Zhu Jingyuan, who knew what he was thinking, looked at Zou Bingtai in a relaxed mood and talked about his views on flying machines:
“I don’t think the flapping-wing ornithopter needs to be considered for the time being. The structural strength and control issues it requires are definitely not something that can be solved in a few decades.
"And with that material and control technology, we can make a stronger fixed-wing aircraft, which is what I'm thinking about."
Zhu Jingyuan's words were a little direct, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the two officials from the Ministry of Industry frowned.
Obviously, the three design directions of the flying machine may be supported by different designers, and there may be some disputes between them.
The two officials waited patiently for Zhu Jingyuan to finish. One of them, a male official about thirty years old and relatively stout, couldn't help but speak:
"Your Highness Jingyuan, the ornithopter may have various problems, but we can still believe that it can really fly. After all, this is how insects fly.
“Gyrocopter also has a relatively feasible direction. The design difficulty and size are between fixed wing and flapping wing. It is likely to be the first practical flying machine.
“As for fixed-wing aircraft, craftsmen from the Department of Ordnance and civilians have tested hundreds of wing types, but all have concluded that they cannot solve the lift and control problems at the same time.
"Many of our colleagues believe that fixed-wing aircraft are at best gliders that can glide farther. After all, birds cannot climb high after straightening their wings.
"Although the existing materials cannot make an ornithopter fly, the huge wings of a fixed-wing aircraft that can take people off are completely uncontrollable."
As soon as he opened his mouth, Zou Bingtai, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, subconsciously turned his face and winked at the official, hinting him not to speak so directly.
Due to the continuous guidance of Emperor Shizu for nearly a hundred years, the great craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty were somewhat upright and unique to researchers, and they were particularly serious about their own research routes.
So the final result was that the hint from the Minister of Industry had no effect, and the official finished his words in one breath.
Zou Bingtai could only take the initiative to explain to Zhu Jingyuan after the other party finished speaking.
He said that many of the craftsmen here are from officials and most of them have upright personalities. I would like to ask Your Highness to bear with me.
Perhaps they were worried that Zhu Jingyuan and his son had a grudge that would affect the official's future career, so they deliberately did not mention the other party's name.
Although Zhu Jingyuan was surprised, he was not angry at all. It is definitely a good thing for researchers and engineering officials to have such a persistent attitude.
So Zhu Jingyuan smiled directly and said very frankly and generously:
“Technical disputes are normal, and researchers should convince others with their reasoning and should not be afraid to pursue the truth because of their status.
“Now that this great engineer has expressed his idea, I will also come up with my own design to determine whether it is feasible through actual verification.
"Da Sikong, can you give me a pen, paper, and ruler? I need to draw my ideas in order to be more intuitive."
Of course Zou Bingtai would not refuse, but as soon as he turned around and spoke, the middle-aged official who had just refuted Zhu Jingyuan stood up and went to get the drawing tools.
After returning, he handed his hands to Zhu Jingyuan, and at the same time introduced himself very seriously and said:
"Li Rui, the head of the Arms Department of the Ministry of Industry, very much agrees with His Highness's attitude and reasoning about the pursuit of truth just now.
"I am also amazed that His Highness's idea about the shield car actually coincides with everyone's final design.
"But this does not mean that I agree with His Highness's ideas on the flying machine. I also ask His Highness to give you some advice."
Zhu Jingyuan was surprised when he heard this. It turned out that this upright official was the person in charge of the design of the shield car.
Zou Bingtai helped him hide his identity, but he announced his family name himself.
And he said he was giving me advice, but he was actually doubting himself. This was probably the most polite thing the other party could think of.
Zhu Jingyuan recovered from the shock, but responded with a very happy smile:
“After all, I was a step late, and I am not a professional craftsman. I only have ideas, and I cannot complete the specific design myself.
"I don't dare to give you advice, but I definitely want to communicate.
"I'll first draw the aircraft design framework and explain my design ideas to everyone."
Under the watchful eyes of a group of engineering officials, Zhu Jingyuan quickly drew a simple outline diagram of an aircraft, probably based on the Swordfish attack aircraft of later generations.
