Chapter 742 - Shipbuilding
As they were speaking, a heavyset man in his thirties entered the canteen. His stalwart figure, knee-length shorts, short-sleeved T-shirt, waist pack and pistol holster strapped to his belly with a black nylon belt, and the straw hat buckled on the back of his head all identified him as unmistakably Senator.
The indigenous employees eating had grown accustomed to Senators passing through the canteen—several could be seen at the shipyard every day, guiding work at various construction sites and workshops.
He poked his head out scanning the room, spotted Jiang Ye and the others, and his eyes immediately lit up. He waved his arm:
"Quick, I need a few people—come receive the goods!"
Zhou Bili picked at his teeth, surrounded by several apprentices, and made his way to the shipyard's dedicated station—actually just a specialized unloading platform. A diesel locomotive on the track was emitting steam while several workers climbed up and down checking the engine. All these diesel locomotives had now been converted to gas—the originally somewhat bare flatbed locomotive now sported a coal gas generator and a dedicated gas storage bag.
Naturally, Lingao-made coal gas generators and storage bags had their share of flaws. Gas leakage was the most frequent and serious problem. Fortunately, this type of locomotive was completely exposed to the air, so minor leaks weren't fatal.
On the flatbed car hung a yellow hurricane lantern—indicating the car carried extra-long or special specification cargo. Currently loaded on the flatbed were several massive mast timbers.
Large sailing ships had demanding requirements for mast timber supply; masts needed to be straight and possess a certain diameter—preferably a single straight timber. In Europe, shipbuilding materials had come mainly from Eastern Europe, specifically the forests of Poland and Russia. In China's coastal south, finding such suitable timber proved extremely difficult—traditional Chinese sailing ships rarely featured such tall masts. Even the large timbers captured from Baitu Village were insufficient for manufacturing masts of this scale.
Among the timber obtained from Vietnam and Sanya, there were similarly very few such large specimens. Although there was no shortage of high-quality hard timber like teak and nanmu, few pieces could satisfy the height and diameter requirements for masts. Ultimately, Wen Desi decided to abandon whole mast timbers and adopt the British practice of composite masts.
As the name implies, composite masts are connected from multiple pieces of timber. Such masts aren't limited by the size of individual timbers; effectively, masts for sailing ships of any size can be manufactured. Naturally, such masts can't compare with natural single straight timber masts in overall strength.
"After the British lost access to their mast timber supply, they made do with composite masts for quite a long time," Wen Desi had explained. "Until we obtain more suitable timber, we'll use composite masts."
Even for manufacturing composite masts, one should attempt to use large timbers of the same species. Wu Kuangming had instructed Forestry Department personnel to search for all suitable timber from inventory and collected information from traders to identify tree species that could provide large timber in relatively stable, substantial quantities. The final conclusion was Firmiana (Chinese Fir).
Firmiana is a soft timber—not ideal as ship timber but certainly not unusable. In fact, most commercial ships along China's southern coast in this spacetime used Firmiana extensively because other hard timbers lacked large pieces. The British had also once used substantial amounts of fir and pine to manufacture masts and decks, reserving the best oak for hulls, keels, and ribs.
"Three Firmiana mast timbers, dimensions are..." He read the numbers on the delivery note. "You measure them, prepare to receive."
These large timbers had already undergone a series of preliminary treatments; the next step was to send them to the shipyard's dedicated fumigation kiln for processing. Hai Lin, who delivered the timber, was an expert in timber treatment technology and visited the shipyard every few days. Zhou Bili was quite familiar with him. He casually offered him a cigarette.
"This batch of Firmiana is really substantial!" he chatted casually.
"Still not substantial enough." Hai Lin took the cigarette and consciously tucked it behind his ear—no smoking on the platform was the rule. Steam locomotives were acceptable, but coal gas locomotives were dangerous explosive equipment.
"Of course, whole timber would be better. Now mast hooping has become a complex job."
