Chapter 1369
: Researcher Zhou Guangming, Optical Laboratory Completed, Li Aiguo to Develop Train Fir
Early in the morning, Zhou Guangming and a dozen colleagues were preparing for the grinding of the mirror when they were summoned.
Then a young man wearing a gray Zhongshan suit, led by Master Liu, entered the workshop.
Master Liu looked at the mirror grinders and said, "Gentlemen, this is Comrade Li Aiguo."
From today onwards, he will be the head of our optics studio!
Let me make this clear from the outset: everyone must unconditionally obey Comrade Li Aiguo's command and ensure that orders are carried out without question!
Did you all understand?
"understand!"
The dozen or so technicians below ranged in age from over fifty to just over ten, but they were all quite afraid of Master Liu.
This old optician, who lived before the liberation, has top-notch skills but a terrible temper.
Anyone who dares to slack off or cheat under his nose...
No matter which famous store you came from before.
It doesn't matter what level of master craftsman you are.
He can scold you so harshly that you can't even lift your head, showing absolutely no mercy.
Li Aiguo's gaze swept across the faces of these technicians.
"Fellow masters, we come from all over the country and may not have known each other before."
"But today, we are gathered here with only one goal: to strive for the early industrialization of our country!"
"The fact that you were selected through multiple rounds of screening and are now standing in this workshop proves that you are the most outstanding talents in this industry!"
"Next, we will take on an unprecedented task together and create a glorious achievement that has never been seen before! That is to establish an optical glass laboratory!"
Li Aiguo paused for a moment, then introduced himself: "I am the chief person in charge of this optical glass project. You can call me Engineer Li in private, but I prefer you to call me Comrade Aiguo."
As soon as he finished speaking, the workshop door was pushed open, and Zong Xianfeng walked in pushing a large blackboard.
Li Aiguo picked up the chalk and quickly wrote and drew on the blackboard.
Li Aiguo explained in simple terms the importance of optical glass in industry and its development direction.
Standing in the crowd, Zhou Guangming looked at the young man who was only a few years older than him, and felt a little dazed.
What this young man said sounded utterly absurd.
How come these lens grinders, who usually only know how to make glasses for nearsighted and farsighted people, can now participate in the manufacture of high-precision astronomical telescopes?
There are also things like "lithography machines" that I've never even heard of... and lenses for high-end cameras.
What the hell are these?
It sounds very high-end, but is this really something that ordinary craftsmen like them can make?
However, the workshop was completely silent, and no one raised any questions.
Since arriving at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop, these veteran craftsmen have witnessed too many miracles that they previously thought were "impossible."
"First, we need to have a basic understanding of what optical glass is."
Don't be nervous, and don't rush to take notes. These are just some conceptual things.
I will explain the detailed theoretical knowledge to everyone in detail later.
Li Aiguo first explained to everyone what optical glass is, so that everyone could have a basic understanding.
"Optical glass, simply put, is a special type of glass material with unique light transmission and refraction properties, possessing many unique advantages that ordinary glass cannot match..."
"Its applications are extremely wide, and it is widely used in observation scopes, aiming devices, precision instruments, and even military observation and aiming equipment..."
"The family of optical glass is also very large, mainly divided into different categories such as crown glass and flint glass, each with its specific uses..."
"Next, I will lead everyone in firing and polishing our own high-precision optical glass..."
When it was lunchtime, Zhou Guangming held his lunchbox, feeling a buzzing in his head.
Firstly, the physics and chemistry knowledge that Li Aiguo was talking about was really too profound, and he had never even heard of many of the terms.
Secondly, he was truly and utterly shocked.
This optical glass has such a great function!
This means that from now on, Zhou Guangming will no longer be the "stinky craftsman" in other people's eyes who only knows how to grind nearsighted lenses.
They are, in fact, upright researchers.
They'll be the kind of researchers who can wear white coats in the lab in the future!
However, the knowledge of optical glass is too complex, involving a lot of physics and chemistry.
There's also the complex process of smelting formulas and precision annealing. With such delicate and demanding materials, can this group of people really make it?
