Chapter 622
Energy Black Hole, Electromagnetic Catapult Technology, Wang Yifei Locks Herself Up
In a courtyard on Wenjin Street in Beijing, more than a dozen leading figures in the domestic scientific community gathered in an office for a meeting.
In addition to experts, steel industry giants were also present.
"Thank you all for attending today's meeting."
The leader had a serious expression, without a trace of a smile, as if he was born with that look.
"Just last month, we were rejected by a foreign country. We've gathered everyone here today to brainstorm and see if we can solve this technical problem."
Fourteen years ago, Wang Duoyu led a research team to overcome technical difficulties and successfully developed the Longxiao stealth fighter jet.
At that time, the Gulf War had just ended, and the country was in a state of high tension. Not only did they want to build more powerful fighter jets, but they also needed to develop early warning aircraft, carrier-based aircraft, aircraft carriers, and so on.
Aircraft carrier technology is extremely complex; it's not simply a matter of building any large ship.
The core technologies have always been in the hands of foreigners.
Aircraft carrier technology is indeed extraordinary, and China has been very envious of it, so it has been trying to acquire such technology for many years.
After many attempts following the turn of the millennium, the experiment was finally successful.
However, before this aircraft carrier was even fully completed, a new problem has emerged: the carrier's arresting cables.
A foreigner successfully scared off an aircraft carrier arresting cable by asking for ten million US dollars.
The leaders were naturally unwilling to be taken advantage of, so they could only try to find a way.
Then, the US aircraft carrier arresting gear manufacturer offered a very tempting condition: exchange it for lunar soil!
The proposal was rejected again; of course, Want Want Group wouldn't agree, nor would its leaders.
The lunar soil contains a very important 'armor' element, which naturally cannot be controlled by the United States.
So after the proposal was rejected, the leaders realized that they had no choice but to solve the production technology problem of the aircraft carrier arresting gear themselves.
That's why we have today's meeting.
"Aircraft carrier arresting gear?"
Wang Duoyu was stunned for a moment. He thought it was something serious, but he didn't expect it to be this.
In the original timeline, around 2012, during a critical period in the development of the arresting gear for our Liaoning aircraft carrier, we wanted to purchase the arresting gear from the United States.
After all, the research and development costs are quite high, and the Liaoning aircraft carrier is about to be launched for testing. Time is tight, and they also felt that a small rope didn't involve much technology, so they asked foreigners for advice.
As a result, they were so angry at the high price that they soon launched a nationwide tender.
It was only then that they discovered that Juling Group had aircraft carrier arresting cables in its warehouse, and that these were steel ropes that had been sold to an American company.
Later, this company transformed from a private enterprise into an arms factory.
In this timeline, Wang Duoyu didn't specifically produce so-called aircraft carrier arresting cables, but Want Want Group did have ropes that met the parameter requirements.
"Boss, there's no need to discuss this further. We have ropes with these parameters."
As soon as Wang Duoyu spoke, everyone looked at him with disbelief in their eyes.
Leader Zhao asked urgently:
"Professor Wang, you're not lying to us, are you? Is there really an aircraft carrier arresting cable with the parameters mentioned on this piece of paper?"
The Americans have said that this thing is extremely difficult to make technically, and even if they sold it to us for ten million dollars a piece, they wouldn't make much money.
Okay, just listen to what Americans say, but only a fool would believe it.
The technical challenges of aircraft carrier arresting cables are real, no joke.
Because Leader Zhao had also consulted relevant experts, this aircraft carrier arresting cable is not a simple steel cable, but a complex system integrating materials science, precision manufacturing, hydraulic control, mechanical engineering and automation technology. It is one of the core indicators for measuring a country's aircraft carrier industry level.
If Wang Duoyu knew this, he would definitely ask the expert if he had been paid by a foreigner.
Otherwise, how could someone say something so irresponsible?
Admittedly, the technology of aircraft carrier arresting cables is quite challenging, but it has not yet reached the level of a core indicator for measuring the level of a country's aircraft carrier industry.
Does an aircraft carrier contain few core technologies?
At most, the arresting gear on an aircraft carrier is just a key technological hurdle. The real core technologies of an aircraft carrier are electromagnetic catapult technology, carrier-based aircraft system, nuclear power technology, unmanned combat platforms, and rapid iteration capabilities.
Electromagnetic catapult technology requires precise control of the thrust curve to avoid damage to the structure of carrier-based aircraft.
Among aircraft carrier catapult technologies, there are steam catapults and electromagnetic catapults.