"The biggest and best ones are all taken by the Emperor," Hai Lin said. "Either building palaces or building tombs. The slightly inferior ones are cut into sections for coffins."
"If only we could get Southeast Asian timber."
"That depends on when our wise and martial Governor-General makes that great decision," Hai Lin said sarcastically. "Let's go—I want to see the mast hooping area. I'm curious how these different-sized logs are spliced together."
In the metalworking workshop with its large-span iron truss structure, steam filled the air while calcium carbide lamps radiated dazzling light. The loud overlapping sounds of two steam drop hammers, the squeaking of overhead cranes, the chants of lifting and lowering, and the rhythmic beat of forgers shaping metal made the entire workshop pulsate with vitality.
In one corner lay the mast hooping work area. Round timbers with interfaces cut according to optimal strength combinations designed by CAD software were already mounted on iron trolleys, interlocking tightly with each other. In the interlocking technology, Wu Kuangming had implemented traditional mortise and tenon joint techniques to ensure tighter connections. Following technical specifications, workers had already driven iron fasteners into the interlocking parts to ensure connection strength.
When Hai Lin and the others arrived at the workshop, workers were installing iron hoops for the composite mast under Lu Youtian's direction. Installing iron hoops could ensure the strength of composite masts to the greatest degree. Even single straight timber masts required iron hoops.
The locations for adding iron hoops had already been marked with ink brushes, bearing different numbers—because the mast diameter wasn't completely consistent from top to bottom, each iron hoop was customized according to the dimensions of that specific section. The iron hoop diameter was slightly smaller than the mast diameter, ensuring it would grip tightly once sleeved on.
Iron hoops were heating in a nearby furnace. The heating furnace used coal gas as fuel, guaranteeing calorific value and clean operation. Iron hoops were heated to red-hot in the furnace so they would just fit onto the mast.
Lu Youtian kept his eyes fixed on the industrial thermometer beside the heating furnace. Since the arrival of this device, the mysterious craftsmanship of manual artisans had become worthless. In the past, he had relied on observing the color of furnace fire and workpiece, skin temperature, and subtle sounds from the furnace to judge whether the appropriate temperature had been reached. This was experience accumulated over many years; even when he was willing to teach, young apprentices found it difficult to understand and grasp quickly.
Since the Australians had widely promoted this thick, ugly so-called thermometer, this secret that could only be sensed but not explained had become worthless. The Australians compiled specialized process manuals for every kind of workpiece and processing technology; special workpieces came with individual process sheets. Workers needed only consult the process manual to learn what temperature was required, then check the thermometer display to achieve heat control not a hair's breadth different from him, the old master.
This had once left Lu Youtian quite dispirited. But he quickly adapted to this new technology—after all, relying on completely non-standard personal perceptions wasn't truly reliable. His own workpiece processing and manufacturing became less prone to problems as well.
"Bring Piece Number One!" Seeing the temperature had reached the specified value, he roared the command. His son—Metalworking Workshop Level 1 Mechanic Lu Shouyong—hurriedly used long-handled iron tongs to retrieve the red-hot iron hoop from the furnace. Several other workers with iron tongs joined to help, slowly sleeving the glowing iron hoop onto the mast.
Where the iron touched the mast surface, it emitted wisps of white smoke and sizzling burning sounds. Occasionally flames appeared. When the iron hoop finally reached its position and stuck, a burst of small flames erupted around it. Workers quickly extinguished them.
"Watching this stuff is absolutely exhilarating!" Hai Lin exclaimed. "Industry is turning the impossible into possible!"
Next, workers began hooping the second and third rings; the entire mast hooping operation would continue until the following morning. The number of masts needed under the shipbuilding plan was substantial.
"I heard the ships you build still use rope for anchor chains?" Hai Lin asked Zhou Bili, who was observing the processing. "Why not use iron chains?"
