1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 98 The Steam Engine

There were also two hot water boilers in the materials prepared by the executive committee at the beginning, but now they are all used to build public bathrooms. Besides, the size is too large to send them to the Yaqing Office for installation.However, even if the Office of the People's Republic of China in Yazhou does not take the initiative to make this request, the relevant departments have already begun to develop boilers - the Executive Committee has instructed to build a steam engine as soon as possible in order to improve the production efficiency of Tiandu Iron Mine.

The world's first steam engine put into practical application was used in the pumping operation of mines. Later, with the continuous improvement of steam engine technology, it was gradually extended to industries such as smelting, textile and machinery manufacturing.As for being used as propulsion power, that is a hundred years after the invention of the steam engine.At present, the water pumping operation in the mining of Tiandu Iron Mine relies more on water pumps. Every time several large water pumps are started, the civilian power of the entire No. [-] base has to be stopped to ensure production electricity. caused a lot of inconvenience.There have also been voices among the people that the Executive Committee should launch the steam engine project as soon as possible to liberate the currently limited electricity for the public to use.

The time travelers who have mastered the black technology beyond the times naturally don't need to take those detours in history. From the moment the time travelers came to this time and space, the steam engine was invented more than 60 years earlier than in history.As for the parts of the steam engine, such as separate condensers, planetary gears, parallel motion linkages, centrifugal governors, etc., which have been invented one after another, they will all appear in this world more than 100 years earlier than the original time.

Now that Tiandu Iron Mine is being mined, it can provide sufficient pig iron for the manufacture of steam engines, and the machining department can also complete some simple metal processing tasks. development work.Of course, what the Executive Committee is counting on is not only a power plant for pumping water, but more importantly, a steam engine that can be used as propulsion power as soon as possible.

There are quite a lot of Duozhuangang parties in the crowd, and even some high-ranking people in the executive committee have clearly expressed their appreciation for Duozhuanzhanggang in private.In order to achieve that kind of rough and heroic mechanical beauty, a powerful steam engine is absolutely an indispensable part.Just to produce the steam engine under the existing conditions inevitably encountered technical obstacles in some key processes.

The welding problem is only one of them. For the solution to welding, the relevant departments have already had a detailed plan long before the crossing.Roger and Shi Diwen, two returnee senior fitters, came in handy again, and solved the boiler manufacturing problem with the riveting process.Although the sealing performance of this relatively primitive process is not well welded, it is sufficient to deal with the non-high pressure boilers used in the primary steam engine currently built.

At present, most of the mechanical processing equipment has not been installed in place, and many parts on the steam engine have to be handcrafted by technicians, especially the pistons, valves, gears and other parts, which consume a lot of man-hours.It took more than 20 days for the first steam engine from drawing to assembly.Tonight, the trial run of this steam engine will be carried out. Schneider brought Luo Shengdong here because he wanted him to witness the great power of steam power with his own eyes.

Luo Shengdong looked at the scene in front of him, and his mind was a little confused - on the huge platform was a complex device made of pig iron, and on the right was a huge iron wheel nearly one person tall. A sturdy spoke, and several iron rods connected to the spokes connected it to the iron pot at the other end, and next to this iron pot lay a larger iron barrel with a vigorous charcoal fire under it.

Luo Shengdong looked around and saw that many of the Haihan leaders he knew were already present. He knew that this thing must be something extraordinary, so he lowered his voice and asked Schneider: "Mr. Shi, can you tell me? What is this?"

"This is a steam engine, the greatest invention in the world in the past few hundred years." Schneider stared at the steam engine that was gradually emitting white smoke from the chimney, and said slowly, "Look at it carefully, this is what can change The power of the world!"

Luo Shengdong said in his heart that if you can build a huge cannon that can collapse mountains and cities, or if you have mountains of gold and silver, I believe you have the power to change the world, but you can do it with just such a dark iron lump. change the world?Do you really think Lao Tzu was bullied since he was a child?Fighting chicken?It sounds a little familiar, but I don't know what it has to do with the "starting chicken" that Ren Liang said?
None of the Transmigrants present cared about Luo Shengdong's careful thought, and their attention was all on this steam fuselage.With steam power, the productivity of the entire Chuanzhong Group will be greatly improved. Pumps, lifting equipment, forging presses and even steam locomotives driven by steam engines will greatly accelerate Chuanzhong's pace of changing the world, and in the future The steam-powered fleet across the seven seas seems to be no longer out of reach.

