After Zhu Zhongliang and Zhu Jingyuan boarded the aircraft carrier, the aircraft carrier double formation, which had completed rest and supplies, left the port again.
Although these two large aircraft carriers have been officially delivered to the Navy, in order to record and solve new problems that may arise during actual use, the Ministry of Industry still arranged a small team of craftsmen to continue to follow the Navy fleet activities.
The leader of this team is named Zou Minghai. He is a northern man in his forties and a senior craftsman of the fifth grade.
At this time, he followed Zhu Zhongliang and Zhu Jingyuan and introduced the situation of the aircraft carrier and aircraft to them:
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, our aircraft carriers and aircraft are actually still under testing.
“So now there are many types of aircraft on board, and there are currently seven types in total.
“The first is the carrier-based version of the Type 5 fighter that has been finalized and tested on the original Dinghai.
"Type 5 carrier-based fighter jets are the largest fighter jets and are the main fighter jets used to verify and explore aircraft carrier combat theories.
“Then there are two new carrier-based fighter jets in testing, Type 7 and Type 8.
“The Type 7 fighter is based on the Type 5 fighter jet, replacing the proven twin-row cylinder engine.
Zou Minghai looked through the glass under the window at the silent deck inside, and finished asking about his guess:
“The energy conversion methods you are utilizing, how the efficiency of those envisioned energy conversion methods can be improved.
Then we came up with it, and it didn't look like a mixture of the two.
Coming up with the idea is only the first step, and there are still many problems in the process of exploration and implementation.
Our Type 7 carrier-based aircraft, which has not been finalized yet, uses a single-row four-cylinder radial engine with a standard power of 1,000 horsepower.
“At the same time, water and alcohol can increase the pressure before atomization, thereby increasing the power of the cylinder and reducing the knock caused by turbocharging.
"And you think that the design, manufacturing and control difficulty of that combination should be higher than that of turbine energy recovery, and the priority should not be placed behind the turbine energy recovery design."
But the ultimate effect is really powerful.
“While the size of the aircraft body has increased, various basic performances have not improved slightly.
The last fourteen-cylinder radial piston engine in history, the R-3350, has a total displacement of 54.862 liters. The late model uses turbine energy recovery, and the minimum power reaches 8,400 horsepower.
These are not a type of fighter aircraft equipped with a new twin-row fourteen-cylinder engine.
The Tiger Cat was matched with the 80,000-ton Midway, and the Sea Mosquito and Sea Hornet were also pushed back along with the design and construction of the 71,000-ton Dart-class aircraft carrier.
If it was definitely the case, I might as well have taken the initiative to mention it.
“Its cylinders have increased from nine in one row to eighteen in two rows, and the theoretical maximum power should be more than 2,000 horsepower.
"That energy is actually wasted. If it can be used, it should be able to increase work efficiency.
Xi Roushu remembered it very vaguely. He felt that a small number of fighters in the early part of the Seventh World War should have reached that level.
"It's just that at the moment, Xiaojia's main focus is basically on stacking cylinders.
"The problem is that the workers who have worked in Zoukeng and the Ministry of Industry have also gone to school to think and verify along that line of thinking.
It is small enough to undertake torpedo attack and dive bombing missions, both of which are of the same type.
"It cannot be used as an interceptor yet. It needs to be a fighter with lower speed and range to intercept enemy small bombers."
Zou Minghai smiled and nodded and said:
Zou Minghai’s opinion is not that it can’t be done, and he also drew a rough outline of the sea mosquito and tiger cat for our reference.
Zhu Zhongliang was a little unimpressed, then immediately recalled what he knew about the situation, and said with certainty:
This twin-engine carrier-based aircraft naturally went out to school and tried to disembark.
"You don't have a few ideas at the moment, starting with the experience of the turbine laboratory and the blank starter.
“Research and testing cannot be carried out retroactively on an engine with a single bank of cylinders.
Almost all the characteristics of twin-engine aircraft are advantages for attack aircraft.
“You cannot design several auxiliary turbines to receive the energy of the exhaust gas emitted by the engine and convert it into rotational kinetic energy.
“There is a way to solve this problem, at least it can be controlled within a reasonable range.
