The task of developing the internal combustion engine fell to the Locomotive and Locomotive Factory.
The task was not sent directly to the Locomotive and Locomotive Factory. It was originally handed over to the heavy industry, and the factory director Benz wrote many times to get it himself.
Heavy Industry also helped with this process.
In fact, Heavy Industry is not willing to accept this kind of task of developing new products, especially those that are quite different from existing products. Once they are built, it means that a group of people will leave Heavy Industry and open a new factory. Even if they can cut people off from the land, it will not work. So many experts.
Therefore, after receiving the task, Heavy Industry wanted to maintain the continuity of its own talent pool. The matter was not directly reported to Wang Qi. The Ministry of Industry mentioned it at the meeting in the main hall, so it simply approved it and allowed another manufacturer to take over the responsibility. , that was more than three months ago.
In terms of business relevance, automobile manufacturers are undoubtedly more suitable for developing internal combustion engines. But since Benz of the Locomotive and Locomotive Factory wants to do it, that’s no problem. The large-scale equipment required for internal combustion locomotives requires a much higher technical level. Click.
There are many types of samples obtained from the Tall Grass Plain site, and there is ample room for reference.
If there is no reference and ready knowledge to instill, generally speaking, the internal combustion engine should start with the gasoline engine, because gasoline seems to be easier to burn.
There are some very counter-intuitive things about both oils.
The ignition of gasoline actually ignites its volatile gases. The heat radiation after ignition will make the gasoline surface more volatile and provide more volatile gases until the surface of the liquid oil reaches the ignition point.
The ignition point of diesel is actually lower than that of gasoline, but because the volatility of diesel is very poor, the flame does not come into contact with enough volatiles to ignite, and will be extinguished if it is thrown on the surface of diesel. This situation is similar to that of vegetable oil. The diesel or oil must be allowed to burn after preheating. Vegetable oil reaches sufficient volatility to ignite.
Therefore, starting from intuition, we must first develop a gasoline engine, and wait until the compression ignition characteristics of diesel are taken seriously before we can have a diesel engine.
There are now ready-made specimens of both in Tallgrass Plains.
The samples include three models of diesel engines for military jeeps, light trucks and armored personnel carriers, as well as gasoline engines for various civilian vehicles.
There is a spark plug in the cylinder of a gasoline engine. This thing is electrically driven and must be synchronized with the cylinder stroke, which significantly increases the complexity.
Diesel achieves in-cylinder ignition through compression ignition, which does not require the intervention of the power system at all. With the reference of mature products, the work difficulty is relatively low. By comparison, it is still believed that diesel engines are easier to implement.
From an application perspective, the diesel engine will naturally have greater torque due to the increase in piston stroke caused by the pneumatic ignition action. Large torque means good low-speed performance, can tow heavy objects, and is more suitable for use on locomotives.
...Director Benz still did not forget to build a better locomotive than the first steam locomotive drawing.
As production experience increased, the Locomotive General Factory also accumulated some process and structural improvements. Benz realized that in order to create a better steam locomotive than the one in the drawing, it was necessary to sacrifice the power-to-weight ratio, which is the average weight of the locomotive per ton. horsepower.
The coal utilization rate will not increase, and will even decrease as the front structure becomes more complex, so it is difficult to say that it has become better.
Diesel locomotives are the hope!
Through simple weight conversion, it can be seen that as long as a diesel engine of a few tons can provide more than 2,000 horsepower, even if the craftsmanship is poor and the materials are not good, it will be 20 tons or 40 tons, which is nothing to put on the train. In terms of weight, it is definitely cheaper than a steam engine.
Facts have proved that Benz is still too conservative.
When Li Xiang and Wang Qi came to visit the Locomotive Factory, they had already built two diesel engines for ground testing after three months of hard work.
One large and one small, the large one has a V-shaped 12-cylinder, and the small one has an in-line 8-cylinder.
This is obviously a reference, because the diesel engines in the sample are all in-line, and the V-type diesel engine has a very large horsepower, a relatively complex structure, and reduced reliability, and is generally not used in non-railway vehicles.
When Li Xiang came, he was inspecting two machines. Director Benz introduced:
"We measured the power of the twelve-cylinder machine to be 2,800 horsepower. However, this prototype still has defects and many problems, and it needs to be corrected. The eight-cylinder machine only has 400 horsepower, and everyone is still debating whether to make it ten-cylinder or not. It amplifies.”
The size of the two machines is very different, not only the difference in cylinder numbers, but also the difference in horsepower.
The small in-line eight-cylinder is only a little over one ton, and the large one is more than ten tons, not counting the transmission part.
Li Xiang pointed to the small engine that had been dismantled until the cylinder block could be seen and asked, "Is it too thick?"
Benz scratched his head: "Well, it's a little bit, because the expected horsepower is too big compared to the steam engine, and we were afraid that the material would not be up to standard, so we deliberately made it thicker."
