In 1978, I was admitted to Harbin Institute of Technology

Chapter 313 The Secrets of Beth's Introduction: I Still Choose Old Wu Over Chief Engineer Ren, the Father of Aero Engines
“Stop~”

Yu Lihua grew increasingly alarmed as he listened. Before Xie Wei could finish reciting the list, he raised his hand to stop him, "Do you even know who these people are? Bringing them all to Harbin Institute of Technology and then making the military take the blame?"

"No way! We're all just bricks in the revolution, ready to be moved wherever needed! Besides, the military is taking such a huge gamble this time; without top-notch engineering thermophysics experts overseeing it, this project will probably end up like the previous ones..."

Xie Wei said irritably, "Professor Wu is the top expert in engineering thermophysics in China. If even he can't solve this, what's the point of us developing the core engine? We should just shut down all the projects and prepare to import it from abroad..."

Why are you using such foul language?
Liu Debao and Zhang Mingqiu, who were standing to the side, stared wide-eyed at You Lihua, warily watching him for fear that he might suddenly attack someone.

Don't let Yuli Hua's gentle and refined demeanor fool you; she actually has a terrible temper!
Who is Wu Zhonghua?

Zhang Mingqiu recognized the name Wu Zhonghua but didn't know what he did.

"They seem to be engineering thermophysics professionals, and they used to work on pneumatic compressors? Judging from their expressions, they must be quite remarkable people."

It was only during this period, when Project No. 10 transitioned to formal research and development, that Liu Debao gained some understanding of the relevant experts.

If he weren't in charge of these aspects, he wouldn't have been interested at all.

Just go ahead and poach people from the list Xie Wei proposed. If he can't poach them, go to your superiors or Li Rui.

"That's more than just remarkable! He graduated with a PhD from MIT in 47, then served as a NACA scientific researcher and a professor at Princeton University. He returned to China in 54 to serve as a professor and deputy head of the Department of Power Machinery at Tsinghua University; then he served as the director of the Power Research Laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences... This year he just organized the establishment of the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences..."

"So powerful?"

Zhang Mingqiu's eyes widened.

"Hey, our university also has a power institute, right? It would be better to have him as the director than just a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences... Give him more funding, and we could set up an engineering thermophysics institute too..."

Liu Debao's words almost made You Lihua vomit blood.

Are those big shots after the treatment?
"..."

Xie Wei couldn't help but give Liu Debao a thumbs up.

"Only Old Wu can do it."

Xie Wei said seriously, "And there's also Liu Gaolian, Professor Wu's student, a graduate student from our school's class of '54. Please come back and first appoint him as the deputy director of the Department of Power Engineering..."

An academician!
He's just a professor now, so there's no pressure to dig him out.

"Don't you want to think about what you're saying? You can't decide school personnel appointments all by yourself?"

Yuli Hua almost laughed out of anger.

Are these people in front of me getting more and more arrogant?
Can school department heads be appointed so casually?
"Comrade Xie Wei's suggestion is very reasonable. He's a graduate student from the class of '54, with nearly 30 years of work experience. He has enough experience and knowledge. This matter can be discussed in an internal school meeting..."

"..."

Liu Debao's words silenced You Lihua completely.

Just after Xie Wei casually appointed school leaders, Liu Debao immediately provided procedural support.

What can I say?
"I can't do that."

Yu Lihua thought about it and realized that, given his status, it would be difficult for him to persuade Old Wu.

“I’m going to see Chief Long Yaohua so I can talk to Old Wu in person.”

Xie Wei said with a determined look.

Yu Lihua wanted to try to persuade him again. He felt that it would be difficult for Xie Wei to convince Old Wu, since Old Wu was very busy at the moment. He had considered it before when the military was preparing to concentrate its efforts on developing turbofan engines.

Seeing Xie Wei's resolute expression, he decisively chose to shut up.

"The heads of various units will be here in a few days. If you're going, don't take the train; it'll take too much time. Take your school's plane instead. You're not short of gas money anyway."

Yu Lihua reminded Xie Wei.

Xie Wei did not refuse.

Even though trains are not fast enough, and the Y-11's maximum speed is only 220 kilometers per hour and its maximum range is only 965 kilometers, requiring refueling once between Harbin and the capital, it is still much faster than a train.

It will arrive that evening.

Currently, there are few flights in China's airspace, making it very easy for the Y-11 to apply for flight routes.

As for safety features?

Not to mention the cooperative relationship between Factory 122 and Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology is currently the only customer of the Y-11, and Harbin Institute of Technology is also counting on Xie Wei to use his relationship with Middle Eastern customers to help Factory 122 sell H-5 bombers, so naturally they dare not neglect it.

This small plane, with the name of Harbin Institute of Technology printed on its fuselage, was maintained by a dedicated maintenance team specially drawn from the factory's best personnel.

A thorough inspection is conducted after each flight.

"What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

Li Rui disliked Xie Wei, who appeared at his office door at 1 a.m. If it weren't for Xie Wei, he wouldn't be so busy right now.

"I came here specifically to thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve on secondment at the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense!"

"You came empty-handed?"

