Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 205 6.5-ton Die Forging Press

East, capital, Princess Tomb, airplane building.

"Great! I didn't realize Qin Liang had such a talent for command!" Old Lin exclaimed excitedly. "The whole process was flawless! Even a staff officer who graduated from a regular military academy wouldn't have his ability!"

"Yes, he's a master strategist, capable of winning battles from afar. This Qin Liang, based solely on his analysis of the situation, predicted that the Americans would send special forces to rescue us, and he even accurately foresaw their actions. With this ability, he's perfectly capable of joining our decision-making department!" Leader Wang said. It's a waste to keep someone like him at Northwestern Polytechnical University!

"Report! Comrade Qin Liang has returned to China safely!"

"That's good. Please invite him to our aircraft terminal!"

"He... asked Northwestern Polytechnical University for leave to continue... his honeymoon."

Everyone was taken aback. Well, this request seemed reasonable. After all, they had just gotten married and hadn't even had the wedding ceremony yet, but they were already dealing with all sorts of things. Although he went to Langtuo to rescue his mother-in-law, he brought back an E-2 early warning aircraft and a Super Stallion helicopter. These aircraft were extremely useful to their side, so... it was understandable that he wanted to rest for a while.

"Invite him to the capital for their honeymoon! There are so many tourist attractions here," Old Lin said. "We'll cover all the travel expenses; he can enjoy himself to his heart's content!"

Leader Wang nodded: "That's right!"

"They are applying for visas to travel to the Maldives..."

This guy wants to go on vacation abroad, that's a bit too much. We haven't even had enough of our beautiful country yet, and he wants to go abroad? What's in the Maldives?
Old Lin frowned: "Qin Liang has done something big this time. In order to protect him, we can't let him travel abroad. If he wants to see tropical scenery, then let's go to Qiongzhou!"

“That’s right!” Leader Wang nodded.

Northwestern Polytechnical University.

"Brother Liangzi, are we really going to the Maldives?"

In the 1980s, the Maldives had already begun large-scale tourism development. The Maldives today is still pristine and even more beautiful, something Yang Duo'er has never experienced.

"Of course not, many people at the higher-ups would definitely not agree. But as an alternative, it's fine for us to go to Qiongzhou to see the tropical scenery. Our honeymoon was interrupted, so we need to make up for it. Next, we'll go to Qiongzhou, feel the sea breeze, and walk on the beach..."

Yang Duo'er's face was full of emotion.

The interruption was due to his mother's situation. Qin Liang had risked his life to save his mother and had only just returned.

While her mother was in the United States handling the necessary paperwork, she planned to stay in Dongfang long-term. Yang Duo'er returned early and happened to meet Qin Liang. Qin Liang was neither boastful nor arrogant, and immediately brought up the idea of ​​continuing their honeymoon.

"Brother Liangzi, no need, you're too busy. Let's skip the honeymoon..."

"You only get married once in your life, so you can't be careless," Qin Liang said. "This job is never finished..."

dong dong!

"Director Luo, is there something you need?"

"We've received many invitations," Director Luo began. "Knowing you're continuing your honeymoon, many organizations have sent invitations. The Shanghai Aircraft Factory wants you to come and experience the prosperity of the metropolis; the capital is arranging for you to go to Qiongzhou; and..."

Upon hearing Director Luo mention Qiongzhou, Yang Duo'er's face lit up with a bright smile. "Brother Liangzi is so prescient! Amazing!"
"Last time, Boeing was very angry about your sudden departure, but with our mediation, they still proceeded with the preliminary research according to the plan you had previously arranged, and they even provided a large sum of research and development funding." Director Luo continued to get down to business. In his opinion, Qin Liang should not go anywhere and should continue to stay at Northwestern Polytechnical University.

"Right now, Boeing experts are in Shanghai, inspecting the Shanghai Aircraft Factory, and they are very interested in the 6.5-ton die forging press that is under construction there..."

