Chapter 976 Knowledge Derived Technology
Large steam locomotives are not difficult to make. The Han tribe has already made the Endeavour. If they want to make a bigger locomotive, they can just enlarge the Endeavour. Since there are no heavy-duty rails now, there is no point in studying heavy-duty locomotives at this time. Luo Chong simply asked them to do something else first.
Lin Fei and others were stunned after hearing this, and then asked in surprise, "Chief, do you have another large project to be approved?"
"Yes, there are several." Luo Chong nodded, and then said to them.
"I plan to build several types of vehicles, vehicles that run on dirt roads, using steam engines as power, and are mainly used as special vehicles for engineering construction, including excavators, loaders, vibratory rollers, and tractors."
"Chief, don't you have large trucks or something like that?" Lin Fei asked curiously.
Luo Chong shook his head when he heard his question, then nodded, and then said.
"There is no need to make special trucks or lorries, because a tractor is enough. A tractor is equivalent to a tractor head that does not run on rails. If you hang a carriage on the back of it, it will be a large truck. If you hang a plowshare on the back of it, it can even replace oxen to plow the land, which is equivalent to a universal tractor head. So with this thing, there is no need to make special trucks. One car can be used for multiple purposes, saving energy and money, isn't it good?"
Lin Fei and others were amazed when they heard it. It turned out to be a multi-functional tractor similar to a locomotive. The back was also connected by a hook method. Various different machines can be connected according to the needs of use. Especially the operation of hanging a plowshare on the back of a tractor made several people suddenly enlightened.
Yes, why can't farming be changed to mechanized operation? !
Why didn't they think of this possibility? !
Actually, there are. The Han tribe has put a lot of effort into agricultural tools, such as the curved plow for ploughing, the harrow for sowing, and the waterwheel for irrigation. However, they are all unpowered wooden machines. If we talk about the improvement of the use of power machinery, it is the machine well house that has just been deployed in various places this year. It uses steam-powered water pumps to irrigate farmland and prevent floods and droughts. It seems to be of little use now, but the effect will be reflected when a natural disaster really occurs.
This is called advance investment.
But then again, they really haven't thought about using power machinery to replace oxen.
First of all, the people in the Power Research Institute are busy and usually don't pay attention to farming. Then there is the current use of oxen in the Han tribe.
The Han tribe currently adopts the situation where the government collectively raises oxen, and then the people pay to rent them. In the final analysis, the number of oxen is still not enough, so they can only concentrate resources and allocate them centrally to meet the demand for arable land. This is the number that cannot be met, and can only be balanced by the system.
But after this, the Han tribe can almost meet the demand for arable land, and there is no urgent need for substitutes for oxen.
Urgent needs are the conditions for the birth of inventions. Without needs, there will be no birth. In addition, they have no ideas, so it is normal that they can't think of it. Therefore, after hearing Luo Chong's ideas, several people felt brightened, as if they had discovered a new world.
"Leader, didn't you say before that before the internal combustion engine is made, don't consider the car running on the dirt road? Why did you change your mind this time? Didn't the leader have the idea of internal combustion engine? That's not right. Didn't the leader just say that he would develop a new project with steam engine?" Lin Fei immediately asked in confusion.
"Haha, I do have an idea for internal combustion engine, and our basic conditions are much better than before. We now have steam machine tools. Many precision parts could not be manufactured before, but now we can easily process them with machine tools, which is good for our subsequent mechanical research and development.
"To be honest, even if we start the research and development project of internal combustion engine now, with your help, I am confident that we can make the internal combustion engine, but we don't have the right fuel at this stage.
"The biggest difference between an internal combustion engine and a steam engine is that the fuel of a steam engine is burned outside the cylinder, so a lot of energy is lost in the process of heat conversion, while the fuel of an internal combustion engine is directly exploded in the cylinder and then pushes the piston to do work. All its energy acts on the piston, so the energy conversion efficiency must be much higher than that of a steam engine.
