Chapter 269 Windmill (Please vote and subscribe)
The larger the furnace, the higher the iron production. There are dozens of people directly involved in iron smelting, and hundreds of people assisting in the work. This furnace has an output of about two tons. In addition to casting two anvils weighing hundreds of pounds, the rest are all made into iron pots.
After the final count, there are less than two hundred large and small ones, which are not enough for the Han tribe to use. However, everyone is very tired from the work today, so they can only stop for the time being.
Luo Chong ordered the tribesmen to continue polishing the iron pot, and then told Dazui to wait for the blast furnace to cool down completely, and check whether there is any damage to each part. If there is any damage, it should be repaired in time to avoid accidents next time. Dazui also agreed happily.
After a day of iron smelting, Luo Chong felt tired from staring at it all the time, so he went out for a walk alone and slowly walked to the diversion river. In the early winter season, the water level of the river dropped a lot, but the waterwheel mill on the bank of the diversion river was still turning, but because of the reduction in water volume, it was not turning as fast as before.
Luo Chong entered the mill and asked several tribesmen working inside about the output of iron ore powder. He was relieved to learn that the storage in the past few months should be enough for two furnaces.
Several tribesmen working there did not often see Luo Chong. Seeing the leader in person, they could not help but say a few more words to Luo Chong, praising how good and magical the waterwheel was. Luo Chong just laughed it off.
Waterwheels are very useful, especially in the south where there is a large amount of water and it will not freeze. They can run all year round, but it is not possible here in the Han tribe. At most, in another month, the river water will begin to freeze. At that time, it will be impossible to use the mill.
Luo Chong left the mill. The cold north wind gradually rose, making him shiver. He hurriedly tightened his animal skin clothes, but when he thought of the wind, Luo Chong suddenly got inspiration again. The water in winter will freeze, but the wind is very strong. If a windmill is built, it can still work in winter.
Moreover, the natural power of wind is available all year round, which is more convenient than waterwheels. At least there is no need to consider the location problem. Waterwheels cannot work without rivers, but windmills can be built everywhere and can run as long as there is wind, especially in winter.
After coming up with a solution, Luo Chong immediately ran back to the carpentry team, found two long wooden sticks and crossed them together, tied them tightly with ropes, and then used rattan to make four square frames. He also asked people to go to the warehouse to get four sacks and put them on the rattan frames to make four fan blades.
The wooden barrels and wooden stakes of the carpentry team looked at Luo Chong's strange behavior and knew that the leader must be making something new again, but they still didn't see the purpose of this strange thing until Luo Chong put the cross-shaped fan blades on a horizontal wooden frame.
The fan blades were facing north, and under the influence of the wind, they quickly turned, but they fell to the ground after a few turns. Luo Chong put the fan blades up again, and then found a rope to tie the fan blades to the frame. The fan blades turned again, although they turned crookedly, but they kept turning, which made the whole carpentry team stare at them.
"Leader, do you want to install this thing on the machine, drive the gears to turn, and make it like a waterwheel mill?" Mu Tong was the first to understand Luo Chong's intention.
The others hadn't figured it out at first, but after Mu Tong's reminder, they quickly simulated such a device in their heads, and couldn't help but admire the leader's imagination. They were also blown by the wind every day, so how could they not think of it?
"Yes, our waterwheel will stop in less than a month. The river will freeze in winter, and the mill will not be able to work, but the wind in winter is very strong. If we can use this wind power, we can continue to do many things, so I came up with such a thing.
This thing is made just for you to see. You have participated in the construction of the waterwheel and know how to use the gears. Now you see this thing, you should understand what I mean. "Luo Chong explained to them.
"The chief's wisdom is really unmatched. He can think of such a thing. In the future, we can not only use natural water as power, but now we can even use the invisible wind.
The one driven by water is called a waterwheel, so shouldn't the one driven by the wind be called a windmill?" Mu Tong said admiringly.
"Yes, it's a windmill. It's good that you can understand the principle of this. I will think of the detailed production method quickly, and then you will build it. You must learn it well. I think if this windmill is built, it will definitely be more useful than a waterwheel and have a wider range of uses. After all, this thing can be built as long as there is wind, and it will not only be built on the shore. "Luo Chong said.
"Well, that's true. Without considering the influence of weather, windmills have advantages over waterwheels. Waterwheels can only be built by water, but most natural rivers are not suitable for building waterwheels. If you dig artificial rivers, it will be time-consuming and labor-intensive. Obviously, building windmills is more cost-effective." Mu Zhuang also analyzed.
"Well, that's right. Okay, you guys do what you should do. I'll go back and think about how to make this thing, and tell you when I've figured it out. "
After saying this, Luo Chong went home and lay on the warm kang. The room was very dim. The windows and doors were added temporarily. The wooden board for the door and the rattan sheets wrapped with animal skins for the windows blocked the outdoor light tightly. Now the Han tribe didn't even have paper, so it was difficult to make a light-transmitting window.
Thinking of this, Luo Chong couldn't help but sigh deeply. There were still many days to come. He had a long way to go. There were still a lot of things waiting for him to do. He couldn't rush these things, so he had to take his time.
In the next few days, Luo Chong led the metallurgical group to smelt two furnaces of iron, and consumed all the materials stored in the previous few months. However, he also obtained a lot of iron ingots, and a small amount of steel ingots made by the pouring steel method.
The number of iron pots was also sufficient. After meeting the needs of the Han tribe, there were still dozens of iron pots left as It can be used as a reserve, or as a cargo. More iron is stored as iron ingots.
Without continuing to study the iron problem for the time being, Luo Chong quickly plunged into the carpentry group. He spent a few days with a group of carpenters to make a windmill model as tall as a person. Although the model is small, it has everything it should have. The power shaft, transmission shaft, and wooden gears inside are all carefully calculated and scaled down in proportion.
The new project was launched, but the Han tribe's carpentry group was short of manpower. Because there was nothing to do in the winter, a large number of tribesmen were idle. Luo Chong began to recruit a second batch of carpenters in the tribe to produce more wooden products.
In addition, after having iron, professional blacksmiths began to be selected, and the training of technical talents in the Han tribe gradually began.
(End of this chapter)
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