To deal with the threat of ultra-low pressure and ultraviolet light, the reference point for the demand for oxygen masks is neither diving equipment nor spacesuit systems.
It is a simple device that maintains breathing pressure. Its only function is to extract external air to pressurize the mask.
But a single function does not mean it is easy to make. In fact, this thing is much more difficult than an anti-low pressure suit.
Wang Qi struggled for a while and asked Li Xiang to take the document to give analysis classes, mainly to shorten the research and development cycle.
First define the needs.
In a low-pressure and low-temperature environment, will the connection between the back of the head and the head and neck freeze? Is it necessary to integrate it?
The answer is not only unnecessary, but also impossible to integrate.
The mixed-race situation in the penal colony is too complex, and there is no way to use a unified standard to stuff the heads of all ethnic groups, so head protection can only separate the face and head.
Second question, is it necessary to separate respirators and goggles?
This cannot be separated. Once separated, the areas that cannot be covered by the two will be affected by low air pressure and ultraviolet rays. Over time, the risk of disease will be too high.
Therefore, the preliminary form of the product is obtained, which is the state of covering the front of the head. In order to adapt to a large enough population, the design must have a certain internal space margin.
Next, we analyze how to implement it more simply from the perspective of usage and production.
The simplest structure of a respirator mask is a whole glass cover with a certain rubber sealing structure and a pressure valve structure.
But from the perspective of use, this structure is very poor, because the internal water vapor condensation beads cannot be processed. Not to mention the lack of relevant technical reserves, even if there is hydrophobic coating or surface microstructure, this anti-fog layer will wear with use, thereby causing Additional reproductive pressure.
Therefore, the mouth and nose and eye observation windows should be separated.
The first specific information obtained is that only the eye protection area requires a piece of transparent material of appropriate size, and after comparing various materials in the kingdom, this transparent material can only be glass.
Because glass has a much higher hardness than iron, it can ensure that it will not suffer wear and tear that affects observation during a long enough use period. This is something that plastic cannot match. From the perspective of UV protection, coated glass is an inorganic substance and is more resistant to damage than macromolecules such as plastic.
With the eye protection area in place, the respiratory department naturally came to the conclusion to directly integrate a structure similar to a gas mask.
Once the project goes online, the demand will be very large, and productivity should not be concentrated in a single manufacturer to ensure a large enough output of finished products. Therefore, the materials used in gas masks should be changed.
At the same time, it has high processing efficiency, is strong and wear-resistant, and there is only one choice of material, metal.
The entire mask should have a stamped main metal frame, which is combined with rubber and eye protection glass to isolate the breathing area. Similarly, the connection between the metal and the breathing valve is also completed by rubber.
At this point, the oxygen mask consists of a stamped metal piece, a piece of glass, and three rubber structures (including facial contact). The manufacturing pressure of the straps is negligible, leaving only the final breathing valve.
There are two options for breathing valves, pig-nose type and double-valve type.
The advantage of the pig-nose style is that it is more modular and easy to change. The disadvantage is that the center of gravity is too forward and the straps will make people feel uncomfortable.
The two valves of the double valve are located on both sides of the cheek. The center of gravity is more reasonable, the strap force is smaller, and the human body is more comfortable. The disadvantage is that it will add an extra rubber ring to the entire mask, and the shaping of the rubber is far more troublesome. Higher than metal stamping, one more circle may lower the overall project production capacity.
When the demand for oxygen masks arises, the first goal should be to meet the basic needs of most people in the early stage. You can sacrifice a little comfort and focus on ensuring production.
This round, the single valve wins.
The breathing valve status has also been determined, and the next step is functionality.
How to achieve supercharging?
Adding a power structure or pure mechanical design seems to be beneficial from a production perspective.
The mechanical structure ensures the pressure of the respiratory part by designing the valve to a fixed pressure. For example, when the internal pressure reaches 1000 hPa, it will open the valve and release the gas. The same is true for inhalation. Set an internal pressure value and wait until the pressure drops to a certain level. level, open the inward valve.
But here’s the trouble. A simple mechanical structure cannot make the inhalation pressure inside the mask exceed 500 hectopascals when the external pressure is only 500 hectopascals. If the atmospheric pressure continues to decline, it will be useless.
Working hard here, the only possible breakthrough is the Tesla valve structure.
This is a valve without a movable structure that can accelerate the forward flow of gas and liquid, decelerate it in the reverse direction, and even prevent it from flowing out instantly. However, only the Redstone Aircraft Manufacturing Factory in the entire kingdom, which had briefly experimented with pulse engines, had contact with it.
Its biggest problem is that it is an all-pass structure and relies on the shunt elbow to apply braking force to the reverse flow. When there is a pressure difference between the inside and outside, it cannot achieve long-term closed reverse flow.
Used in pulse engines, relying on the pulse effect itself to achieve an ignition frequency of more than 2,000 times per second, the effect of the Tesla valve is no different from that of the movable check valve, and due to the elimination of moving parts, the continuous operation of the pulse combustion chamber is greatly increased. Reliability.
It is troublesome to use it on a breathing valve. The breathing frequency of people is very different. Some people’s breathing cycles are a few seconds, and some are twenty seconds or even longer. Using a Tesla valve to maintain pressure requires corresponding to different numbers. The airflow bifurcation cannot be realized in industrial manufacturing.
At this point, it is obvious that a simple problem has become complicated. Since it is difficult to achieve in mass manufacturing, we must look back at other solutions.
There are two types, the electric-based supercharging solution and the magic-based carbon purification method.
Electric boosting is easy to achieve, and does not even require the use of a fan. Stepper motors and multiple one-way valves can achieve boosting, and the purely mechanical structure of the one-way exhaust valve can be separated.
The problem with electric is the motor. There are not such small motors in China. Even if they are temporarily developed, the supply cannot be guaranteed. In addition, the power supply part cannot be integrated. The center of gravity of the pig-nose type itself is tilted forward. If you add a battery inside, let alone lead at home. Acid batteries work, but even with lithium batteries, the weight is ridiculous.
The magic solution is more secure in terms of weight. The disadvantage is that the structure will be more complex, the production capacity of a single manufacturer is insufficient, and the entire valve supply chain will be longer.
Li wanted to finish the class and the respirator mask had actually been finalized. The follow-up problem was mainly the cooperation of the production chain.
By the way, the factory where she went to class this time was not the Manufacturing Bureau, but the Fenggu Industrial Federation.
Fenggu has been developing for decades. The urban area in the river valley has bordered the industrial zone at the mouth of the valley. It is also the second most populous city after Pangxun in the north and south. It has relatively complex industrial clusters, and the Fenggu Industrial Federation came into being.
This is an exchange meeting voluntarily organized by the company. At first, it was just salesmen from several factories who occasionally gathered together to discuss matters. Gradually, it formed a permanent exchange organization with a fixed location.
Its main function is production chain coordination, which was originally the function of the city hall. With it, the city hall only needs to send a few people to station here to issue tasks and guide the direction of the industry. It can be said that it has made an outstanding contribution to the administrative streamlining of Fenggu. contribute.
Put it here for class, because oxygen masks are a new thing, and I don’t know if there is a demand for it yet. Naturally, they can’t be assigned like normal tasks.
Rather than pulling up and starting production directly, the act of taking classes is more about guiding companies to delve into product analysis ideas, instead of waiting for the official to prepare everything.
