Chapter 2880
The Long-Awaited Magnesium Alloy
Chapter 2880 The Long-Awaited Magnesium Alloy
Department Nine, Alloy Research Institute.
Early in the morning, An Zhongsheng arrived at the research institute, opened his memo, and checked the research progress.
During this period, he left early and returned late, and even when he slept, his mind was filled with research on magnesium alloys.
According to the original plan that Yang Xiaotao set for the research institute, they should have produced the finished product before the end of the year, then solved the production process problems, and finally achieved large-scale mass production.
But now, almost two years have passed, and their research has made no progress.
They had even considered all the possibilities, but it was still just a little bit off.
More importantly, they don't even know 'that little bit,' which is what makes it so frustrating.
An Zhongsheng took out a stack of documents from the drawer and examined them again.
While An Zhongsheng was busy checking the data, people started to walk into the research institute.
Xu Ning walked in and saw An Zhongsheng's appearance. Without saying anything, he went straight to his seat and continued to look up the information.
He was well aware of the pressure the director was under.
When they accepted the task, they knew that the magnesium alloy was related to several other projects.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a 'cornerstone'.
Several other research institutes have already made progress and are even waiting for their results.
However, the magnesium alloys they produced always failed to meet the requirements.
If only one person says it's inappropriate, they will argue back and question whether the other person's request is legitimate.
But now, not only are the colleagues at the aircraft research institute saying it's wrong, but the machine tool department is also saying it's wrong, which can only mean that they really didn't do it right.
No doubt about it, since there's a problem, we'll just have to redo it.
With that in mind, Xu Ning threw herself back into her work.
Soon, the other people from the research institute arrived one after another. Seeing that An Zhongsheng and his companion were already in work mode, the others did not disturb them, but quickly went to their work stations and got into work mode.
The research institute was as if it had been muted; everyone was busy, yet they all tacitly maintained silence.
Over time, this created a negative pressure environment in the research institute.
Compared to other research institutes in the area, it seems like a forgotten corner.
An Zhongsheng looked at his notebook, which was his 'research plan' that he had reviewed three times, again and again, without finding any mistakes.
The steps have been checked more than three times and there shouldn't be any problems.
But a problem arose, which greatly troubled him.
After confirming that there were no problems with the documents and materials in his hand, An Zhongsheng finally mustered up the courage to stand up.
"Ma Qian, where is Chief Zhang?"
While organizing documents, Ma Qian suddenly heard An Zhongsheng's question and immediately looked up and said, "Director An, Director Zhang went to the steel plant and took Engineer Wang with him. He said he wanted to check if there were any discrepancies in the production process."
After Ma Qian finished speaking, An Zhongsheng responded.
Zhang Suo means "old Taoist priest," and Wang Gong here generally refers to Wang Manshan.
However, Wang Manshan is now mainly helping out with the high-frequency reactor, and the production of high-purity silicon has always been a major task for the Ninth Department.
The old Taoist priest probably brought this guy here to check on the production process at the steel mill.
However, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened, and he trusted scientifically derived results more than 'empiricism'.
He pondered for a moment, then pondered for another moment before taking his notebook and walking out.
Office building, Yang Xiaotao's office.
Lou Xiao'e, who was working on documents, heard a knock on the door, looked up at Yang Xiaotao who was on the phone, and then went to the side to open the door.
"Secretary Lou, is Minister Yang busy?"
An Zhongsheng saw Lou Xiao'e open the door and asked in a low voice.
"It's nothing. Director Yang was in a good mood after making the call to the Northwest. Is there something you need?"
"I have something I'd like to confirm with Director Yang."
An Zhongsheng was somewhat conflicted. His past experience told him that the magnesium alloy formula Yang Xiaotao provided was correct.
But after so long, repeated failures made him doubt this kind of 'experience'.
Moreover, if a breakthrough cannot be found as soon as possible, it will be a waste of time, let alone a year, or even two more years.
So he finally mustered up the courage to talk to Yang Xiaotao about the situation.
"Then please come in and wait a moment."
Lou Xiao'e led An Zhongsheng into her office and then poured him a cup of tea.
When Yang Xiaotao saw An Zhongsheng come in, he simply nodded and continued talking to Li Chengjun.
"You don't know? Those three guys are really arrogant in Old Wang's eyes. They're all incredibly powerful."
"This guy says he wants to set up a special operations team, that guy says he wants to set up a rapid reaction helicopter armed brigade, and then there's Kong Jie who's more honest and just wants to do an exercise, tsk tsk."
"And that's how it turned out!"
"Hahaha!"
Li Chengjun spoke with a smile, "When they arrived at our office, they saw Old Zhu at the door and immediately jumped out of the car, one by one they stepped forward to salute. When they saw President He, they were like mice seeing a cat, not daring to breathe loudly. They sat in President He's office for half the morning drinking tea before finally slinking back home."
"That scene, hahaha!"
Li Chengjun grew increasingly arrogant as he spoke, "You don't know, Old Wang is also full of bad ideas, he definitely didn't tell these three guys, hahaha."