The meal was still plentiful, with pork stew with vermicelli, but everyone ate absentmindedly.
After finishing their meal, Zhou Guangming rested for a while as usual. He originally wanted to ask Li Aiguo for advice, but Li Aiguo disappeared after finishing his meal.
In the afternoon, Li Aiguo's optics mini-class continued.
Zhou Guangming's head ached from listening all afternoon.
He had never heard of the entire process of smelting, annealing, and homogenization before.
Looking at the densely packed parameters and process flow on the display board, Zhou Guangming felt that this material was simply not something that ordinary people could handle for mass production.
Fortunately, after the basic theoretical knowledge was explained, we quickly moved on to the practical part.
In the manufacture of optical glass, equipment is one part, but even more important is the skills available to the technicians.
The next day, after passing through layers of security checks, Zhou Guangming changed into the white lab coat for the optical laboratory and officially entered the laboratory.
This laboratory was recently built in a rush with the coordination of various parties.
Not only did it receive strong support from the Second Optical Factory in Beijing, but even the Jichun Instrument Factory in the far northeast provided a large number of precision processing equipment.
Although these devices, if placed in later generations, might only be considered outdated and obsolete.
But in this era of extreme poverty, this is already the highest configuration that can be assembled domestically, making it extremely rare.
Li Aiguo first introduced the technicians to the use of various instruments and the production process, and then continued.
"Yesterday, we went over the basic properties and the entire manufacturing process of optical glass. You don't need to memorize these theories for now."
"You only need to understand the processing and manufacturing methods of the parts and blanks you are responsible for. Now I will divide you into work groups."
Li Aiguo divided the dozen or so people into three groups, each with a group leader, a deputy group leader, and a quality inspector.
Seeing this, Zhou Guangming secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
They used to work in the same way in the eyeglasses store, following a step-by-step, assembly-line approach.
If everyone just focuses on their own little corner of the world and manages their own tasks, the pressure will actually be much less.
Each group was assigned an independent work area with a clear division of labor.
One group is responsible for raw material proportioning and smelting, another group is responsible for rough blank forming, and a third group is responsible for fine grinding and polishing.
In addition, Li Aiguo specially assigned personnel to form a key team to control the annealing temperature and purify impurities.
Zong Xianfeng is temporarily in charge of the optical laboratory.
Zhou Guangming had witnessed Li Aiguo's technical skill level.
Even the most complex procedures can be broken down into their entirety by Li Aiguo.
Furthermore, based on the actual situation, a complete set of highly operable standardized production processes was developed.
However, what concerned Zhou Guangming even more was that wherever Li Aiguo went, there was always a person in a gray Zhongshan suit following him, and he didn't know whether the person was an assistant or a security guard.
Because of his excellent performance, Zhou Guangming was assigned to the polishing group where Master Liu worked, and he was able to get the hang of it in no time.
As long as Li Aiguo explains the process requirements and submits the drawings, the group leaders can immediately take charge of production.
Zong Xianfeng also understood the importance of optical glass.
However, I don't really agree with recruiting mirror grinders from various places to do this.
After all, these craftsmen are uneducated and are just like ordinary workers.
They had never been exposed to high-precision optical glass processing before.
Unexpectedly, after Li Aiguo taught them for only a short period of time, they were already doing a pretty good job.
This scene reminded Zong Xianfeng of when he first came to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop.
At that time, Li Aiguo taught him step by step.
In fact, Li Aiguo didn't use any special methods. He just told everyone not to delve into the principles and to just follow the standard operating procedures.
"Comrade Zong, these are the lenses that our third group just finished polishing. Please take a look." Zong Xianfeng was in a daze when Zhou Guangming walked over with a batch of lenses.
"So fast?" Zong Xianfeng was somewhat surprised. This batch of lenses was used in tank anti-image stabilization fire control, which has particularly high requirements.
"We manufactured them according to the operating procedures of Director Li, no, Comrade Aiguo, without considering anything else."
Upon hearing this, Zong Xianfeng took the lens and examined it in the instrument.
"Surface smoothness...passes!" "Light transmittance test...passes!"
"Refractive index...perfect!"