Then on the side of the aircraft, I drew several typical wing sections and started my own design interpretation:
“In the design of flying machines, everyone instinctively refers to birds, including the structure of the wings. Of course, bird wings are used as a reference.
“So the wing designs we get are relatively thin overall, with a generally arc-shaped cross section, and are close to the shape of a rib when viewed from the side.
"I have seen a lot of wing designs in newspapers. Although they seem to be very different, the essence is just that they refer to different bird wing arcs.
"Qi Gong must have verified that even if a fixed-wing aircraft using this kind of wing can fly, it can only be regarded as gliding at a slightly farther distance.
“It just so happens that the shape of different bird wings can indeed lead to subtle differences in lift, which makes everyone even more deeply involved.
"But when birds take off and rise, they mainly rely on the flapping action. When birds glide, the lift provided by their wings is very limited.
“So I think that in order to obtain higher lift, we should abandon the typical bird wing profile and consider it entirely from a mechanical perspective.
“The lift obtained by a fixed wing should be caused by the difference in air flow velocity above and below the wing. It is the flowing air that lifts the wing.
"So, I think a more reasonable wing structure should not be a curved sheet like a bird wing, which is like a cut tube.
"It should be that the upper surface is curved upward, the lower surface is generally flat, the front end is rounded, the rear end is thin, and the whole has a certain thickness. It is too thin to form a sufficient flow velocity difference.
"The side view should look like half a water droplet cut open. Qigong can try the effect of this wing."
After Zhu Jingyuan finished speaking, there was silence around him. It wasn't that he didn't believe it, but that he couldn't judge at all.
Zhu Jingyuan's suggestion is completely outside the original framework, and is an idea that no one has ever tried.
It was indeed as Zhu Jingyuan said in the past. Although many wing profiles were tested, they were only based on the wings of different birds and could only be regarded as the same type.
The direction proposed by Zhu Jingyuan has neither been tested in practice nor has mature enough theory to assist judgment. No one dares to oppose or support it rashly.
Although most craftsmen are upright, they are not stupid enough to rashly oppose a new idea.
It is even less likely that in the exploratory stage, you will firmly believe that an idea will definitely not work, nor will you firmly oppose someone.
After the scene was quiet for a few seconds, Li Rui spoke first:
"I will test the effect as soon as possible, and please continue to explain the control problem and how His Highness thinks it should be solved."
Zhu Jingyuan nodded slightly and continued to draw pictures on the paper:
“Because of the existence and popularity of bicycles, aircraft designers naturally adopted the same control method.
“Asking the pilot to move his body and adjust the center of gravity of the wings to keep the aircraft balanced is simply not realistic.
"The human body is much heavier and larger than a bicycle. For the center of the bicycle, the left and right movement of the body is similar to the long arm of a lever moving the short arm, which of course saves effort.
"With fixed-wing, it's completely the opposite. The aircraft is heavier than the human body, and the wings extend outwards, with the human body in the center.
"Using the body's center of gravity to adjust the wing attitude is to use a short moment arm to pry a long moment arm. It is very laborious and the adjustment ability is very limited.
“Unless the aircraft is very light, as light as a bicycle, it will be difficult to be of practical use.
“My idea is to refer to the rudder, and set up movable auxiliary wings similar to the rudder at the front or rear of the aircraft.
“Through the steel wire and pulley link, it is controlled by hand or foot.
“The auxiliary wing surface perpendicular to the wing can adjust the flight direction by swinging left and right.
"The auxiliary wing is parallel to the wing and can adjust the flight height by swinging up and down.
“The specific effect should be easier to use than the center of gravity of the human body, and Qi Gong can try it together with the wing design.
“In addition, the wing shape of the rotorcraft and the control of the flight direction can also use these designs.
"I think gyroplanes will also have good uses in the near future."
Zhu Jingyuan finally finished speaking, but this time the audience's reaction was similar to before. They were all making imitative analyzes and judgments in their minds without knowing what was going on.
The theory of the rudder sounds very reliable, but the key is whether it can fly first, otherwise the control method is meaningless.
