The next day, Jiang Tian came to the newly expanded foundry. I saw many small blast furnaces like towers standing in the middle, continuously emitting billowing black smoke; and following the craftsmen who screamed loudly as they ran, sparks splashed out and a stream of hot iron solution flowed out.
Then, through a special hydraulically rotated track, it was poured flawlessly into the small drum-shaped converter made of volcanic ash on the other side; the next moment, under the action of the hydraulic blower and other added auxiliary materials, a bright white light suddenly shot out. The flaming tongue...
Finally, the layers are separated during rotation, and the oxygen-decarbonized molten steel, low-carbon white cast iron, high-carbon black cast iron, and sintering slag are poured out in sequence. On the other side, multiple ceramic ducts guide the waste gas emitted from them to the central brick condensation tower;
What finally flows out from the ceramic guide channel on the other side is a turbid liquid with a pungent smell - green vanadium water; then, after being filtered by the sedimentation tank and asbestos mesh, it becomes the most primitive concentrated sulfuric acid; after being put into grinding Saltpeter powder can react to produce nitric acid.
Nitric acid can be used to nitrate undefatted cotton and sawdust; the precursor of smokeless gunpowder called nitrocellulose can be obtained. Then, animal fat or vegetable fat is used to make soap waste, and a chemical reaction is performed to obtain the original nitroglycerin.
Such unstable early explosive ingredients are also available, and as passivation stabilizers, diatomaceous earth, chalk, and kaolin are actually not difficult to obtain. The next real problem is how to obtain the best proportion of the formula, which requires constant experimentation and trial and error...
However, Jiang Tian's purpose today is not here, but in another factory area adjacent to the smelting plant. In the large workshop that was built on the site of the original drainage mill, and under the tall and endlessly rolling water wheel, there was the sound of violent metal knocking and forging.
As the main technical person in charge of this factory, there is an ordnance technician named Jean Valjean who was born in a naval foundry; yes, it was Jean Valjean, who directly reminded Jiang Tian of the character of the same name in the famous "Les Misérables". However, he neither had an adopted daughter named Cosette nor went to jail.
Nor did he meet a kind-hearted bishop and get the opportunity to change his face and become a mayor; he was just a technician for generations. It's just because the kingdom's bureaucracy is corrupt and unwilling to go along with those worms. In the end, it was regarded as an eyesore and the design was kicked out of the factory.
In the end, the Marseille Chamber of Commerce, who was still a local snake, found him again after being reduced to working in a country shop and participated in the resumption of work at the factory. I saw him secretly smearing the greasy grease on his felt suspenders while introducing in a restrained voice:
"Sir, you see, after further improving the process details and processes, the expanded mechanical water bed can now grind and drill seventy or eighty fine iron pipes every day. If it is just ordinary polishing and forging weapons, it can reach at least a thousand people. of production.”
"Very good!" Jiang Tian nodded: "Then if I want to continue to expand the scale of waterbed drilling and forging machinery, I wonder if there are any difficulties and upper limits in terms of specific material supply and manpower supplement?"
"The peat dug out by the chief from the Bear Forest and the charcoal burned in the kiln can already meet most of the needs." Jean Valjean added: "But I am afraid that the supply of iron cannot keep up; the locally smelted Cast iron and gray iron are still a bit inferior and can only be used as civilian agricultural tools."
"The best iron material is the Seris Iron from across the sea. Unfortunately, it is the most expensive. In fact, the Throne Iron from the Seven Kingdoms or the Western Continent Iron from the Heina City-State Alliance are also quite good; but they are not easy to buy now. to and obtain; therefore, it is relatively easy to obtain at present, but the Orléans iron in the west of the kingdom, and the Messet iron in the county of Lorraine..."
"However, the County of Lorraine has surrendered to the enemy, and the Orleans Iron has to pass through the area controlled by the New Dynasty, so it cannot be transported on a large scale. It can only be obtained through the route of Marseille, from Tunisia and Magri in the overseas provinces. Bu's crude iron ingots are being further refined."
"As for the replenishment of manpower, it is not really needed anymore. The ordinary laborers and apprentices you assigned to me are enough. But what is most lacking now is experienced workers with forging experience; this will take time. accumulation……"
"So, my most precious wealth is not these sites and materials, but you apprentice craftsmen!" Jiang Tian finally smiled and said: "Even if these no longer exist, as long as there are still veterans like you, I can then build a new factory."
"Thank you for your trust and praise, sir." Jean Valjean explained solemnly: "But in fact, I need more young apprentices, not old craftsmen who are already stuck in the rules; because most people have fixed things in their minds. , it will be difficult to correct it.”