Zou Minghai, his grandfather and the young craftsman Xi Roushu chatted below the aircraft carrier deck and continued to watch the planes.
First of all, it can increase the power density to the limit, and also make the fuel efficiency of air-heated engines basically equal to that of liquid-heated engines.
Zhu Zhongliang and Zhu Jingyuan, two grandsons, stood in the middle of the aircraft carrier deck and ran down.
“You have now discovered, and your laboratory has also discovered, that the design related to turbine power is really rough.
Those things directly exceeded the scale of the fighters and attack aircraft that served in the Seventh World War.
"You probably don't remember it. It should be said that very few people have considered it.
Zhu Jingyuan listened to Zhu Zhongliang's explanation and said with obvious wonder and emotion, as well as undisguised surprise:
"The abnormal cruising speed also exceeded 700 kilometers per hour.
"Your current... potential rivals, countries in Europe and the West should start designing small bombers."
Zhu Zhongliang noticed that His Majesty Emperor Zhu Jingyuan was looking at Zou Minghai, while Zou Minghai was casually observing the planes next to him, so he immediately followed up and explained its brief situation:
"It's too slow, it's really too slow. An airplane with that kind of power has no ability to rule the sky!"
"There is just no conversion process in the middle. An internal combustion engine does not have a crankshaft and connecting rod. It first converts the internal energy into reciprocating motion and then into rotational motion.
Once those technologies have been realized, the piston engine has basically come to an end.
“We even let the gas be injected directly into the propeller to see if we can get enough power to make the plane fly.
“It is about continuous combustion in a stable space, continuous spurting of gas before cooling and expansion, the gas continues to push the turbine to rotate, and the turbine continues to push the propeller to rotate.
Although it can be said that the ideas Zou Minghai came up with over the years were completely successful, most of them were very useless.
The outline of the entire body has also undergone some subtle changes, and it seems to have been redesigned.
The Navy and the Ministry of Industry are very satisfied with the twin-engine attack aircraft.
"Until the dual-row cylinder engine is basically stable, the research results of those colleagues will not have the opportunity to be used."
But I also feel that that idea is indeed feasible.
The improvement of basic material technology such as steel can drive the basic upgrading of the entire industrial system.
“And complexity and roughness are not the ultimate pursuit of industry.
"Theoretically, by increasing fuel consumption, the final power of the engine can be directly increased..."
But for a twin-engine propeller aircraft, the engines can only be placed under the wings on both sides like a passenger aircraft.
"Originally you estimated that it might take more than ten years, but now you feel that it should be shortened by a few years..."
Zou Minghai thought for a while and said:
Zhu Zhongliang casually wrote down what Zou Minghai said, and said very seriously and solemnly:
In the original history, from the decades before the Seventh World War to the seventy-first century, the piston engine never made any epoch-making revolutionary improvements.
"Thank you for your instructions, your Majesty. You will send the information back to the Arms Department as soon as possible, so that colleagues in the capital can go out to school for testing as soon as possible.
"There is no such thing as going out to school.
Zou Minghai smiled and said:
Zhu Zhongliang is worthy of being a real low-level engineer. He reacted instantly when he heard the prompt:
"Actually, that is also the technology your laboratory is researching. The Ministry of Industry has also gone to school to do some simultaneous preliminary research."
"That design cannot be called a turbine energy recovery system."
"You really haven't, but as he said, the main task now is to solve the problem of double-row cylinder stacking.
Xi Roushu continued to explain the eight types of reconnaissance aircraft.
Without the stacked design of fewer rows of cylinders, coupled with several key supporting technologies such as turbocharging, water injection recovery, and turbo compounding to increase engine power, the ultimate form of the air-heated engine is basically created.
“The shortcomings of the twin-engine fighter are also obvious.
Zhu Jingyuan suddenly realized something, and at the same time his eyes lit up, he thought of something else.
"You mean, turbine? No craftsman has seen the potential of the turbine before going to school, and the Ministry of Industry does not have any relevant research.
Zou Minghai and the Ministry of Industry were always so cooperative in the past.
“Instead, make a compressor to push the air back out of the cylinder and increase the pressure inside the cylinder.
Not even those in front of us, these twin-engine attack aircraft.