"You all study steam engines, so you should also know that the inside of the cylinder and piston is a relatively sealed space. Generally, only gases and liquids are suitable for entering. You can't throw coal in and burn it, right? What about how to deal with the coal ash after burning? You can't open the cylinder to clean the coal ash, right? Therefore, it is unrealistic for an internal combustion engine to use solid fuel. If there is a high-efficiency liquid fuel, that would be the most appropriate. Gaseous fuel is the second choice because gas is not easy to control. "
Luo Chong explained the theoretical principles of the internal combustion engine and the obstacles to the current development of the internal combustion engine. Everyone nodded after listening. They were the people who understood the engine best in the Han tribe, so they could understand what Luo Chong said as soon as he said it.
Therefore, everyone also kept a bottom line in their hearts, that is, it is not the machinery that limits the development of the internal combustion engine, but the fuel. If there is any high-efficiency liquid fuel, they will have the opportunity to manufacture the internal combustion engine.
"So when the internal combustion engine cannot be used, I have to continue to propose a special vehicle plan that uses steam engines as power. But don't think that this is as simple as simply replacing a few wheels on the locomotive and installing it on a carriage. The four special vehicles I just proposed, although they use steam engines as the main power source, they are not directly driven by steam engines. "Luo Chong deliberately kept it a secret here, and Lin Fei and others looked over with confusion and curiosity.
"Huh? If you don't use steam engines as a direct drive, what do you use? Even if you use chains or belts and gears as transmission mechanisms, it can be considered steam-driven, right? Aren't they? "Lin Fei asked again with doubt and curiosity.
"Yes, I have a new idea, which is based on the compression principle of the air compressor. I plan to follow the theory of the air compressor and then make a new type of transmission machinery that uses liquid as a conducting medium. It will not generate power by itself, but it can amplify the power by hundreds of times. Using this characteristic of amplifying power, I can do things that human power cannot do. I named it a hydraulic pump, also known as a plunger pump."
Then Luo Chong asked someone to find a blackboard and chalk, and then drew a sketch to explain Pascal's law to several people, that is, the mathematical formula of pressure equals pressure divided by the area under force, and then talked about the characteristics of liquid as a conducting medium for force, and finally derived his theory of how to amplify pressure a hundred times based on the formula.
Lin Fei and others were very impressed. In the past, they were exploring laws and formulas in practice, but this time they actually used formulas to deduce the possibility of technology, and then intentionally developed actual projects based on the characteristics of the formulas. This reversed development order made several people feel refreshed.
It was at this time that they suddenly discovered that knowledge can really lead to new things, while their previous thinking was still stuck in using "brain holes and creativity" for research and development. The leader was amazing. What made him amazing? It was that the leader had a big imagination and could come up with many strange things, which were very practical and creative. They admired him very much.
But they never thought that the knowledge taught in school was very useful. In their minds, mathematics and physics knowledge such as mechanics are all for research and play an auxiliary role. If you don't know physics and mathematics, you will definitely not be able to manufacture it. But this time Luo Chong's teaching completely changed their thinking.
Because Luo Chong first took out mathematical formulas and physical theories to prove the possibility of this new technology, and then started targeted research projects. This is how knowledge guides the research direction, which suddenly reversed their inherent thinking mode. This caused a great psychological impact on several people.
"The plunger pump is designed based on this principle. Of course, there is actually no new technology. It is just an improvement based on the original old technology by using advanced theories. You can regard this plunger pump as an advanced version of the air compression pump, but this time it compresses liquid oil instead of air." Luo Chong explained to everyone again.
"Leader, why must we use oil? Can't we use water?" A researcher asked curiously.
"Hahaha, this question is a bit stupid. Machinery is like this. When you design, you first consider the operating principle, and then consider whether the materials you use can meet the design requirements. Otherwise, no matter how powerful your design is, it will be in vain if the materials and manufacturing processes do not meet the standards. The projects we study must be based on the existing material technology level.
"I ask you, which has a higher viscosity, water or liquid oil? What material are you going to use to make the hydraulic rod I just mentioned?" Luo Chong first taught him a lesson as if joking, and then asked two questions in return.
The man was stunned when he heard it, and then immediately answered.
"Of course, the viscosity of oil is high, so the fluidity is worse than that of water. The hydraulic rod is of course made of steel. The leader just said that this hydraulic rod will release a hundred times the force under the action of the plunger pump. With such a large force, if it is not made of steel, it may be squeezed out of the cylinder by the high-pressure liquid inside.