"You are right, so next, I plan to expand the scale of the Technical Education Institute." Jiang Tian smiled and said indifferently: "I wonder if you are interested in being a part-time teacher, or if you have any other candidates that you can recommend. What?"
Of course, the top priority in production at the moment is the improved firearms designed by Jiang Tian; he plans to directly forge the matchlocks from this era, or use iron sheets to roll them, skipping the flintlock guns and yellow wheel guns. The development stage directly entered the firing pin/flash cap gun stage.
Of course, due to the limited strength of metallurgical materials and sealing issues, we mainly produce front-mounted flash cap guns that are relatively simple in structure, less difficult in processing technology, and cheaper in cost; Integrated ammunition and cased bayonet.
Jiang Tian originally considered a copper primer, but gave up because the corresponding materials were not up to standard. Despite this, the original seventeen steps in the preparation stage before firing the matchlock were compressed and simplified into seven actions. The rate of fire within one minute has also increased at least several times.
In addition, more precise manual processes are used to produce a number of breech-loading muskets with rotating closed bolts in small batches. Compared with those aliens hiding in the darkness, it is not enough to rely on personal martial arts or bloodline awakening. It is only right to use the power of steel and gunpowder to completely crush them.
As long as the productivity problem of punching and drilling gun barrels is solved, other fine parts will be much simpler; the pouring method of pouring clay molds and iron molds can be directly used; if this is not possible, some fine parts can also be cast by the lost wax method; Because Provan produces honey/beeswax in abundance.
In places such as Algiers in North Africa, asphalt and naphtha are also produced, and the by-product, paraffin, can be extracted as a raw material for precision casting. Don't underestimate this lost wax method, which was born in the Bronze Age. It is still used in modern times. Used in aircraft parts processing.
In addition, Jiang Tian also has a killer weapon for cannon casting, which is centrifugal pouring technology. That is to say, a hollow hydraulic drum is first made of refractory pozzolanic cement; then the molten iron is poured into the rapidly rotating drum until it is almost cooled.
The centrifugal force caused by such high-speed rotation will evenly throw the molten iron onto the polished inner wall, ultimately forming a smooth and homogeneous rough seamless steel pipe. Then it is reheated and sent to the rotary boring machine for expansion and boring several times before it is completed.
Compared with traditional casting processes such as clay molds and iron molds, the barrel thrown out by this centrifugal casting is quite strong and durable. There are no bubbles and trachoma, and there is no need to polish and polish multiple times due to uneven thickness, saving a lot of process and production costs.
Moreover, compared with the expensive bronze and brass materials required for traditional artillery, the cost of a new barrel using self-tightening cast iron and forged steel sleeves is only one-fifth to one-seventh. However, due to current material limitations, more than twenty one- and three-pound cannons were experimentally built.
Bidige
Then, coupled with a newly designed lightweight gun mount and a steel-annealed torsion spring, a simple mount and retreat device is formed; as long as two people can push forward and move the position, or a single mule and horse can drag and follow the march, basically It can meet most of the current needs.
In fact, after the battle in Tuomingda Town, Jiang Tian came up with a new idea; that is, to tailor a batch of special firearms for those heritage knights who are accustomed to using cold weapons. Because they can obviously bear more weight and stronger recoil.
Therefore, the big guns, single-hand hand cannons, large pepper shakers, accordion/honeycomb guns, and even small mortars, Hale rockets, etc. that were originally eliminated by history seem to be able to take off due to this. . This is also one of the main purposes of his coming to the foundry today.
Although everything is just getting started and there is no way to form a dedicated production capacity, it is basically possible to make some experimental samples first and assemble some of them for the heritage knights of the special attack company, cavalry company and guard company. .
Therefore, when Jiang Tian readjusted and arranged the corresponding production tasks and returned to the palace headquarters in the city, he received an unexpected message asking for help. But they come from the Hérault province, which is adjacent to the Gard and Maritime provinces; or rather, they are the local republican armed forces.
This local armed force, called the Montpolier Commune Army, was besieged and trapped under the joint efforts of the National Protectorate Army from the Royal Party of the Hérault Province and the Orthodox Army supported by the Duchy of Milan in the Lozère Province. In the provincial capital of Montpolier, all foreign aid was sought.
Immediately afterwards, in the Ardèche province to the north, Captain Podos of the garrison also sent a warning; the coalition forces led by the Principality of Milan, who finally noticed the threat from the rear, began to invade Ardèche from the Lozère province, and It has occupied many cities that were voluntarily abandoned.
As a result, after a brief period of repairs and additions, the Free Army saw renewed fighting.