However, the energy conversion of the steam catapult system has inherent defects, relying on high-pressure steam generated by the aircraft carrier's boilers as a power source, which is then transported to the catapult piston through a massive pipeline system.
Along the way, a large amount of energy is wasted due to heat loss, mechanical friction and other factors, resulting in a very low energy conversion efficiency of less than 10%, making it an energy black hole.
Electromagnetic catapults completely reconstruct the logic of energy utilization, relying on integrated power systems and flywheel energy storage technology to improve energy conversion to over 90%.
Its core energy storage device can accumulate 120 megajoules of energy within 45 seconds, and can accurately release the required power with a single launch.
And it does not rely on the carrier's main engines for power throughout the entire process.
Steam catapults are picky about aircraft type compatibility, are an industrial nightmare in terms of maintenance and support, and suffer from delayed start-up in terms of tactical response.
In contrast, electromagnetic catapults are suitable for all types of carrier-based aircraft, both light and heavy. They are also extremely simple and reliable in terms of maintenance and support, with a very low failure rate. In terms of tactical response, they are ready to be used immediately.
This is one of the true core technologies of an aircraft carrier.
Nuclear power technology, carrier-based aircraft systems, unmanned combat platforms, and the ability to rapidly iterate modular and industrialized production are all core technologies of aircraft carriers.
But what about the arresting cables on an aircraft carrier?
The technical difficulty level is not low, but Hongxing Group, a subsidiary of Want Want Group, has a subsidiary company called Guizhou Steel Cable, which has contracted to supply space steel cables for all of Want Want Group's spacecraft and satellite launchers.
Based on the technical parameters provided by his leader, Lao Zhao, Wang Duoyu was quite certain that Guizhou Steel Cable possessed this product, and even had quite a few stored in its warehouse.
Why?
Because the Red Star Group needs to impress Wang Duoyu, it has to invest heavily in research and development.
In 1987, Hongxing Group underwent restructuring and became the first steel and energy enterprise under the Want Want Group to operate as a group.
At that time, the main industries being developed were steel mills and petrochemical plants, while the core business was mainly technological innovation.
Guizhou Steel Cable, a subsidiary of Hongxing Group, is backed by large capital and possesses a solid technological foundation and patent support, offering a wide variety of steel cables.
Otherwise, Guizhou Steel Cable wouldn't have been able to contract the space cables for all of Want Want Group's spacecraft and space vehicles.
The steel cables on spacecraft include reusable rocket capture arms, composite lifting devices, launch vehicle arresting cables, and cable systems for rocket ground tests.
Aircraft carrier arresting cables are very different from these 'space rigging'. The former's technical difficulty lies in four aspects: extreme mechanical performance requirements, harsh environmental and durability requirements, complex materials and manufacturing processes, and the complexity of system integration and control.
To give an example of extreme mechanical performance requirements, one requirement is that the arresting cables of aircraft carriers must have extremely high strength.
When carrier-based aircraft land, they can weigh 20-30 tons and travel at speeds of 200-300 kilometers per hour. The carrier's arresting cables must absorb such enormous kinetic energy within 2-3 seconds, and the instantaneous tensile force can reach 850,000 Newtons, which is equivalent to 85 tons of force, or several times the weight of the aircraft itself.
Secondly, it requires that the aircraft carrier's arresting cables possess excellent toughness and flexibility.
Aircraft carrier arresting cables must undergo controlled elastic deformation under enormous tensile forces, rather than breaking directly.
At the same time, it also needs to be flexible enough to be raised to a suitable height on the deck so that the tailhook of the carrier-based aircraft can catch it, and be able to bend smoothly after being caught.
Third, it requires that the aircraft carrier's arresting cables have excellent fatigue resistance.
Without a doubt, aircraft carrier arresting gear is a very typical consumable item.
An aircraft carrier may perform dozens or even hundreds of landing operations every day. Each arresting cable must withstand hundreds or thousands of extreme impacts during its service life, which places extremely high demands on the fatigue resistance of the materials.
This is why Old Zhao, the leader, was so surprised when Wang Duoyu said he had aircraft carrier arresting cables with such technical parameters.
He even asked Wang Duoyu two questions in return.
Even though Wang Duoyu is the leading figure in the Chinese scientific community, Lao Zhao still raised questions.
"Boss, it's true."
Wang Duoyu calmly said:
“Our Red Star Group’s Guizhou Steel Cable Company produces arresting cables with this performance. They were originally intended for use at our Ali camp, but not many have been used. There are still seven or eight thousand of these arresting cables piled up in the warehouse.”
