backgrounds nodded in unison. At this moment, they all had the same trust in the lord.
"The lid is lifted up, which is a thrust. If we apply this force to the connecting rod at the back."
Hughes pointed to a crankshaft with a flywheel attached to it.
This structure is similar to that of a steam locomotive wheel. There is a fixed point on the wheel, and the connecting shaft on it converts the reciprocating motion of the cylinder and piston into the rotational motion of the wheel.
In fact, steam locomotives are one of the most efficient applications of steam engines.
Hughes pulled the crankshaft hard with his hands, causing the flywheel to slowly turn.
Considering the existence of cognitive interference, he did not start the steam engine, but planned to explain the specific principles first.
The students sighed and nodded.
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The design of this mechanical structure is indeed ingenious, although they still don't quite understand its value.
What's the use of a spinning wheel?
Moreover, it rotates so slowly. Can this thing really bring changes to Castel? Seeing Hughes stop panting, the people around looked at each other in confusion.
Only Gaia showed a thoughtful expression.
Xiu Si took a glance and he knew this girl. Zoe had especially recommended this little girl named Gaia, whose many wonderful ideas sometimes amazed the maid.
Gaia, let me see your talent.
Xius led the students to an open space not far away, where there was a simple table with a pile of strange parts on it.
He smiled.
"Okay, now that you understand the basic principles of a steam engine, let's move on to the practical part - assemble a steam engine."
The trainees were stunned and looked at the densely packed parts on the table with complicated expressions on their faces.
Can this pile of stuff really be turned into a steam engine? And it's more than an order of magnitude larger and more complex than the steam engine that Hughes used for teaching, right? Let's assemble it?
Hughes sighed, "I will help you assemble it. This steam engine is what our factory will use next. I call it Type II. I have to go to class every day and I don't have time to assemble it myself. This is your internship. Come along. I will explain the specific principles to you, such as how the cylinder and piston work."
In a cave not far away, a group of figures were looking over here stealthily.
"You're crushing my tail!"
"That's because you're too big and blocking my view."
"Ah, Monica, stop messing around. Don't you like drawing with sand? Why are you here to attend the lord's mechanics class? Have you given up your dream of art?"
"Don't make a fuss. Steam and machinery are art."
"Hey, what do you think that pipe is used for? I guess it's for steam."
"Why don't you just ask the Lord?"
"Why? He won't let us be exposed."
"Mind link, since you are the Lord, it shouldn't be a problem for you to talk, teach, assemble, and reply to group messages at the same time, right?"
"That makes sense. Let's try it."
"He's back!"
"What did the Lord say?"
"He said, 'Let's try installing one.'"
(End of this chapter)