But it is useless to be jealous. If the technology is not up to par, even if the Navy places an order with Tianjin Machinery Company to support them, it will not use the steam engines used by the latest generation of main battleships as support products.
This is a technology verification ship worth millions of dollars, so you can't mess around with it.
Hantian, this battleship named after the former capital and now accompanying the capital Hantianfu, has a symbolic significance for the Chu Empire that is no less than that of the Jinling-class third-class battleships in the early years.
Jinling-class third-class battleships. Since the first one was launched, and various subsequent improvements, a total of more than fifty have been built. This third-class battleship has a displacement between 1,300 tons and 1,500 tons. The battleship became the core battleship of the Chu Empire Navy.
The Dachu Empire Navy also has the same high hopes for the Hantian battleship, hoping that this battleship with a new technological line can become a model for the navy's new generation of core battleships.
Under such circumstances, the steam engines they use will naturally not be distributed casually to Tianjin Machinery Company like candy... As for Dangtu Machinery Company, the technical level of this company is worse than that of Tianjin Machinery Company.
In order to support these two manufacturers, the support orders given by the Navy are usually modification orders for old warships or orders for some warship steam engines that are not capital ships.
As for the battleships, all orders from Guangzhou Machinery Company will be used for the time being.
There is nothing we can do about it, because the technical level of Guangzhou Machinery Company is much ahead.
As for Tianjin Machinery Company, it has been working hard to catch up in recent years and wants to re-establish its own advantages in the field of ship-based steam engines.
They also want to enter the train steam engine market on a large scale, and also want to further expand the industrial steam engine market.
In traditional fields, they basically cannot compete with Guangzhou Machinery Company, especially in the area of increasing steam pressure.
The latest generation of high-pressure steam engines from Guangzhou Machinery Company generally have steam pressures of 0.5 MPa.
Well, this data is not experimental data, but data during daily operation of steam.
However, as for Tianjin Machinery Company, although the current mass-produced high-pressure steam engine is announced to be only 0.5 MPa...but it actually obtains more power by sacrificing service life and failure rate.
In fact, according to their internal tests, in order to achieve a relatively good service life and failure rate, the steam pressure should be controlled at around 0.45 MPa.
But you must never say this kind of thing, otherwise you will be slapped in the face by the market!
However, customers are not stupid. When they see your service life and failure rate, they will naturally hesitate... Under such circumstances, Tianjin Machinery Company can only rely on cheaper prices to obtain orders.
Although the performance of my product is not very good, it is cheap...
There are still many customers who choose the products of their Tianjin Machinery Company because of the cheaper prices.
At the same time, Tianjin Machinery Company is also constantly striving to improve its technical level.
However, it seems that the gap is only 0.05 MPa, but it is actually very difficult to catch up!
You have to know...the early low-pressure steam engines actually had a steam pressure of only 0.1 MPa, and the Guangzhou Machinery Company's original high-pressure steam engine had a steam pressure of only 0.3 MPa.
That is, the steam pressure difference between the early so-called high-pressure steam engine and the low-pressure steam engine was only 0.2 MPa...
The gap of 0.05 MPa is actually very obvious in high-performance steam engines.
It’s not easy to catch up, and it involves the combined results of many areas including materials and finishing as well as mechanical design.
Besides, Guangzhou Machinery Company will not sit still and watch you catch up... Their Guangzhou Machinery Company also invests a lot of money in continuous research and development every year... For example, Tianjin Machinery Company learned about Guangzhou through secret channels. Machinery companies are investing a lot of money in research and development of boiler structures to further increase steam pressure and reduce energy consumption, thereby increasing power and increasing endurance.
After learning the news, their Tianjin Machinery Company immediately launched the same project in an attempt to improve the boiler.
In the early stage of high-pressure steam engine research and development, it was because the research of competitors was ignored, which led to the dilemma after entering the era of high-pressure steam engines.
