Chapter 206 Guan Dao is Black Technology (First update, please subscribe)
In fact, the Nanhua Shipyard, as the seller, was also very conscientious in shipbuilding. All the "foreign trade ships" they built were ironclad ships. Such cutting-edge technology was definitely black technology in the Yangtze River in 1860.
Of course, these ironclad ships were called ironclad ships, but in fact they were just a layer of iron armor "nailed" on the wooden hull. Moreover, because there was no sufficiently reliable technology to isolate the wood and iron, the end result would certainly be the rotting of the wood and the rusting of the armor. In fact, all of France's early wooden ironclad ships had this problem.
But even so, the Taiping Army and the Qing Dynasty had no choice. The mosquito gunboat was their only choice. Apart from that, they obviously had no better choice. Even if those ironclad ships were just for show, they were better than wooden ships.
At least, for Nanhua, which has already put naval construction on the agenda, it will definitely not choose such a "showpiece".
Holding the tube of drawings, Liang Mingwei came to his master's office. He occasionally cast his eyes towards the secretary's office, where the staff and clerks were busy.
He was grinning all the way.
"I think I can convince you, my lord."
Liang Mingwei said to himself in his heart.
Soon, with the secretary's message, he entered the lord's office.
Zhu Xianhai, who was standing in the middle of the office, smiled at Liang Mingwei when he saw him.
"Ah, Engineer Liang, you've come just in time. I was just about to discuss something with you. Come on, take a look at this."
Zhu Xianhai made a gesture to Liang Mingwei. On the table in the middle of this spacious office, there was a large model. Everyone knew that it was the model of the "Great Eastern".
"The Great Eastern? Huh? It seems a little different."
When he came to the table, Liang Mingwei discovered its difference.
"Removed the paddles?"
The huge paddle wheels on both sides were removed.
"The paddle wheel is bulky and inefficient, and is easily damaged, especially in windy and rough seas. Isn't our new propeller very successful in the Breakthrough Ship? I think it's time to take action on the Great Eastern!"
The so-called "repair" is actually modification. At present, Nanhua Shipyard has rich experience in modification. For example, the Breakthrough Ship, known as the "Sea Ghost", is actually a British Ward Ship purchased and modified by removing the paddle wheel, modifying the triple expansion steam engine, and using a new propeller. The effect of the modification is remarkable, not only increasing the speed, but also increasing the cargo capacity.
"The propeller of the Great Eastern is eight meters wide, dozens of meters in diameter, and weighs hundreds of tons. After removing the propeller, the propeller compartment can be converted into a cabin and a semi-open deck, which can not only further increase the number of passengers, but also improve the living environment. Of course, more importantly, it can increase the speed. The current Great Eastern is too slow..."
Section 14!
Is it slow?
It was definitely not slow in that era. Even the British ironclad ship "Warrior", built at the same time, had this speed. However, what Zhu Xianhai was really dissatisfied with was its fuel.
"The speed is determined by the steam engine. The biggest problem of the Great Eastern right now is that the operating cost is too high. Because the four steam engines of the Great Eastern consume a lot of fuel, they need a large coal storage compartment. And considering that after arriving at the terminal port, if there is no way to refuel, the ship itself must carry more coal for the return trip, so the ship carries 15,000 tons of coal. If the new triple expansion steam engine is used, even without increasing the power, only 5,000 tons of coal will be needed, which is more than enough for the round trip between Nanhua and Shanghai. The saved coal compartment can be converted into a crew cabin..."
Pointing at the "Great Eastern", Zhu Xianhai said with a smile.
"With the weight saved, plus the replacement of a new propeller and the use of a sail engine, its speed should be able to increase to 15-16 knots, and the sailing time at sea can be shortened by 10%!"
Since the purchase of the Great Eastern, that behemoth has indeed played an extremely important role in immigration - on average it can bring up to 40,000 immigrants to South China every four months!
But, this is just theory.
Because the paddle wheel had a complex structure and was greatly affected by wind and waves, if the ship encountered wind and waves, it would sway from side to side like a duck. The density of air and water differed by 800 times, and the huge paddle wheel was easily damaged when it moved in and out of the ship. In addition, the reliability of the steam engine used by the Great Eastern was average, so the ship had to enter the dock for maintenance for a month every time it returned.
And this time, after returning from the voyage, we entered the dock again.
"But, my lord, can such a large ship be moved with only one propeller?"
Liang Mingwei said with some concern.
"Although our ships have all been equipped with new propellers, which have greatly improved their efficiency, I am still worried that one propeller may not be able to move the ship."
In fact, the "Great Eastern" itself also had a propeller. It had paddle wheels on both sides of the ship's hull and a propeller at the tail. It was equipped with the largest propeller in the world at that time, with a diameter of 7.3 meters and a rotation speed of 50 revolutions per minute. However, the blades of that propeller were almost equivalent to two "iron sheets", so the efficiency certainly could not be very high.
In the process of scientific and technological development, many mechanical devices have been widely used when people are still not very clear about their performance. However, it is difficult for these devices to achieve their best performance before people fully understand their physical laws and have complete theoretical analysis. The propeller is no exception. In 1860, although it has been used on ships, the progress of the propeller is only based on the accumulation of experience and the intuitive reasoning of experts.
Although the efficiency of propellers has surpassed that of paddle wheels at present, it is definitely not enough when used on the Dafangdong.
"The original propeller won't work. We need a new type of propeller!"
Zhu Xianhai said directly.
"A new type? My Lord, our propellers are already very efficient..."
When it reached his mouth, Liang Mingwei said in surprise.
"Did the Lord design a new type of paddle?"
In fact, the propeller used by Nanhua before was also designed by Zhu Xianhai, but it was just a slight improvement on the original propeller. However, even so, it greatly reduced the vibration of the propeller and increased the speed of the ship.
"Have you seen Guan Dao?"
Zhu Xianhai asked.
"Guan Dao?"
"Yes, it is the 'Yanyuedao'. I made the outline of the propeller blades into the shape of a Guandao..."
Zhu Xianhai mentioned the "Guan Dao Paddle", which is a great creation of China in the development of propeller technology. In the 1960s, a master named Zhou Ting from Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard made the blade profile of the propeller into the style of Guan Gong's 82-jin heavy sword in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms based on his decades of experience in making propellers. He figuratively called it the "Guan Dao Paddle". It not only increases the speed of the ship, but also greatly reduces the vibration of the propeller. In order to transform the "Great Eastern", Zhu Xianhai deliberately chose the "Guan Dao Paddle". In this era, it is definitely a black technology.
"I estimate that after replacing the new "Guan Dao Paddle", only one propeller can almost meet its needs, but it needs to be tested on other ships first..."
After expressing his ideas one by one, Zhu Xianhai glanced at the tube of drawings in Liang Mingwei's hand and asked.
"Eh? What are you putting here?"
(End of this chapter)
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