"Oh, I see. The leader is worried that the viscosity of the water is not enough, and the processing level of the hydraulic rod may not be able to achieve complete sealing. At that time, the water inside may be squeezed out from the gap by the strong pressure?" The researcher quickly found the problem halfway through his words.
Luo Chong nodded, which was considered to be affirming his point of view, but then he heard Luo Chong say again.
"You are right, but this is not the most important thing. In fact, our current processing level can completely process airtight cylinders. Otherwise, steam engines would not be widely used. Even steam can be sealed, so it is certainly not a problem to seal water.
"But have you considered other problems? If water is installed in the hydraulic rod as a transmission medium, it will often rub against the piston and the cylinder. Will this cause the piston to rust and corrode, and finally reduce the airtightness? In this way, the explosion of the cylinder you just mentioned is almost certain to happen.
"The second is the freezing point of water. If you use water as the conducting medium of the hydraulic rod, will the water in it freeze into ice when it is used outdoors in winter? How will your machine work then? Do you have to bake the machine with fire before using it?
"But there are no such problems when using liquid oil. Oil is inherently anti-corrosive and anti-rust, and has a high viscosity. It is poured into the hydraulic rod as a conducting medium. It will not only not corrode the piston and cylinder of the hydraulic rod, but can also be well maintained. In addition, the freezing point of oil is lower than that of water, so it can maintain outdoor operation even in winter.
"But ordinary oil will not work. It is best to use composite oil. Mix several oils in proportion to meet the required standards. This also requires a lot of experiments.
"First of all, this oil must flow back and forth in the plunger pump and the piston cylinder, and the flow is very frequent and violent, so this oil cannot foam. Then this oil must be as viscous as possible while maintaining fluidity. Not to mention that it will become like porridge, at least it should stick to the cup.
"That is, after the oil flows, it must leave a layer of oil on the inner wall of the container. Finally, the freezing point of the oil should be low, and it should be kept running at low temperature as much as possible. To achieve this goal, you can even add sugar or salt, as well as alcohol. Both sugar and alcohol can reduce the freezing temperature."
After Luo Chong finished speaking, everyone suddenly realized that there were so many things to pay attention to about the hydraulic oil. However, after listening to Luo Chong's requirements, everyone felt relieved, because they knew that the Han tribe had a similar oil ready-made for the requirements proposed by Luo Chong, which was brown tung oil.
Tung oil has always been used as varnish in the Han tribe, and is also used to mix paint. Its maintenance effect on metals can be seen, and its fluidity and viscosity are almost in line with the requirements. It is just that Luo Chong's low temperature resistance and foaming are not known, which still need experiments to determine.
"Then, leader, how should we carry out our research project this time? Will we still carry it out in groups as before?" Lin Fei asked again at this time.
"That's right. You don't have to rush. As for the design of these vehicles, I already have a plan. I've drawn some sketches and asked a carpenter to make a model car. However, its actual reference value is not great. It is mainly used to show you the overall structure and operating principle. You have to calculate the specific dimensions. I have asked the guards to get it. It will be delivered within two days.
"Then about the project establishment and group research. This is what I think. The four vehicles should be put together for the project because the power and transmission they use are actually almost the same technology.
"Then to be more specific, it is divided into the power group, which is responsible for the research and development of special steam engines. The power research room is responsible for
this, as they have experience in researching steam engines. The next is the transmission group, which is mainly responsible for laying pipelines, hydraulic rods, and the plunger pump. It can be divided into three research groups, which are responsible for the air compressor research and development group, because the plunger pump is very similar to the air compressor.
Finally, the overall frame and mechanical processing of the car body are done by the train research and development team. They also have their own understanding of large machinery.
"As for hydraulic oil, rubber hollow tires, and hydraulic hoses, this should be handed over to the comprehensive research institute on the lake island. They are better at this than you."
When Luo Chong heard Lin Fei's inquiry, he immediately explained the research organizational structure of the project, and Lin Fei and others nodded frequently.
(End of this chapter)
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