Chapter 1298
: The completion of the 2-ton rolling mill meets the needs of two southern destroyers, e
The news that the 100,000-ton rolling mill had begun assembly quickly alarmed the leaders of the First Ministry of Machine Building.
"The Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop is indeed remarkable. If this super heavy machinery is successful, it will be a godsend for our industrial manufacturing."
"However, we still need to continue experimenting. We will definitely encounter various problems during the assembly process, and we need to overcome and solve them one by one."
Li Aiguo has been exhausted these past few days.
We ate and slept at the rolling mill factory, living with a bunch of grown men. It was incredibly tough.
Even the steel rolling mill's publicity department, which sends young girls to do publicity every day, feels exhausted.
But there is no way.
The 100,000-ton rolling mill has a lot of parts, and they are all quite large.
No one knew better than him, the chief designer, how dangerous and difficult it was to assemble these super-large components under current technological conditions.
Especially in this day and age, China has neither professional ultra-large hoisting equipment nor experienced professional hoisting teams, so everything has to be learned through trial and error.
Fortunately, Chief Engineer Qi had accumulated a lot of experience in assembling large components when building the wind tunnel.
This time, he personally led the technicians from the wind tunnel to help Li Aiguo a lot.
That's how it is in industry. Once you've mastered one thing, you have the experience to move on to something new.
Of course, Li Aiguo still had to work with these experienced chief engineers to figure out the specific assembly processes and procedures, and constantly adjust the plans.
As parts from various supporting manufacturers were continuously delivered by rail, the atmosphere at the scene became increasingly lively.
First, a rigorous quality inspection of the components was conducted. After confirming that everything was correct, several heavy-duty train cranes worked together to slowly lift those enormous objects.
The entire team of experienced steel mill workers, all at the eighth level, were mobilized and busy with various tasks.
Initially, the top leaders of the Ministry of Machine Building would only come to inspect the site every few days.
Later on, he simply made sure to take a detour every day after get off work to keep an eye on things for a while.
Not only the leaders of the Ministry of Machine Building, but also Lao Mao from the meteorological station came over, because once the 100,000-ton rolling mill is completed, it will become a key piece of machinery.
There are also leaders from the Ministry of Railways responsible for transportation scheduling.
To ensure the smooth transportation of the heavy materials, they even brought their bedding and chose to stay on site.
In an instant, the 100,000-ton steel rolling mill was so heavily guarded that it seemed to have become a top-secret military factory.
The residents in the nearby alleys would whisper amongst themselves every day as they looked at the towering, spire-like fittings and massive steel supports erected inside the wall.
Many people speculated that this might be a secret construction site for missile launches.
This put the neighborhood committee aunties on high alert instantly.
As soon as they see any suspicious-looking or lurking figures near the factory area, they immediately swarm around them for questioning.
In the past few days, several people who wanted to get closer to see what was going on were mistaken for Dieter and pinned to the ground by the older women.
In the end, it was only after the director of the neighborhood office personally stepped in to explain that they were able to take the person back, much to their amusement and exasperation.
"This...this means the assembly was successful?"
A few days later, Section Chief Xing could hardly believe it. They had said it would take more than half a month.
The 100,000-ton rolling mill plant has now built a perimeter wall.
The rolling mill is the main structure, with factory buildings, material storage warehouses, and maintenance workshops located next to it.
A railway was specially built in front of the rolling mill to maximize the delivery of heavy materials.
"The overall frame and mechanical structure are no longer a major problem, but an extremely detailed and comprehensive inspection is still required."
Every control circuit, hydraulic line, and every pipeline must be checked one by one.
Li Aiguo watched as Zong Xianfeng led a group of skilled technicians into the machine for a re-inspection.
"I heard they've already started preparing for testing?"
When the leaders of the First Ministry of Machine Building learned of the news, they rushed to the scene and were dumbfounded.
Some of the interfaces look rough and haven't been painted.
"Shall we give it a try?"
Li Aiguo had Zong Xianfeng turn on the machine for a test, and the huge forging hammer head began to slowly descend.
Although the speed was not fast, the overwhelming sense of oppression and visual impact deeply shocked everyone present.
Immediately afterwards, the Qianmen Locomotive Depot delivered a batch of special steel for testing by train, which was slowly conveyed to the feeding port via a conveyor belt in preparation for a simple load test.
That afternoon.
The 100,000-ton rolling mill plant was visited by a large inspection team, consisting of dozens of people, all of whom were high-ranking leaders from various relevant ministries.