Li Rui didn't take Xie Wei's anger seriously at all. When he saw Xie Wei enter his office empty-handed, he looked at him with disdain and said, "You don't understand any social etiquette. Who comes to visit their boss empty-handed?"

"I have a fist..."

Xie Wei made himself a cup of tea, looking annoyed. "You knew all along, didn't give me any information. No wonder the leaders of the Seventh Ministry of Machinery Industry don't like you."

"Get to the point! Stop with the sarcastic remarks. If it weren't for you, I could have gotten some rest earlier today!"

Li Rui didn't want to hear Xie Wei's nagging.

He did something dishonest.

If he hadn't provided the core machine plan that Xie Wei had previously proposed to the military, none of this would have happened.

“There’s a 54 graduate student majoring in turbine engineering at the university who’s currently a professor of mechanical power at the Shanghai Institute of Power Engineering. We need to bring him back… Also, I need to meet with Professor Wu Zhonghua and invite him to the university to organize the core engine R&D work. You can’t handle this; it’ll have to be Chief Long Yaohua. I’m not that familiar with him…”

"Is this how you assign me work?"

Li Rui was even more dissatisfied when he heard that Xie Wei had come to him to ask him to do something that would offend people.

Suddenly, I realized that the trouble I caused Xie Wei would never be as difficult or offensive as the trouble Xie Wei caused me.

Xie Wei sipped his tea, remaining noncommittal.

"Alright, I'll help you figure out a way to get the person. As for seeing Old Wu, I'll report this to my superiors tomorrow morning, but I can't guarantee whether it will work."

Seeing Xie Wei's shameless demeanor, Li Rui immediately understood how his superiors had felt when he acted like a rogue.

In order to prevent Xie Wei from going any further, he simply agreed.

"Here's another list; these people are all easy to deal with."

Upon seeing Xie Wei produce a list with over a dozen names, Li Rui's face instantly turned ashen. He glared angrily at Xie Wei, "Do you know how many universities this list will offend? They're all their core members! How can you betray me like this? Doesn't your conscience hurt?"

"I have no conscience!"

"..."

Looking at Xie Wei's serious face, Li Rui gave in. No wonder he was the successor he'd chosen; he was even more shameless than himself. "Alright, leave the list. I'll try my best."

"Absolutely. If the military wants to develop the core engine, solve the heart problems of aviation and shipbuilding, and fill the gap in high-power thermal generators, it must concentrate its efforts..."

Xie Wei raised an eyebrow and looked calmly at Li Rui.

Isn't that old guy trying to screw himself over?

Let's hurt each other, who's afraid of who?

Previously, Xie Wei had been too embarrassed to approach professors from Tsinghua University, Peking University, and other prestigious universities. Now, the opportunity has come, and he has proposed more than ten people, all of whom are future academicians.

If we keep digging deeper, Harbin Institute of Technology will undoubtedly be the university with the most academicians in the country.

"Whose idea was it to transfer Comrade Wu Zhonghua to Harbin Institute of Technology to serve as the chief designer of the WS-10 turbofan engine?"

Long Yaohua frowned and looked at Xie Wei.

"mine."

"reason?"

Long Yaohua didn't beat around the bush; from the military's perspective, Wu Zhonghua wasn't the most suitable candidate for chief designer of the WS-10 turbofan engine.

"At the 75 'Hundred Schools of Thought' symposium, Mr. Wu proposed 'emphasizing the application of theoretical research results to production.' He believed that the Academy of Sciences should focus on basic work and the exploration of new technologies and methods, unlike the defense and industrial sectors which focus on developing specific models.' Subsequently, the construction of a rotating blade test rig was initiated... If the focus is solely on the WS-10 high-thrust military engine, Mr. Wu Daguan, the current Chinese technical head of the Spey engine, is the most suitable candidate..."

Xie Wei explained his reasons.

"Furthermore, Wu's theory and Wu's equations, which form the basic equations for three-dimensional flow in turbomachinery with arbitrary non-orthogonal velocity components, are the core theoretical foundation in the research and development process... In October 1978, Professor Wu presided over a national training course on the theory of three-dimensional flow in turbomachinery at the 201 Institute... Rather than letting everyone slowly learn and study, it is better to bring the founder of the theory into the team, which can reduce a lot of time spent on theoretical research."

"Our core engine is designed using three-dimensional flow theory to calculate the airflow in and out of the blades..."

Current computer speeds are already capable of handling the massive computational demands required for the ternary flow theory.

Otherwise, Xie Wei would not have considered appointing Wu Zhonghua as chief designer instead of Wu Daguan, the more experienced father of China's aero-engine industry.

now.

Long Yaohua finally understood why Li Rui often said that Xie Wei was a far more shameless guy than himself.

I've come to understand what it means to be a rogue who isn't scary, but a rogue with culture.

If it were Li Rui, he would be utterly unreasonable.

Look at Xie Wei's serious expression, he keeps spouting difficult professional terms, which makes Long Yaohua feel overwhelmed, but he can't refute him, can he?

"The troops are inclined to appoint Wu Daguan as chief engineer."

Long Yaohua was unable to refute Xie Wei's proposal from a professional perspective.