Qin Liang's eyes lit up: "This huge thing has already started construction?"

"Yes, the Shanghai aircraft factory has the money and has started this project. The Boeing people, after leaving us, originally only planned to visit Shanghai casually, but they stayed for a while and haven't left yet."

"Hey, Duoduo, can we... go to Shanghai first?"

"I'll listen to you." Yang Duo'er nodded. For her, it didn't matter where she went, as long as she could be with Qin Liang.

Construction site of the multi-directional die forging press at the Shanghai Aircraft Factory.

High-strength steel from Baosteel was transported into the factory and then hoisted to the construction site of the die forging press. No sparks could be seen, only a buzzing sound could be heard, followed by the distinctive smell of molten steel.

"We are now welding the columns. The area is large and the inside is not easy to weld, so we are using the latest electroslag welding technology," explained Xiao Wenjun, an expert from Deyang Erzhong.

The structure of a die forging press is actually quite simple. Below is a fixed worktable, and above is a hydraulically driven moving worktable. To provide 6.5 tons of pressure, you can add more hydraulic cylinders, but this is not the most difficult part.

The difficulty lies in the fact that forces are reciprocal. When 6.5 tons of pressure comes down, it will also give the forging press the same recoil force. This force has to be borne by the four columns of the forging press, with each column bearing tens of thousands of tons of force! Moreover, due to its huge size, these columns cannot be built in the factory at once, but must be divided into sections and then welded on site!

The thick steel cannot be penetrated by ordinary electric welding machines. Only special electroslag welding technology can be used. The welding surfaces melt under the action of electric current and then resolidify, thus firmly welding them together.

This technology is monopolized by the West; I never expected that the East would have it too!
“Your Eastern technology is truly remarkable, beyond our expectations!” Dick Taylor’s gaze was complex. “It seems that this 6.5-ton die forging press will definitely be successfully manufactured! At that time, the landing gear for our supersonic cruiser airliner can also be made here, in one piece!”

"Yes, of course, no problem." Old Ma nodded: "The French processing fees must be very expensive, we still need to be able to produce it ourselves!"

The group of Boeing employees were somewhat embarrassed.

In later generations, many people criticized the Y-10's landing gear for being welded. In fact, the landing gear of other countries is also welded!

The most critical part of the landing gear is the outer cylinder, inside which is a hydraulic inner cylinder. It works on the same principle as the shock absorber in an electric bicycle. However, this landing gear not only has to withstand the vertical impact force, but also the horizontal impact force at the moment of landing!
The outer cylinder is a thin-walled structure, and it needs to be strong enough, so it has to be made of high-strength steel and repeatedly forged. If there is no large die forging press, then it can only be forged into small parts separately and then welded together.

The landing gear of the Boeing 707 is welded, as is the landing gear of the Airbus A300. Before the 1980s, the outer cylinder, the upper diagonal struts, the crossbeams, etc. of the landing gear were all manufactured separately and then assembled together. The outer cylinder was also forged separately and then welded together.

Actually, there's no need to worry about the quality of the weld. In fact, the weld is stronger than the original steel!
The world's first aircraft to use a one-piece forged outer cylinder landing gear is the Airbus A320, which was machined from a 1.7-ton high-strength steel forging blank, resulting in reduced weight and improved reliability, making it the envy of many.

However, this was unavoidable. The French were able to manufacture landing gear in one piece because in 1976, they imported a 6.5-ton die forging press from the Soviet Union! This was the largest die forging press in the West! With it, the one-piece forging of landing gear became possible.

Even in later generations, the French couldn't handle the 6.5-ton die forging press for the landing gear of the Airbus A380, so they had to send the orders to the Russians and ask them to forge it for them.

The United States had only two 4.5-ton forging presses, built in 1955, which were the largest in the world at the time. However, they were quickly surpassed by the Russians. The Russian New Kramato Heavy Machinery Plant also manufactured two 7.5-ton die forging presses, which dominated the world for many years!