"Do you not trust your patriotic comrades, or do you not trust the judgment of your superiors?"
The Ministry of Railways leader Teng also arrived, and the more he looked at it, the more he felt that this thing was a perfect match for the Ministry of Railways.
They are all so profound and powerful.
Next to the main body of the rolling mill, two specially designed large overhead cranes have been installed and are ready to be used to lift those ultra-large forgings weighing hundreds of tons.
Li Aiguo also took this opportunity to explain to the first batch of technicians at the rolling mill how to use the machine.
While Li Aiguo was busy with the follow-up testing of the 100,000-ton rolling mill,
The Jiangnan Shipyard, located thousands of miles away.
The atmosphere in the chief engineer's office was oppressive.
Zhao Qingyang stared at the blueprints on the table, his brows furrowed. He picked up his teacup to take a sip of water, only to find that the water had long since gone cold.
"What did the factory leaders say? Haven't they found a suitable rolling mill yet?"
"Teacher, the factory office has contacted several heavy machinery factories in China. The largest rolling mill they can find right now is only 8,000 tons." Assistant Xiao Zhang, standing to the side, swallowed hard.
Zhao Qingyang didn't speak, he just stared at the data on the blueprint.
Seeing this, Xiao Zhang tentatively asked, "Teacher, could we... lower our requirements a little? After all, the conditions in China are what they are."
"Snapped!"
Zhao Qingyang slammed his hand on the blueprint.
"Lower the requirements? Xiao Zhang, how many times have I told you? We build ships! We build warships! If we can't control the quality, we'll be playing with our comrades' lives at sea!"
Xiao Zhang shrank back in fright and dared not reply.
He knew that his teacher was usually a nice guy, but when it came to technical specifications, he was more stubborn than anyone else.
Zhao Qingyang took a deep breath and explained, suppressing his anger: "The Type 65 frigate has a maximum thickness of 30 millimeters, a width of 2.5 meters, and a length of 12 meters! It's made of 901 manganese steel!"
Tell me, what are we going to do with an 8,000-ton rolling mill? Haven't we learned enough lessons from last time?
To solve the deck problem, the fleet once asked Shenyang Heavy Machinery Plant through the Shipbuilding Industry Bureau to help manufacture deck samples.
They spent a lot of effort making the sample, but it broke during the first test.
Not only did it waste time, but it also wasted a lot of money.
Xiao Zhang lowered his head, understanding the teacher's difficulties.
The Type 65 frigate has a displacement of 1200 tons, and it is a warship designed and built independently by us.
Most importantly, the Type 65 can perform long-range missions, making it a true blue-water warship.
If there is a problem with the ship's steel plates, the consequences would be unimaginable in rough seas.
However, there are indeed no rolling mills of that size in China.
It's like a skilled cook trying to make a meal without rice; you can't just hammer it out bit by bit, can you?
Just then, the factory office's confidential clerk rushed in excitedly.
"Old Zhao, good news! A 100,000-ton rolling mill has been developed in Beijing and is currently in the testing phase. Once the test is successful, our factory will apply for it immediately."
Zhao Qingyang was stunned.
He wondered if he had misheard and reached up to rub his ears.
"How much? One hundred thousand tons?"
"That's right! It's 100,000 tons! It's still in the testing phase."
"I heard that a new factory was built in Beijing specifically for this rolling mill," the confidential clerk added.
Zhao Qingyang had visited his elder brother's house before and knew the size of the large rolling mill.
The fact that a factory was built specifically for this suggests that it's highly likely true.
He grabbed the blueprints from the table and, without saying a word, strode out of the office.
"Hey! Old Zhao, where are you going?" the confidential clerk called from behind.
Zhao Qingyang ignored him completely and ran straight into the factory director's office.
"Factory Director! I request permission to use that 100,000-ton rolling mill in Beijing immediately! The hull plating, deck, ribs, and longitudinal girder of the ship all need to be pressed using it!"
The factory manager was looking at the documents when Zhao Qingyang's sudden outburst gave him a headache.
"Old Zhao, please sit down. We did contact the Ministry of Machine Building, and we hope they can build the rolling mill as soon as possible."
However, it's not finished yet; it's still in the testing phase.
Old Zhao, shouldn't we wait a little longer?
Seeing the factory manager's attitude, Zhao Qingyang slammed his fist on the table.
"Factory Director, we can't wait any longer. Testing of such a large rolling mill usually takes several months. You know where this batch of Type 65 rolling mills is going to be sent!"
The words were spoken.
The office was silent for a few seconds.