This time, Tianjin Machinery Company said they would never make the same mistake a second time.
Regardless of what the future holds for research conducted by competitors, I will follow suit.
Then do some unique research on your own, and keep it confidential.
This is actually similar to an arms race...
It doesn’t matter whether the thing is good or not, or how to use it, but if the enemy has it, I will have it too...
The most typical example is the treaty-type heavy cruiser. Everyone shakes their head when they see this thing, but it is still built in large numbers by various countries.
Why? Because the enemy has it, you also have to have it... What if this thing has some unknown special effect? If you don't have it on hand, you'll be blind.
And on the basis that you should also have what the enemy has, you have to find a way to have something that the enemy doesn't have...
In this way, during the war, you have what the enemy has, and you have what the enemy doesn't have. Doesn't this give you an equipment advantage?
The fierce competition between Tianjin Machinery Company, Guangzhou Machinery Company and Dangtu Machinery Company is somewhat similar to this kind of arms race.
After discovering that a competitor is researching a new project, no matter what it is researching, as long as it is a little bit reliable, just follow it and start researching. If you want to win, you will win together, and if you want to lose, you will lose together.
Therefore, Tianjin Machinery Company also followed up on boiler research... Of course, they also knew that Guangzhou Machinery Company in the south had also followed their example in researching multi-expansion structures in recent years.
But... Tianjin Machinery Company's years of research in advance were not in vain. When Guangzhou Machinery Company had not yet figured out the multi-expansion steam engine, they had already almost completed the double-expansion steam engine.
It was first used in a small steam engine specially developed for Tangshan Machinery Company, but whether it is actually useful or not needs to be tried.
After all inspections were completed, the technicians finally officially started the steam engine.
This is a quite large steam locomotive. The front part is the steam locomotive. It adopts a horizontal layout and has two large and two small cylinders for a total of four cylinders. This small steam engine is actually two sets of small double-expansion cylinders. The steam engines are connected in series, so there are two large, two small and four cylinders.
Behind the steam engine is a completely open cab. This is also where coal is added, because behind the cab is a small compartment filled with coal.
The entire steam plow is actually divided into two parts. The front is the power structure part, which is the steam engine part, and the rear is a large plowshare structure.
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In order to prevent the heavy steam plow from getting stuck in the soft field, two large and wide iron wheels were used, and there were two smaller steering wheels in front.
Just to make the two driving wheels move and the two steering wheels to turn smoothly, Tangshan Machinery Company spent a lot of experience in repeated design, and then developed a complete set of driving systems and steering systems.
However, the plowshare structure at the back is relatively easy to fix. Tangshan Machinery Company itself has sufficient technical reserves. The power-storage plows they previously produced also sold well. They also developed plows with steam engine steel cable traction structures before. Therefore, in They have good technical advantages in plowshares, and they have exclusive patents.
As technicians began to put coal into the combustion chamber and ignite the coal, the high temperature emitted by the burning coal began to heat the water in the boiler.
As the water temperature increases, high-temperature and high-pressure water vapor begins to be produced.
These high-temperature and high-pressure water vapor are now trapped in boilers and steel pipes. If the boiler or steam pipe leaks at this time, these high-temperature and high-pressure water vapor can easily cause casualties.
This is why the cab is located at the rear and the water vapor pipes are arranged away from people.
In order to avoid casualties caused by this potential steam leakage accident, some baffles have also been designed and installed, so that even if a steam leak does occur, the water vapor will leak to the front and sides instead of rushing directly to the rear. The operator's cab protects the safety of those operating the steam engine and those behind the plowshare.
By the way, such a huge steam plow requires four people to operate it at the same time to make it move and plow.
When the steam pressure reached the point where it could drive the steam plow, the operator positioned the huge machine to drive slowly.
After the huge machine began to move slowly, the iron wheels hit the concrete floor and made an uncomfortable sound.
But this sound is so pleasant to the ears of a group of technicians.