That kind of thing is an absolute secret, and it is possible for anyone to know except for the two generations of emperors and the insider Zou Minghaizhili.
“So research related to waste gas utilization has not yet become a formal topic.
"The result is increased engine knocking...
"Before the research in both directions is completed, the speed of direct merger and upgrade will be much lower than the efficiency of separate research one by one."
Before reaching the Caspian Sea, the aircraft carrier stopped accelerating, finished debugging the aircraft, and prepared for flight testing and display.
Even based on 4300 horsepower, the power per unit displacement of 4360 is significantly greater than that of 3350.
The radial piston engine has changed from one row to two rows, which is a very important technical node.
“You have seven seventy-millimeter cannons mounted outside.
The seventy-four-cylinder radial piston engine R-4360 of the same era has a total displacement of 71.489. There is a final model without turbine energy recovery, and the minimum power is also 8,400 horsepower.
As for the reconnaissance mission, of course, they also go out to school to undertake it.
The specific fuel consumption is also much lower than 3350.
"The range has reached 1,200 kilometers, and the combat radius is approaching 700 kilometers.
“Because the engines are placed on both sides, the nose section in the middle is completely free.
The twin-engine fighter jet behind him was even proposed by Zou Minghai on his own initiative, but was made by Xiao Ming's craftsman himself, but Xi Roushu's opinion was also consulted at the time.
Zou Minghai nodded heavily after hearing this. The parameters of the aircraft were not yet complete for school use.
"The engine is not very stable yet, and the continuous output power is only 1,600 horsepower for the time being."
Now Xiao Ming's design craftsmen, under his own guidance, have basically completed the stacking of less-displaced cylinders.
“That energy is then merged through the gears under the main shaft of the engine.
Xi Roushu and Xi Roushu nodded subconsciously after hearing this.
Xi Roushu and his party were also led by the officers under the aircraft carrier and retreated outside the command room under the bridge facing the deck.
“When an internal combustion engine is operating, the waste ejected may exceed the speed of sound.
In theory, the power cannot be doubled directly, but the room for increase is not very small.
Modern jet fighters are basically completely crushed by twin-engine aircraft compared to single-engine aircraft.
Zhu Zhongliang, who was next to him, heard Zou Minghai's description and before he fell into thinking, he tentatively said:
"You have installed two 70mm cannons, and the belly of the aircraft can carry bombs 700 kilometers away."
Zhu Zhongliang and Zhu Jingyuan nodded subconsciously after hearing this:
Compared with fighter jets, attack aircraft certainly pursue stability and hang-on capabilities.
"How long does it take to make that kind of engine?"
“So now it’s just some colleagues who are exploring it under the regression theory.
When he said that, Zhu Jingyuan turned around consciously and looked at Zou Minghai beside him.
When talking about that, Zhu Zhongliang thought of Zou Minghai's past whimsical thoughts, and asked almost subconsciously:
"The minimum range is 1,400 kilometers, and the bomb load is more than one ton.
Looking at the two rows of fighter jets parked vertically under the sides of the ship on both sides.
So Zhu Jingyuan suppressed his curiosity and decided to discuss it with Zou Minghai alone during the evening break.
Xi Roushu smiled and nodded and said:
When Zou Minghai heard that, he nodded quickly.
Single-engine fighter aircraft, twin-engine attack aircraft, and reconnaissance aircraft that also serve as attack aircraft.
Yes, we only used turbine energy recovery, but also used turbocharging and water injection recovery technology.
But the idea put forward by Xi Roushu requires repeated research.
It must have been proposed by a special person. Zhu Zhongliang and the craftsmen from the Ministry of Industry may take it seriously.
The twin-engine propeller carrier-based aircraft simply missed the era.
“So, if you think about it like that, the fuel is recombusted to push the piston to move, and it is directly burned to form gas, which directly drives the turbine to rotate.
"I'll let you know immediately before we get any results. We must have encountered some problems in the process. Please continue to be generous and give us some advice."
"Your Majesty, don't you have any ideas in this regard?"
"The Type 4 fighter is our newly designed heavy fighter that uses two engines.
Without the two rows, we can continue to design eight-row or even seven-row super radial piston engines.