Zhou Bili explained: "This saves iron usage and production time. Hand-forging iron chains is extremely time-consuming. Actually, iron chains are much more practical than anchor cables."
"Didn't the Navy fish up chain-boom iron chains from the Pearl River Estuary? Why not use those ready-made ones?"
"I've seen those things. The craftsmanship is too rough, and the iron quality is poor—probably rushed out temporarily. Very brittle. They've probably already been melted down into molten iron by Ji Wusheng."
"Iron is easier to discuss. It's those copper sheets for sheathing ship bottoms that Wu De is probably scratching his head over. Though thin, they still have to cover the bottom of a large ship."
"We captured quite a few bronze cannons from Guangdong this time. At worst, melt them all down for copper sheets."
Sheathing ship bottoms with copper sheets wasn't technically difficult. What the Planning Agency found thorny was that copper, as a scarce metal in China, existed in truly limited quantities in the warehouse. The need to meet future demand for the electric power industry had forced the Planning Agency to strictly restrict all applications of copper materials. Even the wired telegraph system used iron wire. Copper was permitted only in irreplaceable applications: certain refrigeration equipment, pipelines, telecommunication power equipment, and valves.
To expand copper reserves, the Planning Agency hadn't hesitated to purchase Japanese copper at high prices in Guangdong. This copper had brought high economic returns—about 20% silver could be extracted from it—but the increase in copper reserves remained very limited.
Now, using copper to sheath ship bottoms raised urgent questions: was the stock of copper sufficient, and how much reserve could be maintained?
The copper stored by the Planning Agency was mostly red copper refined through pyrometallurgy, along with some brass and bronze. The latter two came mainly from various spoils of war. Red copper possessed excellent ductility, second only to gold and silver among all metals. The Planning Agency believed that if copper plates could be made very thin, perhaps a modest amount of copper could meet demand.
"No need for red copper," Ji Wusheng said at the planning meeting. "Brass is sufficient. According to materials provided by the Great Library, copper plates for sheathing ship bottoms are generally Tin Brass—brass with a small amount of tin added."
Brass itself is a copper-zinc alloy. Zinc had been used in large quantities in ancient China, especially in coin casting as filler. Consequently, the Planning Agency's non-ferrous metal inventory contained considerable zinc stock. Much of it hadn't even been intentionally purchased but was rather a byproduct extracted from recycling copper coins and various household metal objects.
Following Ji Wusheng's suggestion, a brass specifically for ship bottom sheathing was manufactured—roughly 65% copper and 35% zinc. So-called Alpha Brass. This would maximize reduction of red copper consumption while maintaining basic performance.
"If zinc content in brass is too high, brittleness increases and pressure processing becomes difficult. So 35% zinc is about right."
Brass itself has quite good ductility; modern industrial rolled brass strips can reach 0.02mm thickness. Lingao's industrial system lacked such powerful equipment, but machinery department personnel estimated that with existing processing capability, rolling to approximately 0.5mm posed no problem. This was considerably thinner than the copper sheets used by the British, who had generally employed thin copper plates.
"Adding 0.5% tin to Alpha Brass creates Tin Brass. This alloy has excellent heat resistance and seawater corrosion resistance—so-called Naval Brass."
Tin was also the most commonly used base metal in ancient China; the Planning Agency's stock exceeded even zinc. Moreover, the required amount was negligible.
The Planning Agency approved the production plan for Tin Brass strips. Within Lingao's iron and steel complex stood a very small-scale rolling mill, including two hot rolling mills, which could conveniently hot and cold roll various steel plates and strip steel. However, Zhan Wuya decided to build a dedicated rolling mill specifically for this production—after all, continuous production in steel manufacturing would be the trend of the future. It was impractical to halt machines temporarily just to switch production for rolling copper strips.