This is the result of many years of hard work, and now they are finally taking action.
And if nothing else, this is actually the first steam engine in the Chu Empire that can run independently on the ground after breaking off the rails.
In fact...if this thing puts aside the plowshare structure at the back, it is actually a steam locomotive, and it is also the kind of steam tractor that later generations often call it.
Tangshan Machinery Company spent so much time researching such a steam tractor, in fact, it is not just to develop steam plows. They also want to get involved in other agricultural machinery projects if steam tractors can be used, such as steam combined Harvester.
The actual application range of steam tractors is very broad. In addition to being used as agricultural machinery, it can actually be used as a means of transportation under special circumstances. In countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, steam tractors are used to haul logs or other various goods. , and was also used as a tractor for heavy artillery.
It’s just that the applications of these steam locomotives are only child’s play compared to ships and trains, so many people in later generations have actually never heard of them.
As the technicians controlled the tractor, they gradually left the factory, and then arrived at a muddy field outside. Under the watchful eyes of dozens of technicians, the tractor drove into the muddy field with its plowshare.
After driving into the mud, the speed of the steam engine further decreased, but it still did not stop and continued to move forward.
Then the plowshare also began to be lowered and began to rotate driven by the power of the steam engine.
Ever since, the people present saw such a scene!
The tractor in front was slowly advancing, spraying thin white mist, and the plowshare in the rear was rolling down. The originally flat mud was turned soft, and ditches were left.
This kind of ground is completely ready for direct sowing.
When they saw this, everyone around them applauded in unison, with smiles on their faces.
After the steam plow continued to run and a large area of land was plowed, Sun Qi from Tianjin Machinery Company walked up to Qian Duo and said: "Congratulations to Brother Qian, the steam plow has finally been successfully developed. I hope it can See this steam plow and many more models of steam locomotives brought to market sooner rather than later!”
Sun Qi naturally hopes that Tangshan Machinery Company will open up the market as soon as possible, because this kind of agricultural machinery is equipped with their Tianjin Machinery Company's unique two-expansion steam engine.
The price of this kind of core parts is very expensive. To be honest, when the steam plow produced by Tangshan Machinery Company is sold on the market, the money it will make will not be more than the money Tianjin Machinery Company will make from selling steam engines. many.
Therefore, the more Tangshan Machinery Company sells this kind of machinery in the future, the more Tianjin Machinery Company will earn.
In fact, if the technology of tractors and various agricultural machinery was not relatively complex, and had been developed for many years by a group of machinery companies such as Tangshan Machinery Company and Hekou Agricultural Machinery Company, and a relatively tight patent network was built, Tianjin Machinery Company would have to endure I can't help but go to the agricultural machinery market in person.
However, being a core parts supplier is also very profitable for Tianjin Machinery Company, and the market size will be even larger... because they can not only sell this new type of high-performance steam engine to Tangshan Machinery Company, but also Sold to Hekou Agricultural Machinery Company and other agricultural machinery companies.
They only sell steam engines, but they don't care what customers do with the steam engines.
So after seeing the successful test of the steam plow from Tangshan Machinery Company, Sun Qi was already thinking about visiting Hekou Agricultural Machinery Company in the near future.
Hekou Agricultural Machinery Company also cooperates with Tianjin Machinery Company. Their steam combine harvester is expected to use this small high-performance steam engine from their Tianjin Machinery Company.
Now the company's small high-performance steam engine has performed well in the installation test, and Hekou Agricultural Machinery Company has always placed orders for it.
So after the experiment, Sun Qi took the train back to Tianjin. He only stayed in Tianjin for two days, and soon took a group of technicians and two small high-performance steam engines on a Northern Shipping Company aircraft. Sailing steamer, heading to the mouth of the river in Liaodong Province.
Today's Hekou is Liaodong, and it is also the largest industrial zone in Northeast China. Relying on the rich coal and iron ore resources along the Liao River, Liaodong has established a number of steel plants along the Liao River. The steel was eventually transported along the Liao River. Then transported to the river mouth.