Just by listening to Li Chengjun's smile, Yang Xiaotao could imagine the disheveled state of Li Yunlong and Ding Wei.
"That's good. With Elder Zhu and President He around, it'll save the three of them from causing any trouble."
Yang Xiaotao understood that General Peng sent these three guys to the Northwest partly to use General He's prestige to keep them in check. After all, this guy was a revolutionary with just two kitchen knives, and Li Yunlong and his two companions were no match for him.
After recounting the amusing anecdotes, Yang Xiaotao began to offer advice, "The Northwest region still needs to develop steadily. If you need anything, just let us know. Don't be afraid of trouble or making mistakes; just boldly move forward."
"Even if we fail, it's no big deal, we've only just started anyway."
"Tell the comrades not to have too many concerns. It would be best to get supplies from outside. Our money won't produce offspring if we keep it. Buying more supplies won't make a difference."
After giving his instructions, Yang Xiaotao said, "That's all for now. I have something to do. We'll talk later."
Li Chengjun responded, feeling less worried now that Yang Xiaotao had authorized him.
Moreover, the recent changes in Persia do present an opportunity to leverage the friendly relations between the two sides to extend industries there and expand the scale of aid projects.
At the same time, Persia can be used as a platform to trade with other countries, sell products processed by cheap domestic labor abroad, and import better machinery and equipment, thus achieving a virtuous cycle of industry.
This way, we can open up new opportunities in the Northwest, instead of relying on Beijing for everything.
Even Wang Huzi had looked for it several times; we can't miss this opportunity.
Now that he has Yang Xiaotao's support, he has no more worries.
Yang Xiaotao hung up the phone and saw An Zhongsheng standing next to him, laughing, "Old An, you wouldn't come here unless you needed something."
As he spoke, An Zhongsheng walked to the side and sat down. He placed the notebook in his hand on the table and said somewhat awkwardly, "Director Yang, I didn't want to bother you, but as you know, this is our research institute."
"Ugh!"
“Our research institute has dragged down our department, and as the director, I am to blame. But I’m really not willing to accept that we can’t make this magnesium alloy.”
"so."
An Zhongsheng hesitated, but Yang Xiaotao understood what he meant. He put his hands on his chin and continued, "So you think there's something wrong with the proportions?"
An Zhongsheng nodded.
Yang Xiaotao sighed, then shook his head, a helpless expression on his face.
He had the same suspicion at the time, and afterwards he not only reorganized the materials, but also went to the warehouse to scan them again with his analytical bracelet.
Afterwards, he even used a computer to recalculate the scan results and basic data of the materials.
Still not sure, they asked Lao Lu Tao and Liu Yongqiang to do another calculation with pen and paper.
As it turns out, the previously provided data was correct.
In other words, is the problem not with the data, but with the process?
But how could he possibly say it?
Seeing Yang Xiaotao sigh, An Zhongsheng also felt uneasy.
But that's just reality, and there's nothing he can do about it.
The two remained silent, and the atmosphere in the office became tense.
Lou Xiao'e, standing to the side, also sensed the oppressive atmosphere. She glanced at Yang Xiaotao from time to time, then at An Zhongsheng, hesitating whether to change the subject. Just then, the phone on the table rang.
Their eyes immediately turned to Lou Xiao'e.
Lou Xiao'e immediately answered the phone and heard a familiar voice coming from the other end.
"Secretary Lou, is Director Yang here? This is Guan Zhiyong."
"Director Guan, please wait a moment."
After saying that, he looked at Yang Xiaotao and said, "It's Director Guan, he's looking for you."
Yang Xiaotao stood up and took the phone. "Old Guan, this is Yang Xiaotao."
"Minister Yang, Minister Yang, please wait a moment. Team Leader Wang, you can speak now."
There was some noise on the other end of the phone, then a rough voice came through, "Minister Yang, this is Wang Manshan."
"Engineer Wang, do you think you've made any discoveries?"
Hearing the other person's rough yet delighted voice, Yang Xiaotao felt a surge of anticipation.
"Yes, yes, Director Yang."
"You've truly hit the nail on the head!"
"Stop bragging and tell me quickly."
"I know, I know."
The old Taoist priest's urging voice came through the phone again, along with Wang Manshan's rebuttal.
Yang Xiaotao smiled, turned his head to look at An Zhongsheng, and then nodded.
At this moment, An Zhongsheng could no longer sit still and hurriedly stood up and walked over.
"Minister Yang, I've noticed something amiss this time."
Wang Manshan quickly explained his discovery over the phone, and after the other party finished speaking, Yang Xiaotao said, "I'll be right there."
After hanging up the phone, he said to An Zhongsheng, "We've found something at the steel mill. Let's go take a look."
"well!"
An Zhongsheng was excited. If he really had to choose, he would prefer the issue to be about the craftsmanship rather than Yang Xiaotao's problem.
Without saying much, the two quickly left the office building and then took a car to the steel plant.
Upon entering the site, the two were greeted by Guan Zhiyong and taken to the processing workshop.