The factory manager's expression immediately turned serious, and he grabbed the red telephone on the table.
"I will contact the Ministry of Machine Building and the fleet immediately."
Li Aiguo learned of Jiangnan Shipyard's application the following morning.
He was watching Zong Xianfeng and the others being tested when Yan Jiecheng ran over and told him to hurry up and go to Section Chief Xing's office for a meeting.
"Brother Aiguo, hurry! Section Chief Xing wants you to go back to his office right now for a meeting!"
Li Aiguo casually asked, "What happened?"
"I heard that leaders from the First Ministry of Machine Building came, and they brought along some unfamiliar faces."
Li Aiguo frowned.
These days, the leaders of the Ministry of Machine Building are practically bringing their bedding to the rolling mill, keeping a close eye on things on-site every day. So why did they go to Section Chief Xing's office today?
This is illogical.
He couldn't figure it out, so he didn't speculate further.
Li Aiguo mounted his mountain bike, twisted the throttle, and headed straight for the Qianmen Locomotive Depot with Yan Jiecheng on his back.
Li Aiguo pushed open the office door and glanced around.
Besides Section Chief Xing and Leader Liu from the Ministry of Machine Building, two other leaders dressed in naval uniforms were also sitting on the sofa.
"Comrade Patriot, come quickly!" Section Chief Xing waved hurriedly.
"Let me introduce you. These two are the leaders of the 2nd Destroyer Fleet of the Southern Fleet, officially designated as the Navy Unit 38012."
"This is Comrade Li Aiguo from our Qianmen Locomotive Depot, the chief designer of the 100,000-ton rolling mill."
Li Aiguo stepped forward and shook hands with the two naval leaders.
He remained outwardly calm, but his heart skipped a beat.
Two southbound vehicles?
Unit 38012?
Others might not know, but he knew it all too well.
This is currently our only fully-fledged domestically produced frigate flotilla.
Responsible for patrolling, protecting fisheries, escorting ships, and guarding islands and reefs.
In later records, this unit participated in many battles and made outstanding contributions, making it a true heroic unit.
It's no small matter that would warrant them making the trip themselves.
Hello, hello.
"Comrade Patriot, I've long admired your name."
The leaders of the South Drive 2nd Branch are straightforward and don't mince words; they get straight to the point.
"We commissioned Jiangnan Shipyard to manufacture the Type 65 frigate, but we are currently facing a bottleneck in the pressing process of the hull deck."
I heard that the 100,000-ton rolling mill you developed has already started testing.
We just wanted to ask if we could use this machine directly to press the deck, replacing testing with production.” Another leader quickly added, “Comrade Aiguo, don’t have any concerns.”
If the risk is too great, or the machine is not ready yet, just say so.
We'll think of other ways; we won't force anyone.
Li Aiguo was very clear about what he had done.
There might be a minor issue, but there's definitely no major problem.
"Production is not a problem. However, there is one condition: once the machines are running, all production scheduling and technical instructions on site must be carried out according to my instructions."
Li Aiguo was straightforward.
This wasn't Li Aiguo's excessive demand, but rather that many organizations particularly enjoy interfering in other people's work.
Of course, they might be trying to show off their abilities, and if they didn't offer some suggestions, they would seem incompetent.
"Alright! As long as the deck can be built, you're in charge on-site!" The two naval leaders didn't seem to care about this issue.
After all, this is the first 100,000-ton steel rolling mill in China, and they wouldn't feel comfortable letting others give them instructions.
In addition, they also felt that this was asking too much of them.
It's just that the situation in the southern ocean has changed too much and is changing rapidly, which is why we had no choice but to come to them.
The leaders of the First Ministry of Machine Building understood Li Aiguo's concerns and made a statement on the spot.
"Don't worry, patriotic comrade."
No matter who comes here, the manufacturing work will be mainly handled by your 100,000-ton rolling mill plant.
If anyone has any objections, come directly to us!
With both the First Ministry of Machine Building and the Second Branch of the Southern Strike Force expressing their stance, the matter was considered settled.
Section Chief Xing was surprised that the talks went so smoothly and said with a smile, "You two leaders, it must have been hard for you to come all this way."
It's almost noon, so I asked the cafeteria to add a few meat dishes. Would you like camel meat? We can have some here for lunch.
"Section Chief Xing, I appreciate your kind offer, but we won't stay for dinner. We need to quickly find a phone and notify Jiangnan Shipyard to send over the special steel. Once this batch of decks rolls off the production line smoothly, we'll treat everyone to drinks!"