Many companies on the Hekou side use these steel raw materials for various productions. Some of them are sold locally in the Northeast, but more are transported by sea to other provinces for sale.
Because the local industry developed well, many soybean processing industries, grain processing industries, wood processing industries, etc. were gathered here later.
Today's Hekou has developed from a remote place in the past to a large comprehensive industrial city, and even Gaizhou next door is also developing very well.
Hekou Agricultural Machinery Company is located here. Its scale and output value are nothing here in Hekou, and it cannot even be considered a medium-sized enterprise.
After all, the overall scale of today's agricultural machinery market is actually not large, and it cannot support any large enterprises.
But despite this, Hekou Agricultural Machinery Company has been able to rank among the top three in the country in the field of agricultural machinery.
It is worth mentioning that the top three agricultural machinery companies in the Dachu Empire are basically concentrated in the Bohai Circle, that is, the largest Tangshan Machinery Company, the second-ranked Liaohe Machinery Company, and the third-ranked Hekou Agricultural Machinery Company.
Among them, Liaohe Machinery Company, although its agricultural machinery business ranks third in the country, this is actually not the main business of Liaohe Machinery Company. The main business of Liaohe Machinery Company is the research and development and production of various types of industrial equipment, especially steel equipment. As well as mining equipment, and their shipbuilding is also very good. They own the largest shipyard in the Bohai Sea region: Northeast Gaizhou Shipyard.
Their agricultural machinery business is just an inconspicuous part of their many businesses.
The reason why the agricultural business of the above three companies has been able to develop is actually because the Northeast region is vast and sparsely populated... The large amount of land to be developed and the shortage of labor have led to a huge demand for agricultural machinery and equipment in the Northeast region. big.
If this were replaced by those places in Guan Nei where there are many people and little land, there would be no market for these steam plows, combine harvesters and the like... because the agricultural model in Guan Nei is a super micro farm based on the family... Use Can't afford or need an expensive harvester.
Even horse farming is not possible... because the cost of horse farming is actually very high. The cost of raising a horse is equivalent to raising four or five people. If horses are used at the same time, they can only use extensive farming. Will lead to reduced yield per mu.
If the amount of land to be cultivated is not large, people will starve to death if they use horse farming...
In many places within the pass, especially in the land of plenty, such as Jiangnan, Northern Jiangxi, Huguang and other places, cattle farming is used in these places. Intensive farming is a better farming model.
Under such circumstances, even power-charged threshing machines and power-charged rocker harvesters are not easy to sell in the customs... However, some human-powered agricultural machinery and equipment can be sold, such as human-powered pedal threshing machines, which are very popular among many farmers in the customs. Our welcome.
Moreover, this thing has no patent, and the technology is very simple. Not to mention factories, even small workshops can operate it. These simple basic agricultural machinery are also the main products of major government-run small agricultural machinery factories.
This thing is very simple to make. The main components are a roller and a pedal. The technical part is the bearing.
But you don’t need to make bearings yourself. You can just go to a specialized bearing manufacturer to purchase them.
Therefore, these human-operated pedal threshing machines became popular all over the Chu Empire in just a dozen years and became a good helper for farmers.
Therefore, looking at the agricultural structure of the Chu Empire, the development was actually not balanced.
In the Northeast, mechanized planting has begun. It is estimated that next year even steam tractors will be used, but many northern provinces do not even have power-charged harvesters.
In the southern provinces, the only mechanization available is a human-powered pedal thresher... most of the processes are still done by farmers themselves.
In some relatively poor and remote places, some farmer families do not even have oxen or human-powered pedal threshing machines, and their agricultural production is still stuck in the traditional era.
There is no way around this. After all, the Chu Empire is so huge, and its economic development has its ups and downs. It is impossible for the Chu Empire to develop all places so well.