"Start it!" Tao Donglai gave the order, and at the same time said a bloody line that was widely circulated in later generations: "Let the whole world tremble in front of our steam engine!"

Roger, who was in charge of operating the steam engine, opened the steam valve, and a thick white smoke of steam rushed violently from the chimney.Pushed by the steam, the piston in the cylinder began to move slowly and firmly, and then the connecting rod drove the spokes of the huge iron wheel, which pushed the iron wheel to rotate from slow to fast.

"Success!" The technicians who had been fighting hard for many days gave high-fives and hugs to celebrate this moment of victory. The members of the Executive Committee also expressed their joy with warm applause.

"This..." Luo Shengdong was stunned, too frightened to speak.This iron wheel is only afraid that it weighs more than [-] kilograms, and there is no one to push it around. How can it turn on its own?The sorcery of the Haihan people is so powerful!
"It's moving! Did you see it? It's moving!"

Schneider excitedly grabbed Luo Shengdong's shoulder and shook it again and again, but it made Luo Shengdong recover a little bit of sanity, and quickly asked: "Mr. Shi, why is this thing able to move without wind? Could it be some kind of profound magic?"

Schneider laughed: "Spell? No, it's not magic, it's science!"

"I'm stupid. I've only heard of Confucianism and Taoism. Who created this science? Also, what kind of chicken is this chicken?" Luo Shengdong couldn't help being curious and asked Schneider again and again. .

Schneider explained patiently: "The steam engine is not a chicken, it is a mechanical device driven by steam, just like the one you see in front of you. As for science, it is a pursuit of knowledge and understanding of the world. The method is the belief that every Haihan of us will abide by!"

Luo Shengdong was confused when he heard it, only the word "faith" he could understand: "So it turns out, this science must be the state religion of Haihan Kingdom! Just why are you all so excited?"

Schneider pointed to the rotating big iron wheel and said, "Isn't it exciting for a machine that does not require human and animal power?"

Luo Shengdong scratched his head and said, "But what's the use of making this thing?"

Schneider looked at Luo Shengdong like a monster: "Mr. Luo Ba, I thought you were someone who was imaginative enough to accept new things quickly, so I took you to see the steam engine. I didn't expect your mind to be so imprisoned. With four wheels installed, it can move on land autonomously, with paddles, it can propel the boat to sail instead of wind, with rigging, it can pull thousands of pounds... You still ask if it has What's the use?"

Luo Shengdong suddenly remembered those big iron boats in Victory Harbor, and stammered, "Those iron boats are...is that what they are used for?"

"The one used on the ship is better than the one we are building now." Schneider did not intend to hide anything, even if Luo Shengdong saw this black technology that spanned the era, he could not replicate it: "Our current manufacturing level is still very limited. , I can't make such a good thing for the time being. But it's enough to be able to create this kind of thing now, Mr. Luo, who can see the birth of the world's first steam engine with his own eyes, and talk to your grandson when you are old. We have cows to brag about."

Until now, Luo Shengdong didn't understand what he was seeing.Isn't the "steam engine" that Schneider referred to as a silly, black and rough version of the "engine"?The big iron ships in those ports, and the strange carts that carry stones, all use high-level miniature versions of this stuff.

Luo Shengdong thought it was very strange for a long time. The Haihan people have the technology of "engine". insufficient.Now that he sees this rattling iron lump, Luo Shengdong understands it - it's not that the Haihan people don't want to use mechanical devices on a large scale, but because they haven't been able to build them before!

Now that the Haihan people finally made this kind of device, Luo Shengdong found sadly that the gap between Daming and these Haihan people seemed to be even bigger.Thinking that there will be countless strange ships driven by this kind of device across the sea in the future, Luo Shengdong feels that it is really meaningless for him to be the head of the navy.One such machine can replace 30 people to lift and lower the sails, and these saved crew members can be used to operate the iron cannons that the Haihan people claim to carry on board.Although he hadn't seen the real thing yet, Luo Shengdong felt that the powerful warship covered with artillery that Tao Donglai had mentioned might really appear in the future Victory Port.

"Why can I only use the charcoal fire in Daming to cook food, but the Haihan people can use it to build this powerful steam engine!" Luo Shengdong was very angry about this. At this moment, he seemed to feel God's concern for Daming's undisguised deep malice.

(End of this chapter)