Leaders including Lao Zhao remained silent.
No one expected that the aircraft carrier arresting cable they had been longing for was simply discarded by Wang Duoyu in the warehouse.
Ten million US dollars per cable! If Guizhou Steel Cable Company knew about this, they would probably be slapping their thighs in disbelief.
"Do you have steam catapult technology?"
After a short while, Old Zhao, who had come to his senses, suddenly asked a question.
Aircraft carrier catapult technology is also one of the technical challenges that need to be addressed at today's meeting.
Because aircraft carriers are a crucial national asset that China needs to address, and are one of the essential weapons for protecting the country.
Although China already possesses the Longxiao stealth fighter jet, with a strike range covering the entire globe, there's absolutely no need to worry so much.
However, as one of the nation's most important weapons, once this weakness is addressed, the country will be completely protected from all angles.
"no!"
Wang Duoyu shook his head honestly, and Lao Zhao and the others all looked disappointed.
But then Wang Duoyu said:
"However, our Want Want Group has already developed electromagnetic catapult technology. This was originally a technology that our group was developing in cooperation with Harbin Institute of Technology, but Harbin Institute of Technology was not very interested in electromagnetic catapult technology, so we did not conduct in-depth research on it."
"Our group doesn't miss any opportunity to apply any technology, so we've been systematically developing electromagnetic catapult technology, and so far, things are going very well."
Harbin Institute of Technology and National University of Defense Technology are both among the "Seven Sons of National Defense," and the two have always been in competition.
Even though Harbin Institute of Technology is now a world-renowned university, it does not stop the National University of Defense Technology from wanting to surpass Harbin Institute of Technology in the fields of magnetic levitation and electromagnetic technology.
Harbin Institute of Technology has very strong financial backing, and with Wang Duoyu in charge, it has also been making great strides in the field of magnetic levitation technology.
High-speed rail has been around in China for a long time, and as a cutting-edge technological innovation in the global field, the National University of Defense Technology certainly hopes to vigorously develop and promote maglev technology.
After all, the National University of Defense Technology has a very strong sense of historical mission, and it would be even better if it could take a jab at Harbin Institute of Technology as well.
Against this backdrop, electromagnetic catapult technology has become one of the more prominent technologies under the Want Want Group.
Upon hearing Wang Duoyu's words, Lao Zhao and the others' eyes lit up, and they handed over the technical parameters:
"Professor Wang, take a look, does it match the parameters above?"
The former glanced at it and nodded, saying:
"Yes, we have improved some aspects. If you need, we can provide you with some technology from three years ago."
hiss!
Old Zhao and the others were all dumbfounded, wondering what kind of magic the Want Want Group was.
Has electromagnetic catapult technology really been updated to this extent?
There was no need to continue the meeting.
After a hasty meeting, Lao Zhao and the other leaders and experts packed their things and headed straight for the airport.
They planned to visit Guizhou Steel Cable Company, and then go to the Guangzhou headquarters factory of Want Want Group to see the so-called electromagnetic catapult technology.
Wang Duoyu did not go with them, but instead returned to Bingcheng.
He has been away for almost half a month this time, and Liu Xiaoli is getting very anxious.
As soon as she got home, Liu Xiaoli pulled Wang Duoyu aside and gave him some instructions:
"You should try to talk to her. She's been locking herself in her room these past few days and won't go anywhere. I'm so worried about her."
Since being discharged from the hospital after her injury, Wang Yifei has been staying at home to recuperate, which is a good thing.
But her injuries haven't fully healed yet; after all, it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone, and that's no joke.
As a result, she actually wanted to use this time to rest and recover from her injury to record songs so that she wouldn't become a missing person in the entertainment industry.
So, the day before yesterday, she got injured again.
She should be resting properly, but she insisted on working. Even though it was just recording a song, wouldn't singing aggravate her injury?
It's not completely healed yet, so of course you can't move it around carelessly.
Liu Xiaoli said a few words to her at the hospital, and she talked back. After returning from the hospital, she locked herself in her room.
Therefore, Liu Xiaoli couldn't understand why her once sunny, optimistic, and cheerful daughter had become so stubborn and unwilling to listen to others' advice.
"Okay, I understand!" Wang Duoyu said with a smile.
He was well aware of his eldest daughter's changes; no one wants to accept their own failure.
Especially for astronauts, if she takes a break and tries to catch up again, she might not be able to. (End of Chapter)