Now, the East will also have it!
"Ahem, one die forging press is enough; having more would be a waste. Of course, we prefer to place orders with Dongfang, after all, Dongfang... is our friend!"

Actually, it's because the processing fees in the East are cheaper, costing only a fraction of what the French charge!
"Yes, we are indeed friends, and we will work together to develop the world's most advanced passenger aircraft," said Mr. Ma. "Our Y-10 will also fly to the United States as planned, and we will strive to obtain the FAA's airworthiness certificate as soon as possible." Given the current situation, the two sides are in a cooperative relationship; Boeing can't possibly sabotage them again, can it?

"Yes, we'll do our best to help!"

"Wow, that's a really big one!" Just then, a surprised voice came from behind.

A 6.5-ton die forging press sounds like a simple number, but you can only know how huge it is when you stand in front of it!
It's 20 to 30 meters high, roughly the height of a seven-story residential building. But that's only the above-ground portion; a large amount of equipment is installed underground, about 15 meters down. The entire structure is over 40 meters high! As for its own weight... it must weigh tens of thousands of tons. Each of the columns being hoisted weighs 200 tons!
"Qin Liang? You really came! Welcome, welcome!" Old Ma greeted him excitedly.

A group of Boeing employees had complicated expressions. "So you finally decided to come back!"

"Everyone, I'm very sorry." Qin Liang looked at the group of Americans: "I've recently..."

"You've been traveling and enjoying yourself lately, leaving us all out in the cold!"

"No, no, that's not it. My mother-in-law recently had an accident, and my wife is very worried, so I've been staying with her..."

It's no secret that Yang Duo'er's mother, Annie, was trapped in Langtuo but was later released. Of course, the people at Boeing knew about it, and when Qin Liang used this reason, they couldn't say anything.

"What's going on with Langtuo?"

The Americans originally didn't intend to announce this embarrassing incident, but Lang Tuo wouldn't keep it a secret. For Lang Tuo, this was the best opportunity to boost morale and let the whole country know that the Americans were nothing but a paper tiger!

Especially the Desert One site, which was bombed to pieces, has been made public by Langtuo. I don't know how many cameras are focused on this area, it's a global hotspot!
"Hmm." Qin Liang nodded. "It's such a pity. It's so difficult for such a powerful US military to carry out a rescue mission! Fortunately, my mother-in-law was released early. It will be really difficult for the rest of them to come back."

"Yes, it's too difficult!"

A group of Americans were quite moved, as this had dealt a significant blow to their self-esteem!
"Now, a no-fly zone has been issued over there, and even civilian airliners can't fly over. In fact, if the operation plan had been formulated at the time, we had used transport planes disguised as passenger planes to forcibly land at Langtuo Capital Airport, and then quickly drove straight to the target. Before Langtuo could react, we might have been able to rescue the people. The army there is currently in disarray. We only need to disperse a group of armed mobs."

Everyone's eyes lit up; this really was a good idea!
Unfortunately, this operation failed, and there will be no second chance.

"Even if we're bold enough, we could send transport planes to bring a large number of personnel and equipment over, easily eliminate those leaders, and the old king could go back and regain power."

Qin Liang shook his head repeatedly, lamenting the stupidity of the Americans.

“Yes, but unfortunately we’re not the decision-makers, and they won’t listen to us,” Dick Taylor said. “We’re just researchers.”

"That's right. From our perspective, the world is currently lacking a special type of aircraft."

Everyone became interested: "What kind of plane?"

"It must be able to take off and land vertically, fly horizontally, and fly at high speeds... The only aircraft that can meet these requirements is the tiltrotor aircraft!"

The large disc on top of the helicopter gives it the ability to take off and land vertically, but it is inconvenient for horizontal flight. The disc can only be tilted forward to provide vertical lift and some horizontal thrust.

This force is destined to be limited, and the large plate will also generate enormous drag, resulting in slow helicopter speed and insufficient range.

