"Sir, can this steam engine be used on ships? It is too laborious to transport supplies to Duolun City now. Currently, human-powered ships go upstream, and it takes sixty people to pedal bicycles to drive the propellers. Duolun City is now besieged and the water is tight. . The upper reaches of the Luanhe River are not wide, only about forty or fifty meters, and bows and arrows on both sides can cover it. Now the traffic has been temporarily cut off." Xiangying complained.
Xiangying is responsible for the outbound allocation of materials. During the recent Duolun War, the transportation volume of various materials has increased unprecedentedly. She is very busy. The quartermaster in Duolun was urging her so hard that Xiangying couldn't sleep.
Yang Fan thought about it for a moment, and found that the water transportation of the Luanhe River was really unavailable now. If the personnel were exposed to the intensive firepower of bows and arrows, it would be equivalent to losing human lives. Yang Fan would not do this kind of loss-making business.
Under Yang Fan's system, every employee is trained and must be of maximum value, not just cannon fodder to be sacrificed casually.
"Chen Xi, let's put this immature, inefficient Newcomen steam engine on the ship first and create a steam-powered ship, so that we can save manpower. Then we will use tiles on the sides and roof of the ship. Wrapping steel plates to prevent arrows will affect water transportation," Yang Fan said.
"Sir, the Newcomen steam engine is simple, but it cannot drive the propeller. Separate condenser, external thermal insulation layer of the cylinder, oil-lubricated piston, planetary gear, parallel motion linkage, centrifugal governor, throttle valve , pressure gauges, etc. are still being studied, I’m afraid no one can blame me for not being able to quench my thirst.”
Yang Fan shook his head and said: "The propeller is too advanced and can't be modified at once. We don't use a propeller, we use a paddle wheel drive. This is simple. The piston connecting rod of the Newcomen steam engine is coupled to a crankshaft, and that's it. Just drive a big wooden wheel and use it for paddling."
As he spoke, Yang Fan simply drew a picture. This picture is very simple and everyone can understand it completely at a glance. Even Lin Yueru and Xiao Niangpi understood.
"Hey, you can do it like this. It's so simple. Just install a Newcomen steam engine at both ends of the large ship. Just make the cylinder horizontal, piston connecting rod, and hang the crankshaft. Just push a wooden wheel that is half submerged in the water and half exposed on the water. Why didn't I think of that?" Chen Xi frowned and knocked on his little head, feeling annoyed.
"Do you still have this Newcomen steam engine?"
"Yes, yes, there are three more in the warehouse. We were afraid that one would break down, so we made four directly for fatigue experiments. They are all 30 horsepower."
"Well, the power is a bit small, but it is enough to drive the boat upstream. Let's modify these four machines and install the cylinders horizontally. Let the foundry workshop of the iron factory make four crankshafts overnight. Let’s find a big tanker and try to refit it.”
"Okay, there is a large idle tank boat in the moat. It is six meters wide and fifty meters long. It has a draft of about one meter when fully loaded. The load capacity is about two hundred tons."
"Okay, that's it. Send me the shipwrights, drag it into the newly built dry dock, and refit it overnight. In addition, let the steel factory bring over the corrugated steel plates."
"Okay, okay. I'll make arrangements right away." Chen Xi immediately became interested. This is the first powered ship in the Ming Dynasty that does not use human power or natural force. It will probably go down in history.
"You all go and have a rest. I'll keep an eye on it here. If you want to see it tomorrow morning, come back." Yang Fan said to the lady's door and the maids.
The little girl nodded. She couldn't help here and was just adding trouble. She knew when to act coquettishly with the master and when to not be clingy. So he took the girls to the inn to rest.
It's late today and it's impossible to go back to sleep.
"Sir, there are several craftsmen from Beitang Shipyard who came to the iron factory to pick up customized parts. They are all in Xincheng now. Do you need to call them here too?" Chen Xi asked.
"Really? That's great. It's better to have professionals on hand to guide you when it comes to refitting the ship. Let them come over."
Following Yang Fan's order, many people became busy.
No one complained about Yang Fan's orders, and overtime pay was paid for overtime work. Yang Fan treats workers and technicians very well.
In the dry dock, the big boat was lying there quietly. A group of craftsmen who built the boat were inspecting the hull, re-twisting and filling some places to prevent leakage. In some places, the ship planks have been replaced.
A large number of tile steel plates were also transported in four-wheeled carriages. The hot riveting masters were also present.
"Hello, sir!" Everyone bowed and saluted. There are not many opportunities to meet the host family, so everyone is very excited. Since joining the master, everyone's life has suddenly gotten better. Everyone has a job, wages are never owed, and benefits are as good as a dream.
The children all go to school, the mothers-in-law and aunts all work in factories, and they receive free treatment when they get sick. Houses are also allocated. Although it is not big, just a tube house, the craftsmen like them are very satisfied. I am full of gratitude to the master in my heart.
In this era of famine, if it weren't for the master, they might have filled the ravines long ago.
"Sir, I am Chen Zhijian, one of the great craftsmen in Beitangkou. I heard that you want to refit the canal, so I am here to obey your instructions."
"Hahaha, I know you. Your skills are very good. I still remember the special reward of fifty taels of silver given to you last month. It's the best to have you here. How many people have come to Beitang."
Chen Zhijian said respectfully: "To tell you what, I'm here this time to bring two master craftsmen, ten craftsmen, and thirty apprentices to inspect and accept our customized steel ship components. By the way, I will ship this batch of orders." Go back to Beitang.”
"Over there in Beitang, how are the clipper boats being built now?"
"To tell you what, there are seven clipper ships that have been launched now, but they are not big. Except for the smallest ship, the Star, we have enlarged each one to more than 100 tons. Zhubu is exploring the structure and construction technology of large ships. At present, Thousand-ton ships can already be built. The components ordered this time will be used on two thousand-ton clipper ships that were started at the same time."
Yang Fan has not been paying attention to shipbuilding recently. He did not expect that in one year, Beitang Shipyard would run at a fast pace and every ship would be improved. It is now possible to build a 1,000-ton flying shear ship, which is very surprising.
"Master, we have accumulated enough technology now. We are going to finalize the 1,000-ton clipper ships and then build them in large quantities. Now that the construction of the Vladivostok colony has begun, seven clipper ships are not enough at all, and the Fuzhou ship is too slow, which affects the transportation efficiency. . We are going to replace all the boats with clipper boats."
Yang Fan nodded happily and said: "Mingyan has been very effective in her work this year, and the strategy she adopted is also right. Gradually increase the difficulty first, understand it thoroughly, then finalize it, and then build it in batches. That's good. Just do it. This finalized flying machine Let’s call it the Shark-class boat. From now on, every boat will be named after a fish.”
"Write the name given by the master. We will launch the shark-class clipper ship as soon as possible."
"Well, I came to you this time to assist in refitting a ship. Here are the drawings. Take a look." Yang Fan handed over his crude drawings to these professional shipbuilders. They are not the second-hand knives of the ship repair institute. They are true professionals in building sea vessels.
Several people looked at the drawings and were confused as to what a steam engine was.
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