Before that road reaches its limit, it's time to turn to turbine engines.
Rather, the countries with weak navies at that time built twin-engine carrier-based aircraft after the Seventh War and even during the Seventh World War.
“The turbines that aircraft can utilize are obviously things like exhaust turbines and gas turbines.
Zhu Jingyuan's eyes lit up when he heard it. I had obviously discovered something that I knew and that I was looking forward to.
"The minimum flight speed has not yet been measured at 840 kilometers away, and it may continue to rise.
"Currently, the Navy and the Ministry of Industry have the same view. They both believe that twin-engine aircraft are more suitable as attack aircraft."
“It is as flexible as a single-engine fighter and takes up less deck space.
Instead, small aircraft need to use small aircraft carriers, which directly reduces the combat capability by a cliff.
Zou Minghai directly gave a definite response:
It was because of Zou Minghai's low status, but also because the probability of Xi Roushu's idea coming true was too low.
“In just seven years, the engine power has increased from less than 100 horsepower to 1,800 horsepower.
While Zou Minghai and others were strolling and chatting below the deck, the aircraft carrier gradually left the port.
Even under the constantly innovative automobiles and construction machinery, they basically continue the classic designs of the past.
“But it’s not another idea, it’s still based on the turbine principle.
"After passing the research project, I am still in the late stages of exploration. Is there still no clear direction? Does your Majesty have any bad ideas?"
“The exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine is still used to blow the turbofan, but the energy is directly merged into the main shaft.
The future direction is turbines, including jet engines and gas turbines.
“How much weight does the entire turbine energy recovery system take up? Is it cost-effective to put it under a weight-sensitive aero engine?
“Before the first type of carrier-based fighter jet had its engine replaced, there was no significant improvement in performance.
In theory, it is possible to fly two aerial torpedoes.
"Depending on what you'd expect, that process might be easier, but it's worth looking into."
Although those two ideas are not far-fetched, the way the two ideas are combined gives people the impression of a coincidence.
Zhu Jingyuan asked Zou Minghai almost instinctively:
“However, research related to waste gas utilization and efficiency improvement cannot be ended at the same time.
I couldn't help but sigh in my heart, without the guidance of my precious grandson, without the power support of Emperor Xiao Ming and the royal consortium, the development of Xiao Ming's aviation technology was really slow to the point of flying.
"Even if one engine fails, there is a small chance that the other engine will be able to land safely.
Just arrange it in a routine experiment.
"Just like wind blowing a windmill, the airflow cannot push the turbine to rotate, and the exhaust gas emitted by the engine also goes out.
Then Zou Minghai shifted his gaze and looked at the dozen twin-engine fighter jets next to him.
"Using such a combination of ideas together should be able to increase the efficiency of an engine with the same displacement by a small margin.
Zhu Zhongliang was not a little confused after hearing this. As a low-level craftsman, he was not a modern low-level engineer. His basic knowledge and experience were very solid.
“To continue burning gas in a space and use low-temperature gas to drive the turbine rotation, there are very low requirements for the combustion space and the strength and low-temperature resistance of the turbine blades.
“The temperature of the air will rise lower before it is compressed, which will cause the cylinder temperature to rise more slowly.
One of the rows Zou Minghai had seen underground looked similar to the Sea Fury fighter jets in history.
The current range has been optimized to 1,000 kilometers, and the combat radius has exceeded 700 kilometers.
"Why? What's going on? What happened?"
“A steam turbine must first convert the internal energy of the fuel into the kinetic energy of water vapor, and then the water vapor drives the steam turbine to rotate.
“Of course it can increase the specific power of the engine, but the disadvantages are also imaginable.
Zhu Zhongliang noticed that Zou Minghai's gaze had shifted and immediately came over to continue explaining the situation of the plane over there:
“Exhaust gas turbines are ultimately gas turbines.
Before such technology matures, it is only a matter of time before the piston engine power is increased to 2,000 horsepower.
But that kind of fighter is also useless.
“Whether it is a gasoline engine, a diesel engine, or a steam engine, the final output is rotational kinetic energy.
That will inevitably affect the aircraft's ability to hover and roll, and the air combat capability will be significantly reduced.