A rolling mill, simply put, is a series of rollers applying pressure from small to large. The most critical components are the rollers' own strength and power level. Neither presented difficulties for the Manufacturing Directorate, which could already mass-produce high-power steam engines and various grades of high, medium, and low carbon steel.
The only less than ideal components were transmission gears and chains; thus far, the quality of these items still didn't meet standards, and their working life was very short. In some equipment with harsh operating environments, replacement frequency was extremely high—a situation that barely solved the problem of existence. The Metallurgy Department's scrap recycling warehouse was piled with gears, bearings, and chains awaiting re-melting.
The rolling mill for producing copper plates was quickly manufactured with cooperation from the Ministry of Mechanical Industry. After brief debugging, it entered formal production. To ensure strength, although 0.1mm brass strips were rolled in trial production, the copper plates finally designated for ship bottoms were 1mm thick strip material.
Rolls of Tin Brass strips were transported to the shipyard, cut to specified dimensions, then hammered piece by piece onto the ship bottom by workers using special brass rivets. Copper pieces overlapped to ensure no wooden ship bottom remained exposed. The copper sheathing area had to extend to the ship's full-load waterline. This method could almost completely prevent shipworm damage, and even attachments like barnacles would be dramatically reduced.
To prevent electrolysis between copper and iron in seawater, any exposed iron frame parts on the ship bottom had to be covered with wooden cladding boards beforehand, then filled and isolated using a mixture of human hair and tar to ensure no electrochemical reaction occurred between the two metals. Even rudder bolts had to be switched to brass bolts to avoid being electrolyzed.
A wooden sailing ship with carefully treated timber and a copper-sheathed bottom could last 50-70 years under good regular maintenance. Even 100 years was possible. Though Senators wouldn't necessarily need the 854 Modified to serve that long, everyone expected it to last at least 10 years. Even if not as a warship, it could continue as a transport ship.
Regarding steam engines, the Ministry of Mechanical Industry had sufficient technical reserves to mass-produce 12hp, 50hp, 100hp, 200hp, and 500hp steam engines. Following Wang Luobin's standardization system construction requirements, Zhan Wuya had mandated that steam engines adopt fully standardized designs. Parts that could be universal were all manufactured according to unified standards and sizes, with every effort made to reduce tolerances—the latter was the goal the entire Lingao industrial system was diligently striving toward.
Marine steam engines differed significantly from ordinary land-use steam engines due to ship layout and propulsion methods. The Ministry of Mechanical Industry also had to develop two different steam engines to accommodate paddle wheels—so-called sidewheel propulsion—and propeller propulsion respectively.
"To be honest, developing marine steam engines isn't a problem," Xiao Gui said, studying the line drawing of the 854 Modified. "The problem is: what about the propeller?"
The benefit of paddle wheels lay in their simple structure and complete absence of sealing problems during installation. The 854 Modified was planned to use a propeller, which raised the issue of dynamic sealing for the propeller shaft.
"This problem is very difficult to solve; at least I can't think of a solution." Xiao Gui said. "There are several dynamic sealing methods, but thinking back and forth, only the packing method seems workable—stuffing non-combustible packing with certain water-absorbing swelling properties around the propeller shaft."
"I seem to recall something specific about this rotating shaft," Meng De suddenly remembered. "I heard old workers at the shipyard boast that older ships used to use Lignum Vitae bearings. This special wood bearing is extremely hard and doesn't need oil for lubrication—it relies on water lubrication instead. Friction with the shaft produces a smooth water-soluble substance that can both lubricate the bearing and ensure water doesn't enter the cabin through the shaft sleeve. I heard Lignum Vitae bearings must be kept wet during storage, otherwise drying cracks affect their use. Very expensive."
"Lignum Vitae—Tieli Mu?" Zhan Wuya said. "This sounds very familiar. We seem to have it in our ship timber reserves." He recalled that among the ship timber captured from Baitu Village was so-called Tieli Mu (Ironwood), and wondered if it was the same thing.
(End of Chapter)