Steel Dynasty - Chapter 287

[Chapter 287 Tungsten Ore]

“Has the tungsten mine been found?”

Joy instantly enveloped Xiao Ming. It took almost a year to find the tungsten mine, and now it has finally been found.

“Your Highness, I did find tungsten ore in my search for mines. This is a good sign during the Chinese New Year. It seems that Your Highness’s fortune will be very prosperous this year.” Qian Dafu said with a grin.

During this trip to Dengzhou, Xiao Ming was originally feeling a little angry, but now the good news immediately cheered him up. He said, “Go to the main hall and tell me slowly.”

Qian Dafu followed with a smile on his face. Xiao Ming went to the main hall.

The two sat down, and Xiao Ming asked eagerly: “Where is the specific location of this tungsten mine?”

“Your Highness, it’s just fifty miles outside Laizhou City.” Qian Dafu said.

Laizhou and Dengzhou are adjacent, and they are also two states on the peninsula. They are only two hundred miles apart. In the Japanese plan, three years later, the Japanese plan was to land in Dengzhou, then invade Laizhou, and then occupy the Shandong Peninsula.

In Xiao Ming’s science and technology library map, it seems that only Laizhou in Shandong has a tungsten mine. Therefore, it can be said that this tungsten mine is very important to him. Once lost, it will seriously affect the next development of science and technology.

Therefore, when the tungsten mine was discovered in Laizhou, he could not lose the cave to Dengzhou and Laizhou, not to mention that these two coastal states are important outlets to the sea.

“Immediately organize slaves to go to the tungsten mine to mine. If there is not enough manpower, mobilize manpower from other mines. This matter cannot be delayed. You can do it immediately!”

Xiao Ming said seriously.

Now that tungsten ore has been found and cobalt has been found, he can use these two materials to produce tungsten steel and high-speed steel, which are the best tools for lathes.

Although there is no way to make sintered tungsten steel as hard as modern tungsten steel at the current level of Qingzhou, it is at least enough to surpass the steel currently produced in Qingzhou.

Xiao Ming’s tone was urgent as expected, and Qian Dafu realized the importance of this issue. He nodded, “Your Highness, I will mobilize manpower now.”

Qian Dafu hurriedly prepared for the mining of tungsten ore.

Xiao Ming has not been idle either. Now that the tungsten ore has been found, the next step is to sinter the tungsten steel cutting tools, and this is an equally difficult technology.

Different from refining steel, the production of tungsten steel cutting tools requires powdering, wet grinding, mixing, crushing, drying, sieving, then adding cobalt, drying again, sieving to prepare the mixture, granulating, pressing, and forming. Low pressure sintering, forming (blank), cylindrical grinding and other procedures.

First of all, purifying tungsten is a big problem, because although tungsten ore has been found in Laizhou, this tungsten ore is a poor ore and must be enriched and screened into concentrate before it can be effectively refined. Otherwise, a lot of energy is wasted but a sufficient amount cannot be purified. of tungsten powder.

Secondly, another difficulty in this process is press molding. Because of the characteristics of tungsten ore, if you want to produce cutting tools, you must press tungsten ore powder into the shape of the cutting tool and then sinter it.

Before that, the tungsten steel mold must be forged.

The chairs in the main hall were not yet warm, so Xiao Ming stood up and went to the Equipment Department.

“Chen Wenlong, call Zhang Liu.”

Upon arriving at the Equipment Department, Xiao Ming said directly to Chen Wenlong.

Now Chen Qi is specifically responsible for the production of the military workshop, and now the leader of the craftsmen in the equipment department has become Zhang Liu.

This Zhang Liu is the most skilled craftsman besides Chen Qi. It is for this reason that he was so nervous last time. After all, Zhang Liu is one of the pillars of the Equipment Department.

Zhang Liu, who smelled like steel, came quickly. He was repairing the water conservancy forging hammer with the craftsmen. During this time, the steel workshop has been producing parts for the pulley crossbow. The workload was heavy, and the water conservancy forging hammer often had problems.

The craftsmen who can repair the hydraulic forging hammer are only a few craftsmen from the Equipment Department who have participated in the manufacturing.

“Your Highness.” Zhang Liu wiped the sweat from his forehead and bowed.

Seeing Zhang Liu’s arrival, Xiao Ming said: “Immediately summon some of the better craftsmen from the Equipment Department to come over. Now you are going to produce cutting tools for lathes.”

“Tools! Have you found the tungsten ore?” Hearing this, Zhang Liu suddenly became excited. said.

Xiao Ming nodded and said to him: “Yes, Qian Dafu just told me that the tungsten mine was discovered in Laizhou. Now you must immediately prepare the mold in advance.”

“Great.” Zhang Liu’s face was full of excitement. .

A year ago, Qingzhou’s water conservancy lathe workshop was equipped with various lathes. However, due to the unqualified cutting tools, these lathes were basically used to process wooden parts. They were rarely used to produce steel parts, because a tool often Because cutting a piece of steel will cause it to be scrapped, so the lathe workshop cannot produce any decent tools at all.

Later, due to the need to build Galen ships, the lathe workshop was completely reduced to a woodworking processing factory.

But they have been looking forward to the day when they can use these lathes. If they can process steel as well as wooden parts, they believe that they will be able to create something greater than the Galen Ship.

“Don’t be happy yet. I will first tell you about the production process of this tungsten steel knife.”

All the twelve craftsmen involved in the production of tungsten steel were in place, and Xiao Ming immediately began to teach them the production technology.

Xiao Ming was drawing and writing on the blackboard, and the picture of tungsten steel production suddenly appeared in Zhang Liu’s mind, as if he was immersed in it.

This feeling does not appear once or twice, and now they are used to it. In their opinion, this is what Xiao Ming said is very vivid and lifelike, and they would never have thought that these paintings are made of technological crystals.

“Your Highness, this time we are only producing cutting tools for milling machines, boring machines, and drilling machines?”

“Yes, because these three lathes can basically produce our spare parts. You can’t bite off more than you can chew. You’d better get to know these three lathes first. How to process steel?” Xiao Ming said.

Zhang Liu and others nodded. The tools of these three lathes are different. The drilling machine tool is just a cylindrical drill bit. The tools of the milling machine and boring machine are very complicated. Can such a mold be accurately forged? a question.

This time, after teaching the three of them, Xiao Ming did not leave. Instead, he picked up a pen in the Instrument Department and drew the tool graphics, and also marked the dimensions on the tool.

Since the unification of weights and measures was announced at the conference, this equipment department and military workshop were the first to use scientific measurement methods.

Dimensions such as millimeters, centimeters, and meters have replaced the previous points and inches, making production more refined.

Now that the cutting tools are about to be produced, Qingzhou’s production must enter fine production, and the prerequisite for fine production is precise size.

So before Zhang Liu made the mold, he had to come up with precise measuring tools.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ming asked Chen Wenlong to make him a compass.

(End of chapter)