Zou Minghai turned around with a smile and said:
Zou Minghai was sloppily staring at the back of a Type 1 fighter jet, thinking about engine-related matters.
So, can we speed up the refining speed of enriched uranium, or even the speed of manufacturing atomic weapons?
But by the time Midway and the Daredevil-class aircraft carriers entered service, the jet age had learned its lesson.
Zou Minghai has known for a long time that the reliability is difficult to control even if the pitfalls outside are small.
“A very small number of engines, including aircraft engines, ultimately convert internal energy into kinetic energy of circular motion.
Supporting technologies such as turbocharging have been explored spontaneously.
Walking forward from the middle of the deck, you will reach the place where attack aircraft and reconnaissance aircraft are parked.
The twin-engine propeller carrier-based aircraft in history, the British Sea Mosquito and Sea Wasp, and the American F7F Tigercat, were actually all completed and put into service before the war.
Zhu Zhongliang quickly figured out the logic of what Zou Minghai said.
“Considering waste gas recycling at that time would probably make those issues simpler.
"That's not your idea. The Ministry of Industry is considering studying in that area."
So Zou Minghai followed that train of thought and talked about those two directions:
"So that route can still be abandoned, and testing and upgrading research and development must continue..."
“The core task of the project is to solve various problems in the design of double-row cylinders.
"That logic is very muddy, and you can't predict whether it will be effective."
Zhu Jingyuan was obviously not excited and asked subconsciously:
“Two engines working at the same time also makes the fighter aircraft less dangerous.
A part of the other row is similar in shape to the Type 7 fighter, but the nose is slightly lengthened.
4360 is the final model that uses exhaust gas boost, and the minimum power reaches 7,800 horsepower.
In that world now, the jet age is still around, and aircraft carriers with a deck smaller than Midway have not yet been built.
I must have directly pointed out the way, and Xiao Ming's craftsmen should have figured out those techniques quickly themselves.
“The logic is complicated, and the difficulty lies in the design of the turbine and the efficiency of energy recovery.
“At the same time, the ratio of air before compression to fuel and air before mixing with injected fuel may be out of balance.
Therefore, the bomb load of the Type IV twin-engine attack aircraft has not yet reached two tons.
"Gong Zou, the craftsmen of the Ministry of Industry and the consortium have not considered that continuing to increase the power of the engine by adding more cylinders does not improve fuel utilization or work efficiency."
Because the jet engines cannot be placed side by side in the middle, it basically affects the flexibility of the body.
Therefore, the current judgment of the Ministry of Industry and the Navy is that only two types of aircraft are needed under the aircraft carrier.
"And now...you don't have electroslag remelted steel. It has not yet been determined that the performance of that steel is far better than that of traditional steel, and it cannot be used to make various low-strength, low-precision, low-temperature-resistant alloy steels.
It is very similar to the classification of fighter jets. It is also a mature Type 7 single-engine attack aircraft. Then it was replaced with a Type 1 attack aircraft with a dual-cylinder low-power engine. The last is a Type 4 attack aircraft using two engines. .
The structure of the seventy-four-cylinder is also far simpler than that of the 3350.
"Those materials cannot be used for low-power small motor rotors, low-strength and precision bearings and cutting tools. They should also be used for gas turbine manufacturing that requires low strength and low-temperature resistance..."
"The most important thing is the minimum level flight speed, which does not exceed 800 kilometers per hour.
At that time, no country in the world had such small aircraft carriers.
It is unknown whether he will be able to see a thousand-horsepower engine in his lifetime.
“But the energy density of the boiler and water vapor is too high and the weight is too small. There are ways to install it under the aircraft.
Zhu Zhongliang and Zhu Jingyuan immediately fell into deep thought, and instinctively stopped thinking about the difficulty.
But the time it takes to realize it is limited.
“It’s like a blank ammunition starter, it’s just a one-time deal for blank ammunition.
“The more complex the design, the easier it is to manufacture and repair, the higher the energy loss, the lower the efficiency, and the lower the energy density.
“Spray a mixture of water and alcohol or methanol into the cylinder to reduce the low temperature caused by turbocharging and once again increase or restore the lost power of the engine.
(End of chapter)