Offering camel meat was already the greatest show of sincerity from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, but the naval leaders waved their hands and stood up.
The two confirmed the technical details with Li Aiguo several times, then turned and left in a hurry.
Watching the door close.
Section Chief Xing sensed that something was wrong.
He handed a cigarette to both Leader Liu and Li Aiguo, then lowered his voice and asked, "Old Liu, why are they in such a hurry over there? Is it a matter of life and death?"
Liu, the leader of the First Ministry of Machine Building, was in charge of liaising with Jiangnan Shipyard and clearly understood the situation. He took the cigarette and said...
"I don't know the specifics, but I heard that the Indians just bought a few boats from the Russians."
The large ship seems to have some issues, but it's not a major concern. However, the medium-sized ships pose a significant threat.
They seem to be called something like the Mosquito-class missile destroyer and the Petya-class anti-submarine frigate.
The Indians immediately became very assertive and even came to our side to cause trouble.
We urgently need these Type 65 destroyers for escort.
After hearing this, Li Aiguo couldn't help but laugh.
Unexpectedly, this matter has still been involved with India.
Meanwhile, the two leaders of the Southern Destroyer 2nd Flotilla had already reported the situation directly to the fleet command via a secure hotline.
In those days, there were three fleets in China: the East China Military Region Navy (which later developed into the East China Sea Fleet), the North Sea Fleet, and the South China Sea Fleet. The three fleets were responsible for the defense of different sea areas.
After hearing the report, the fleet's top leader excitedly slapped the table.
"Good! What a great idea to use production instead of testing! But we've put our patriot in a difficult position. He could have just followed the testing process step by step, but now we've forced him to take the plunge."
“Yes, they can simply follow the established procedures for testing without taking any risks,” said the leader of the South Detachment 2.
"How about this, let's put this production project under the fleet's name. If it fails, I'll take the blame."
The top leader spoke while holding the phone.
"Tell the patriotic comrades and the comrades at Jiangnan Shipyard to go all out and get things done."
"Understood!" After hanging up the phone, the leader of the South Destroyer 2nd Detachment immediately reported the news to Jiangnan Shipyard.
Upon learning of this news, Chief Engineer Zhao Qingyang immediately gathered the blueprints and prepared the materials needed to manufacture the deck.
Li Aiguo was unaware of these things.
He had already returned to the 100,000-ton rolling mill plant and called a halt to the ongoing testing.
Chief Engineer Qi was recording data in his notebook when he heard this and was stunned. He quickly came over and said, "Aiguo, why did you stop? The oil line was just running smoothly."
Because it involved military secrets, Li Aiguo could not say it openly.
He leaned close to Chief Engineer Qi's ear and whispered something.
"We've been assigned a task: to build decks and core components for a large ship. It's a real, hands-on job."
Chief Engineer Qi himself came from an aircraft manufacturing background and was extremely familiar with the military industry system.
Upon hearing "big ship," their eyes lit up instantly.
"Good heavens!" Chief Engineer Qi slapped his thigh, his whole body energized.
"Stop the machine immediately! All teams, take note: clean the machinery overnight, check all stress points, and prepare for the ship's deck!"
The three senior engineers sent by the Ministry of Machine Building to assist also came over when they heard the commotion.
After figuring out what had happened, the group of old men, whose combined age was nearly two hundred, were so excited that their faces turned red.
Just kidding, in this day and age, being able to contribute to the construction of large ships is an honor for everyone.
The preparations for the 100,000-ton rolling mill were very complicated. By the time Li Aiguo returned home, it was already evening.
The courtyard house was as lively as ever.
Before we even reached the Intermediate People's Court, we could hear Yi Zhonghai's voice.
"What did I say before? This 100,000-ton steel rolling mill is all hype and nothing but a pile of scrap iron!"
Listen to this, it's only been tested for a few days?
The system has been shut down!
"There must be a serious problem with the core component!"
Although Yi Zhonghai was in a wheelchair, he kept his eyes fixed on the 100,000-ton machine plant.
There were also many experienced steel mill workers there, and they immediately perked up when they learned that the testing had been stopped.
Liu Haizhong, holding a rice bowl, stood to the side, unable to bear it any longer.
The 100,000-ton rolling mill was built with the participation of their Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill. If it succeeds, he will be proud to go out and make a name for himself.
"Old Yi, what kind of talk is that? That's a key project!"
What's wrong with the machine being down? Maybe they're just making technical adjustments.
Stop trying to demoralize the troops!