It’s not unreasonable to worry. After all, from a formal point of view, internal combustion engines create small-scale explosions. The compression ratio of a diesel engine is greater than that of gasoline. This pressure is much greater than high-pressure steam of two to three hundred degrees. It is normal to be careful with prototypes.
Li Xiang did not continue to ask. After seeing their inspection, he and Benz returned to the office before talking about business.
"The garrison has encountered some difficulties recently. Wang Qi wants you to develop a lightweight version first while developing a large internal combustion engine. Single-cylinder, twin-cylinder, inline four-cylinder, and six-cylinder are all needed."
Benz is not an outsider. He once served as a senior engineer in heavy industry. He knows how much of heavy industry's production capacity is used to make things for the army. Naturally, he also knows that the army is not really as leisurely as the common people say.
Hearing that the garrison was in difficulty, he wanted to help, but he still had to abide by the basic rules: "Your Highness, it is impossible to go out together. You can choose one first, and we will get it out as soon as possible."
"Then let's get a double-cylinder machine. The weight should be controlled within fifty kilograms. Let's first say that this machine will not be mass-produced in heavy industry, but you'd better make it better."
"It should be, it should be." The Locomotive General Factory is not a private enterprise, and it will not be deprived of food just because someone grabs business. Benz understands the importance.
“How long will the prototype take?”
"There are no double cylinders in the exhibition hall of Heavy Industry. We may need more time, maybe ten days."
Li Xiang said flatly: "Are some of them faster? Can the performance be guaranteed?"
Benz affirmed: "With the existing number and arrangement of cylinders, I can guarantee that the weight increase will be within 20%, and the performance loss will not exceed 30%."
The weight is increased by 20%, and the performance is lost by 30%. This guarantee seems to be the same as nothing. However, for beginners, it is good to be able to do this. Improvements in materials and processes require a long period of accumulation.
Li Xiang thought for a while and said: "Then inline six-cylinder, more than 150 horsepower, and the weight can be relaxed."
The six-cylinder is very good, and there is no essential difference from the eight-cylinder that has been made. Benz agreed again: "Okay, six days. I will try to put together the prototype in six days, but you know, the subsequent mass production process still has to be one step." Walking won’t save much time.”
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The prototype can even use many senior technicians to be responsible for each part, but if it really wants to be mass-produced, the processing cycles of each part must match each other to ensure production efficiency, which also involves the design of manufacturing machines.
"I know, if you can go faster, maybe you can save some soldiers from dying."
Li wanted to leave, so Benz quickly allocated manpower to the locomotive's internal combustion engine. He left a few people to slowly summarize the problems with the prototype, and the others devoted themselves to the prototype production of the small diesel engine.
One advantage of copying existing models is that you can get some parts from heavy industries.
Although Heavy Industry postponed the task three months ago, they still have to do what they should do, that is, they will definitely be needed to manufacture related production equipment later, so there is a team there that specializes in processing various internal combustion engine parts.
During this research process, a large number of discarded parts will be produced. The Locomotive General Factory can follow the requirements of His Highness the Special Envoy and go to the scrap pile to find the parts it needs. If the parts are almost the same size, it will be faster to make new ones by itself than to make new ones.
By the time Li Xiang came back a few days later, Benz and his gang had already oiled the new engine and tried the car.
Li Xianglai started it again in front of him.
Li Xiangzhi frowned when he heard the rumbling sound.
Benz thought it would not work, and quickly said: "160 horsepower, the total weight is 112% of the prototype. The durability test has not been done yet, but subsequent improvements will not increase the weight by more than 10%."
Li Xiang shook his head: "It's just too noisy."
Although she has grown up, people are always influenced by their childhood. It is normal that she does not like such noisy machines.
"Ah... there is no way. For a machine with this power, the timing chain cannot be made of soft rubber. The sound of the metal chain will be louder. Before mass production, we will try to find out whether it can be replaced by Warcraft leather."
The timing chain is the transmission chain responsible for the engine's air intake. It relies on the gear ratio to ensure that the air intake is synchronized with the demand in the cylinder. It can be made of belt or metal. The advantage of the belt is that it can absorb part of the vibration and reduce the noise by relying on its own deformation. Under the same technical level, the service life of the belt will be worse than that of the metal chain. Now there is no rubber, let alone a rubber industry that has been developed for hundreds of years. A leather belt can run for a thousand years. Kilometers are considered awesome.
"Just follow this to prepare for mass production. The vehicle will be modified according to this drawing." Li Xiang took out a drawing from the painting box and handed it over.
The basis is an eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier, but the wheeled version has relatively poor passability. Now that there are no solid rubber tires, tracks must be used. To keep everything simple, the entire vehicle needs to be reduced in weight.
This drawing was hand-drawn by Wang Qi and Li Xiang based on such needs.
This thing looks like a tracked armored vehicle, but is actually a pickup truck. The upper armor of the rear half can be removed, allowing it to maintain speed and increase transportation capacity under limited power.
Neither of them were professional. They just put forward requirements through drawings, and had to rely on engineers to change the details.