If the military proposes this project, there must be someone who has already been selected.

"Isn't Mr. Wu now the Chinese technical lead for the final assembly, endurance testing, component strength assessment, and high-altitude simulation test bench assessment of the Rimsley engine?"

The father of China's aero-engine industry!

In fact, from the very beginning, Xie Weizhen never dared to think of taking advantage of the father of China's aero-engines. The Spey engine was used in the JH-7 fighter-bomber and was even used in aircraft such as the J-13, H-6, and the 200-ton Y-9.

These days, there are many engine development projects and models in China, and Xie Wei had never seriously thought about the issues involved before.

"Are you aware of the controversy surrounding the introduction of the Spey engine?"

Long Yaohua's sudden question caught Xie Wei off guard.

Is there some hidden reason behind Spey's acquisition?
He shook his head blankly, only now realizing the chaos in the domestic engine development project and fighter jet development project in this era.

"From the very beginning, the technical personnel from Institute 606 and Factory 410 were staunch supporters of introducing the Spey engine. They even tirelessly campaigned and persuaded their superiors to support it... But after the Ministry of Machinery Industry and the military leadership agreed to the introduction, they suddenly began to resolutely oppose it..."

"..."

Xie Wei had never even considered such a secret before.

Seeing that he was deep in thought, Long Yaohua did not rush to continue speaking.

Why is there such a big difference in the attitude of the R&D personnel? Could there be some problem in the process?

Xie Wei quickly realized the problem.

The import of the Spey engine cost a lot of money, but the final localization was very bumpy. The lack of engines for the JH-7 fighter-bomber seriously delayed its progress. As a last resort, the Air Force had to purchase second-hand Spey engines to power the early JH-7s.

Is this the root of the problem?

"Initially, the British advertised a thrust-to-weight ratio of 6, but our technicians only realized they'd been misled after seeing the actual data for the Spey engine during the substantive negotiations... The Spey's actual thrust-to-weight ratio is only 5.05, and that's based on the British calculation method. According to domestic standards, which include fuel pumps and other supporting components, the actual thrust-to-weight ratio is only 4.75. A fighter jet designed with such a power system is even less capable than the J-6..."

Long Yaohua let out a long breath, releasing the pent-up emotions in his heart.

"Furthermore, the introduction of the Spey engine was not a complete set of technologies. Rolls-Royce itself did not have a complete set of technologies, but rather ten key technologies..."

"That……"

Xie Wei wanted to ask, since they knew they had been tricked, why did the Third Ministry of Machinery Industry and the military leadership still bring them in?

"You're trying to say that you knew you'd been tricked, but you still wanted to bring it in, right?"

A bitter smile appeared on Long Yaohua's face.

Xie Wei was speechless.

He's supposed to be a big shot, yet he blurted out the answer without any regard for his image?

He nodded in agreement.

"We lack experience in this area, so let me give you a simple example. In the early stages of the import negotiations, Mr. Hook, the chief engineer of Rolls-Royce's Pegasus engine, led a delegation to China for inspection. At that time, our technicians asked Mr. Hook two questions: one was why the WP-7 turbojet engine rarely cracked; the other was why the sheet metal parts of the engine combustion chamber casing frequently cracked during use... Mr. Hook's casual remarks made our technicians realize the problem of stress..."

Long Yaohua sighed again, “Our technical team noticed the combustion chamber crack problem of the WP-7A aerojet engine a long time ago. It wasn’t that we didn’t want to fix it, but we didn’t know where to start, because the Soviets had the same problem… Therefore, the overhaul time of the WP-7A was reduced from 100 hours to 50 hours… But thanks to Mr. Hook’s solution, the combustion chamber crack problem was completely solved. Based on the cause of the problem, the technicians solved other related problems, which has now extended the service life of the WP-7A to nearly 200 hours…”

Xie Wei finally understood why Long Yaohua had told him all this.

"So, the Third Ministry of Machine Building was determined to import it for the sake of production processes and technology?"

"It's not just that. The higher-ups are more concerned with breaking the ice, the principle of spending a fortune to acquire a horse's bones. They're willing to sell such advanced technology as Spey, and it's precisely because of the introduction of Spey that technological cooperation with the West has increased..."

This was something Xie Wei hadn't expected at all.

"In addition, regarding your suggestion to send a team abroad to learn about complex engineering systems management methods... During the introduction of the Spey engine, we sent 182 trainees, and Rolls-Royce dispatched 132 technical personnel to China for technical guidance..."

"So, Mr. Wu is relatively more suitable to serve as the chief engineer of the WS-10?"

Upon hearing this, Long Yaohua smiled and nodded.

Before the smile could fully bloom, Xie Wei's next words instantly froze Long Yaohua's smile:
"But I still insist that Mr. Wu should serve as the chief designer of the core machine!"

Upon hearing this, Long Yaohua was so angry that he almost cursed out loud.

So, after all that she said, Xie Wei didn't listen at all?
"Aren't you planning to use these projects to explore management methods for complex engineering systems? Wouldn't it be better to have experienced people in charge than inexperienced ones?"

(End of this chapter)