"Am I undermining morale?"
Yi Zhonghai sneered and pointed at Liu Haizhong.
"Liu Haizhong, you're just trying to curry favor with Li Aiguo!"
Let me tell you, once the machine stops, it stops; scrap metal is scrap metal!
The two were arguing when Li Aiguo pushed his cart into the Intermediate People's Court.
Yi Zhonghai caught a glimpse of that tall figure out of the corner of his eye, and his voice abruptly stopped.
He swallowed hard, his heart skipping a beat.
I don't know why, but now I feel scared whenever I see Li Aiguo.
"Huai Ru! Qin Huai Ru!" Yi Zhonghai shouted urgently in a low voice, "Quickly, push me back into the house!"
Qin Huairu wiped her hands and ran out of the house, head down, and quickly pushed the wheelchair away.
When Liu Haizhong and Xu Damao saw Li Aiguo return, they immediately came over.
"Aiguo, everyone in the factory is saying that the rolling mill has stopped. Is something really wrong?" Liu Haizhong asked tentatively.
Xu Damao nodded in agreement: "Yes, Patriot Brother, the rumors outside are really nasty."
Li Aiguo stopped and looked at the two of them.
"The confidentiality regulations stipulate that I cannot disclose the specific details. However, I can tell you that the shutdown is not due to a malfunction, but rather because we received an emergency production order and are about to start using the real equipment."
Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong and Xu Damao exchanged a glance and breathed a sigh of relief.
“I knew it! How could there be a problem!” Liu Haizhong immediately straightened his back.
The night was quiet.
The room was lit by a dim, yellow light.
Chen Xueru brought over a basin of hot water, squatted down, and gently massaged Li Aiguo's feet in the water.
Feeling the soft, boneless little hand, Li Aiguo focused his attention on the blueprints.
The existing rolling mills are not yet adequate for pressing down the deck of the Type 65 corvette.
901 manganese steel has extremely high hardness, requiring a thickness of 30 mm and a width of 2.5 m, which poses a great challenge to the bite angle of the rolls and the pressing accuracy of the hydraulic system.
For the next few days, Li Aiguo lived and worked at the factory, leading Chief Engineer Qi and the project team to adjust the equipment.
"Remove the No. 1 working roll and replace it with a high-hardness alloy roll!"
"The response time of the hydraulic servo valve must be recalibrated, and the compression error must not exceed 0.1 mm!"
"Adjust the roll gap and recalculate the bite angle!"
Time passed by in a flurry of activity.
Tuesday morning.
A special train slowly entered the internal railway of the 100,000-ton steel rolling mill.
The car door opened, and Zhao Qingyang, the chief engineer of Jiangnan Shipyard, was the first to step out. He looked up, and his gaze froze instantly.
Although he was mentally prepared, he was still deeply shocked when he saw the steel rolling mill, which was as big as a small building.
"I never imagined we could build such a large rolling mill."
"Hey, Lao Zhao, we meet again."
A familiar voice came from behind.
Zhao Qingyang turned his head and saw a familiar face smiling at him.
If it's not Li Aiguo, then who is it?
Zhao Qingyang was stunned when he saw Li Aiguo: "Aiguo, did you build this steel rolling mill?"
"Yeah, Lao Zhao, how's it going?"
Looking at the rolling mill, then at Li Aiguo, Zhao Qingyang fell silent.
Back when he was in Wu Han, Li Aiguo had told him that he would help build the Blue Ocean warship, but he thought Li Aiguo was joking at the time.
I didn't expect this guy to actually keep his word.
"Come on, Aiguo, let me introduce you."
Zhao Qingyang snapped out of his daze and pointed to the two experts who were walking down behind him.
"These two are Professor Sun and Professor Wu from the 701 Research Institute, the designers of the Type 65 frigate."
Li Aiguo immediately stopped smiling and stepped forward to shake hands.
He deeply respected these senior figures.
"Mr. Sun, Mr. Wu, you must be tired from your journey. Let's go to the office to talk."
Li Aiguo led the way.
As Zhao Qingyang walked, he secretly surveyed his surroundings.
Although the 100,000-ton rolling mill is a newly built plant, the workers and technicians are in high spirits.
Especially regarding security measures, Zhao Qingyang saw several men in gray Zhongshan suits patrolling along the way.
Even at the office door, there were several people in gray Zhongshan suits standing.
"Please come in." Li Aiguo invited the group into his office and closed the door.
Zhao Qingyang looked at the security specialist behind him: "Take out the blueprints."
(End of this chapter)