Here they saw a group of people.
There were steel mill processing workers, research institute technicians, and Lao Dao and Wang Manshan.
As everyone greeted each other, Yang Xiaotao quickly approached Wang Manshan and asked, "Engineer Wang, did you find anything?"
"Minister Yang!"
Wang Manshan smiled confidently, then pointed to the smelting furnace in front of him and said, "Director Yang, I've been working on high-purity silicon lately, so I'm quite familiar with the flames."
As Wang Manshan recounted what had happened, Yang Xiaotao didn't rush to ask any questions. Instead, he waited for Wang Manshan to finish his explanation before saying, "You mean the temperature inside is off?"
The reason for asking this question is because of Wang Manshan's unique skill.
The color of the flame can be used to infer the temperature of combustion.
They are particularly accurate in their assessment of steelmaking.
Upon hearing Yang Xiaotao's words, Wang Manshan shook his head, "Minister Yang, you still don't understand what I mean."
"Old Wang, stop beating around the bush and just tell me already."
The old Taoist priest stroked his beard in the back; their research institute was still waiting.
Wang Manshan coughed as everyone around him stared, then pointed to the smelting furnace inside and said, "Minister Yang, I've noticed that the color of the magnesium liquid we're using is wrong."
"I'm at the high-purity silicon production site."
Wang Manshan was about to explain again, but An Zhongsheng stepped forward and stared intently at the smelting furnace, his mind filled with Wang Manshan's words.
Molten magnesium!
Molten magnesium!!!
Snapped!
"I know, I know."
Suddenly, An Zhongsheng spoke up, "I know, I know where the problem lies."
Wang Manshan's mouth was agape; wasn't this just stealing his lines?
"Minister Yang, I understand!"
"We use liquid nitrogen, but when liquid nitrogen enters the smelting furnace, it may produce magnesium nitride under high temperature conditions!"
"We should use a different inert gas. Right, we can use argon!"
"Yes, that's it!"
For An Zhongsheng, it was as if a door had been opened, and everything suddenly became clear.
Wang Manshan scratched his head, feeling as if his achievements had been stolen.
When asked to explain, he could only point out that the colors were different and the burning was different, but he couldn't really give a specific reason.
Even so, Wang Manshan's discovery was crucial for Yang Xiaotao.
"Engineer Wang, thank you for your help. You deserve the most credit for this mission."
Upon hearing this, Wang Manshan immediately smiled and said, "Minister Yang, as long as I can do something for our Ninth Department, I, Wang Manshan, am willing to do it."
Yang Xiaotao smiled and patted his shoulder, "Don't worry, the honor that's rightfully yours will be yours."
"However, you can't keep your talent hidden; you need to nurture it properly!"
Wang Manshan said casually, "Don't worry, there are some good prospects in the technical school. I'll take good care of them."
Yang Xiaotao nodded, then looked at An Zhongsheng, "Old An, once you find the problem, solve it quickly."
"I'm waiting for your good news."
An Zhongsheng took a deep breath and nodded in agreement, "Minister Yang, rest assured, our research institute will never let you down."
Then he looked at Wang Manshan and said, "Engineer Wang, I won't say much more about my thanks. I'll treat you to drinks once the mission is complete."
Wang Manshan laughed heartily, "Then I won't stand on ceremony with you."
Once the problem is identified, the solution becomes simple.
An Zhongsheng then started coordinating at the steel plant. He first contacted the factory that produced liquid magnesium and requested that liquid argon be used for packaging and transportation. Then he called on everyone from the Ninth Research Institute to come and help.
At 3 p.m., the molten magnesium wrapped in liquid argon was delivered in a sealed, insulated crucible and quickly poured into the smelting furnace under the careful operation of the technicians.
Then, the process was carried out step by step according to the previous procedure.
Ten p.m.
More and more people are appearing at the steel mill.
Professor Ye from the Research Institute, Wu Zhe from the Aircraft Research Institute, and Chang Mingjie from the Machine Tool Research Institute.
Also present were Yang Youning, Xu Yuanshan, and Chen Gong.
After hearing about the situation, everyone came to wait for the results.
After the final step was completed, a magnesium alloy plate appeared before everyone's eyes.
At midnight, the anxious crowd saw the smile on An Zhongsheng's face and felt a growing sense of anticipation.
As expected, An Zhongsheng's report did not disappoint everyone.
"Reporting to Commander Yang."
"We've successfully produced a magnesium alloy."
The workshop was illuminated by lights late at night.
A cool breeze blows, carrying the warm sound to all around, reaching the ears of those who are waiting.
Yang Xiaotao took a deep breath, then extended his right hand, "Congratulations!"
An Zhongsheng quickly extended his right hand and shook it firmly, "Thank you, Minister Yang."
Instantly, thunderous applause erupted from the audience, followed by even more enthusiastic shouts.
Wu Zhe and Chang Mingjie exchanged a glance and then both burst into laughter.
With the magnesium alloy in hand, the next challenge is for them.
Their smiles said it all; they were confident.