Zong Xianfeng looked at those parameters and became excited.
In his view, it would take at least several months to manufacture this high-end optical glass.
Unexpectedly, in such a short time, Li Aiguo has already organized a makeshift team and built it.
Perhaps this isn't a makeshift operation. Zong Xianfeng looked up and saw the technicians who were working diligently.
Unbeknownst to them, under Li Aiguo's leadership, this group of lens grinders from before liberation had been transformed into the most professional optical technicians!
"How is it?" Zhou Guangming was also a little uneasy.
"Good! Very good! They're all top-quality products, all of them are up to standard!"
Zong Xianfeng patted Zhou Guangming on the shoulder heavily: "Comrade Zhou Guangming, you have made a great contribution this time!"
"A great achievement? Isn't it just grinding a few lenses?" Due to confidentiality requirements, Zhou Guangming and his comrades had no idea what the lenses in their hands were for from beginning to end.
"Ahem. In short, just do your job well."
Zong Xianfeng stood up: "Keep this standard up. I'll go report this good news to Comrade Aiguo now!"
Zong Xianfeng walked impatiently toward Li Aiguo's office.
Just as I reached the door, I ran into Chen Baiya.
"Brother Zong, you seem to be in such a hurry, are you looking for my master?" Chen Baiya greeted him with a smile.
"Yes, the first batch of lenses has been successfully produced in the optical lab. Where is your mentor?" Zong Xianfeng peeked into the empty office.
"Oh, he's not in the office. He went out early this morning, and I don't know where he went." Chen Baiya shook her head.
Hearing this, Zong Xianfeng was somewhat puzzled.
These days, Li Aiguo's work focus is clearly on tank anti-image stabilization fire control systems. I even saw him wandering around the optical laboratory this morning.
Where can they go at this crucial moment?
Where was Li Aiguo? Naturally, he was in the electric locomotive production workshop of Changxindian Locomotive Factory.
After nearly six months of effort, the parts for the VVVF electric train have finally been manufactured.
When Li Aiguo arrived, Liao, the project's deputy team leader and chief engineer, was leading a group of technicians and assembling motors with the workshop workers.
The electric motor is the core component of the VVVF electric train. Especially when running at high speeds, even on smooth tracks, the train may experience bumps due to the terrain, so the assembly must be secure.
"Aiguo, you're here. I estimate we can finish the initial assembly work this afternoon." Chief Engineer Liao has lost weight and looks more energetic.
During this period, he became more and more energetic at the Changxindian Locomotive Factory.
"Old Liao, I have something I'd like to trouble you with," Li Aiguo said, offering Chief Engineer Liao a cigarette.
"Is there anything I need?" Chief Engineer Liao thought Li Aiguo had some special instructions regarding the assembly process.
"This is not an assembly problem."
When you're laying the cables inside the carriage later, please put an extra layer of asbestos braided tape over all the wires.
Moreover, multiple layers are needed, especially for those core high-voltage power lines.
Li Aiguo's expression turned serious.
Li Aiguo thought for a moment, then continued, "Also, the interfaces should be sealed with water glass, and the cable trays should not use chemical plastics, but all metal boxes."
A layer of asbestos cement board needs to be added inside the car body.
Upon hearing these requirements, Chief Engineer Liao seemed thoughtful, while several technicians nearby couldn't help but chime in.
"Team leader, aren't these processes too cumbersome and complicated?"
We didn't have these standards before!
The Beijing subway project is about to be completed and accepted, and the higher authorities urgently need these electric trains to be put into use.
If we add so many extra steps, the project will definitely be delayed. Maybe we should…
Before they could finish speaking, Chief Engineer Liao glared at them and immediately reprimanded them sternly.
"Nonsense! What do you know? Didn't you realize that Comrade Patriot was considering fire safety measures for the train?!"
Comrade Aiguo was the chief designer in charge of designing the electric train.
This kind of comprehensive fire protection design for the entire vehicle should have been part of our locomotive factory's vehicle design team's job, but we were so focused on meeting deadlines that we neglected it!
Actually, it can't be entirely blamed on Chief Engineer Liao and his team for their negligence.