The solution is to simply rotate this large plate ninety degrees so that it is vertical, directly providing thrust, while the lift is provided by the wings!

Thus, the concept of the tiltrotor aircraft emerged: the fuselage is similar in shape to an elongated helicopter, with wings on both sides of the top, and engines and propellers at the wingtips. The engines can rotate, thereby achieving the purpose of vertical take-off and landing and horizontal flight.

This aircraft has a flight speed at least twice that of a regular helicopter, and its range is also at least twice as long! But...

“Qin, the development of this helicopter is no easy task!” Dick Taylor said. “The biggest problem is safety. If one of the engines fails, it will definitely be a tragedy of crashing the helicopter and killing everyone on board.”

Most helicopters have two engines on top, and some even have three. These engines combine their power through a main gearbox and then output it to the rotors at the top and tail. If one engine fails, the other can still output overpower to support the helicopter to continue flying for a while.

Even a light helicopter with only one engine will have its rotor spin quickly due to the airflow if it shuts down. If the crew isn't too unlucky, they still have a good chance of surviving.

However... this tiltrotor is different. The engines are on both sides and rotate with it. If one engine fails, the aircraft will immediately lose its stable flight, flip over instantly, and then crash!
"That's simple. Just connect a drive shaft inside the wing. On the surface, they appear to drive themselves, but in reality, the two engines can work synchronously through the drive shaft!"

This is the principle behind the later Osprey. You can tell by looking at the startup process: when one engine starts, the rotor on the other side will also rotate.

The Boeing employees widened their eyes: "Qin, Northwestern Polytechnical University has this kind of technology?"

"Well, not yet," Qin Liang said. "But... if needed, we can figure it out quickly. We also have some other ingenious ideas..."

"Qin, how about we cooperate?"

"Ahem, isn't this a bit inappropriate? Our cooperation project on the supersonic cruiser passenger plane hasn't been formally signed yet. Besides, you're not into rotorcraft. Bell or Sikorsky would be better options..."

“We can do preliminary research! How about this, we have no objection to the allocation of research and development work for the supersonic cruiser!” Dick Taylor said.

Previously, they wanted to dominate everything, but now they realize that's unrealistic. Looking at the construction of the 6.5-ton die forging press, they'll definitely need to cooperate in the future. So, they'll just go with Qin Liang's R&D allocation plan!

Next, there's the development of tiltrotor aircraft. The military must be very disappointed by this setback. If Boeing submits this project, they can get a large amount of R&D funding from the military, and then Northwestern Polytechnical University can allocate some of it!

That’s it!

Old Ma sighed inwardly. These Americans were originally unwilling, and their want-it-all attitude was despicable. Now, Qin Liang used a new project to fool them, and it turned out to be a deal.
In fact, Bell has been researching this tiltrotor aircraft project, but unfortunately, progress has been slow and many technical problems have not been solved. Boeing's technical strength is obviously stronger. Now, as long as this project is profitable, who would complain about having too few of their own products?
For our side, this can only be a preliminary study. After all, the Osprey is a rather immature aircraft. Northwestern Polytechnical University can just treat it as a research and development project. If the country wants to develop it in the future, it can also have a technological reserve. The key point is that it can also make money!

The complete Super Stallion helicopter that we brought back had turboshaft engines, each with a power output of up to 4,000 horsepower. Although this was slightly less powerful than the Osprey engine of later generations, it was still feasible for us to make one with a slightly lower takeoff weight. However, replicating this engine would not be easy.

What about the engines on the E-2 early warning aircraft? I don't even know if that will work...

"Mr. Qin?"

"Yes, I'm thinking about the more specific design of this aircraft, especially the flight control system, which is the most crucial thing."

　PS: The top image shows a Russian forging press, and the bottom image shows an Airbus landing gear. According to the information I consulted, the A320 was the first aircraft to be forged and machined as a whole. If the information is true, all passenger aircraft before the 1980s had welded landing gear, so there is no need to criticize the Y-10 for its poor technology.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)