Afternoon.
Li Zexuan thought for a while and then took a carriage to the workshop. He wanted Uncle Fu to help him and see if he could tinker with cement.
Yan Lide said in the morning that glutinous rice mortar can be used as an adhesive between masonry, but the cost is very expensive. In this era, although prices are low, glutinous rice is a food that is three to four times more expensive than rice. If this is used It is a very luxurious thing to think about building walls with gadgets.
Therefore, private houses in the Tang Dynasty were basically wooden structures, and the only super-large buildings that could afford masonry plus glutinous rice mortar were the imperial palace, Zhaoling Mausoleum, and city walls. How could ordinary people afford such things?
Yan Lide and his son also made a rough cost estimate for Li Zexuan in the morning. If Yanhuang Academy adopts all masonry structures according to Li Zexuan's original intention, the cost of construction materials alone will be more than 400,000 yuan, which does not include labor and decoration costs. .
This amount has far exceeded the cost budget Li Zexuan made at the time. The reason is that Li Zexuan does not have a fresh understanding of the current construction technology and construction costs. Now, with such a huge capital hole, it would be extremely difficult to fill it in a short period of time, but Li Zexuan of Yanhuang Academy would definitely not give up.
After much deliberation, Li Zexuan decided to pool the wisdom of everyone to see if he could come up with cement that was more effective and cheaper.
There are so many protagonists in time-travel novels, don’t they all like to make cement, perfume, and mirrors when they travel to ancient times~? They can make it, why can’t they make it themselves?
Ahem, although I am not a professional in this field, I know the general formula. I can tell Forbes and let professional craftsmen study it! The glutinous rice mortar of this era is actually very close to modern cement (some modern scholars often call ancient glutinous rice mortar "organic cement"). I believe that if you give them some inspiration, there shouldn't be much problem if you are lucky.
"Uncle Fu, I've thought of something, and I need you to lead someone to study it as soon as possible. But I only know the approximate ingredients. As for the ratio of each ingredient, you still need to test it yourself~!"
When he arrived at the workshop, Li Zexuan went directly to Uncle Fu's private "office" and said straight to the point.
"Master, what is it~?"
Fu Bo asked curiously.
Li Zexuan said solemnly: "I call it cement. It is a construction adhesive used to replace glutinous rice mortar. It is very important. I hope Uncle Fu can lead a group of skilled craftsmen and seize the time to research it."
"Cement~? Instead of glutinous rice mortar~? Master, are you going to build an academy~?"
Fu Bo reacted and asked.
"Hmm~! I have already designed the architecture and layout of the academy. The main material is bricks and stones, which requires the use of glutinous rice mortar. In the morning, Shangshu Yan helped us make a preliminary estimate of the cost. It will cost at least 400,000 yuan, so I Planned to come up with a cheap alternative similar to glutinous rice mortar.”
"Four hundred thousand guan~?"
Uncle Fu almost jumped up. From this cost estimate alone, he could imagine how huge the Yanhuang Academy that Li Zexuan was going to build would be. He thought about it, then clasped his fists and said:
"Since the young master is so confident in this so-called "cement", you can tell me the ingredients. The workshop is now full of talents. I believe that as long as we know the approximate ingredients, we can try to make it~!"
This scene reminded Uncle Fu of the last time Li Zexuan asked them to study the glass production formula. Although he didn't know why his young master had so many new and strange things in his mind, they only had to follow everything Li Zexuan said. If you follow the ideas described by Li Zexuan and explore it, you will definitely be able to create it.
"Cement is made of limestone, clay, and iron ore powder ground and mixed in proportion. I call this mixture raw material. It is then put into a furnace for calcination. Generally, its calcination temperature is slightly lower than that of smelting iron, but it is higher than yours. The temperature when burning colored glaze was a little higher last time. You should be able to use the earthen kiln where the colored glaze was burned before. The calcined product is called clinker. Finally, grind the clinker and gypsum together and mix them in proportion. This is cement~ !
After the fired cement is added with an appropriate amount of water, it will become a slurry that can harden in the air and in water. After hardening, it is comparable to a solid stone. It can be used to solidify sand, stone and other materials. A hydraulic cementitious material that sticks together to form a solid stone-like body. "
In order for Uncle Fu and the others to research cement as quickly as possible, Li Zexuan also worked hard. On the way here, he kept using his abnormal mental power to recall the cement firing temperature he had seen in books in his previous life, which was about 1,400 Fifty degrees, while the melting point of iron is 1,538 degrees and the firing temperature of glass is 1,300 degrees. With this important information, I believe the cement development process will go more smoothly.
As for why Li Zexuan didn't just recall the proportions of the cement components and tell Uncle Fu, do you think he didn't want to! The key is that the books he read were not specifically about making cement. How could someone boringly write down the proportions of each ingredient in a book? So he has no memories even if he wants to!
"Hmm~! I have taken note of it, young master, don't worry, I will soon organize the most elite craftsmen in the workshop to start developing this cement! I expect there will be news in the next few days~!"
Fu Bo nodded, stood up and said confidently.
He was somewhat thankful that compared to the last time he developed glass, Li Zexuan gave more detailed information this time, so it would be much easier for them to really study it.
"Then please leave it to Uncle Fu~! Remember, people who enter the earthen kiln must wear masks~!"
Li Zexuan warned worriedly that he didn't want those craftsmen to get lung disease after working for several years.
"Yes~! Don't worry, young master, I will arrange it~!"
"Also, the relocation plan of the workshop is still implemented, but you can postpone the specific date for a while. I will not move until I have finished my recent affairs at the academy. Uncle Fu, you can go to Plum Village to encircle the land first~!"
Li Zexuan rubbed his temples with a headache. He cried when he talked too much. He didn’t have enough money~! At this time, it would be really powerless to move to a new factory. If cement cannot be developed, he will have to grit his teeth and shell out four to five million pounds. His family does not have that much liquidity.
Besides, he had such a big party when he got married a while ago, but it was all about real money, but he has no regrets~! This precious daughter-in-law deserves that grand wedding.
"Yes, Master~!"
Fu Bo cupped his hands in understanding and said.
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