In this era, limited by technological capabilities and safety concepts, fire prevention has generally not been considered a major issue, whether domestically or internationally, whether for cars or trains.
Going back to World War II, even the small European family, who prided themselves on their advanced industry, used pine wood to decorate the interior of their luxury train carriages, which led to many tragedies.
It wasn't until the 1970s, after many painful lessons learned internationally, that fire prevention standards specifically for electric trains were gradually established.
For a regular train running on the ground, if a fire breaks out, it can simply stop, and passengers can jump off to escape, so the problem might not be too serious.
But subways and trains are completely different!
It operates in a narrow underground tunnel.
In the event of a fire, thick smoke and high temperatures would rapidly accumulate inside the tunnel, leaving passengers with absolutely no way to evacuate or escape.
That would be an unimaginable disaster!
Chief Engineer Liao was an experienced veteran of the railway. After thinking about it for a moment, he broke out in a cold sweat and felt increasingly frightened.
"Patriotism, your reminder is so timely! Besides these, what other fire prevention ideas do you have? Let's just bring them all up at once and make comprehensive improvements!"
Li Aiguo was aware of the fireproof material standards for trains in later generations, but given the technological level of that era, it was simply impossible to fully realize them.
However, there are always more solutions than problems.
Since there are no fireproof materials available in later generations, some traditional methods can be used as substitutes.
For example, a solid piece of asbestos fireproof wall could be installed between the driver's cab and the passenger compartment.
The vehicle body ventilation uses zoned air ducts, which are made of sheet metal with an asbestos layer on the inner wall.
In case of fire, the branch dampers can be manually closed to isolate the smoke from circulating.
The advantage of doing this is that it is low-cost, simple in technology, and very effective.
"That's a really good idea! Simple and practical! Patriot, what's wrong with your brain?"
Chief Engineer Liao was a decisive and impatient man. He immediately turned to the technicians and yelled, "What are you all standing there for?"
Stop the assembly immediately!
Notify the design team to immediately revise the design drawings according to Comrade Aiguo's suggestion!
Mobilize the entire team to gather all the necessary materials for the fireproofing renovation as quickly as possible!
Li Aiguo was also busy, helping the workers to modify the route of the high-voltage cables.
After a while, Chief Engineer Liao, who had gone to assign tasks, ran back.
"Patriotism, the more I think about it, the more I feel the importance of fire prevention for trains. Not only subway trains, but even our regular steam trains should undergo fire prevention modifications."
This is what a true expert is.
They are often able to see things from the perspective of the masses.
Li Aiguo was prepared and stood up, saying, "You're absolutely right!"
To be honest, Lao Liao, I've had this idea in my mind for a long time.
I plan to take this opportunity to formally draft a set of "Safety Rules and Standards for Fire Prevention Modification of Trains".
You're a veteran in our railway system, do you have time to team up with me and work on developing this standard?
"Of course I have time. The electric train is already being assembled, so my work is quite relaxed." Chief Engineer Liao also became excited.
Once these detailed rules are approved, his name will be etched in the history of train development.
Of course, Li Aiguo did not do this on a whim.
He was aware that several accidents had occurred on the railway in the following years.
The root cause is inseparable from the lack of fire prevention design in the trains and the uncontrolled spread of the fire.
Now that Li Aiguo has traveled to this era and has the opportunity to prevent these things from happening in advance, he will naturally not miss this opportunity.
In later generations, train fire prevention had long since developed into a professional and complex standard system, which Li Aiguo only needed to copy and make appropriate deletions.
For those technologies that are impossible to implement, simple alternatives can be used.
With the help of Chief Engineer Liao, who is very familiar with trains, the fire prevention standards were almost completed in just one afternoon.
"Patriotism, what do we do now? Shall we contact the leaders of the locomotive factory?" Chief Engineer Liao stood up.
"No, we should report to the leaders of the relevant ministries."
Upon hearing this, Chief Engineer Liao immediately realized his oversight.
Such matters, which affect the overall development of railways, can only be approved by leaders of ministries.
"Let's go together."
(End of this chapter)