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

Chapter 93 The cobbled-together WS-6 turbofan engine was destined to fail!
Qin Liang knew that he had to stand up and be reborn so that the country's aviation industry could avoid detours and that certain people could not be allowed to mess things up.

The WS-6 turbofan engine? There's no chance of it succeeding!
The WS-6 turbofan engine, initiated in 1964, set a target of 12.6 tons of afterburning thrust. The Russians, whose engine had the same target, only initiated their project in 1973! The American F100, although having a high thrust-to-weight ratio, did not have as much thrust as the WS-6.

The 1960s, the era of launching satellites!
What's even more amazing is that the project was initiated in the first year, the overall design was completed in the second year, the design drawings were produced in the third year, and it could be put on the test bench in the fourth year. This efficiency is terrifyingly high in the world's aero-engine research and development field!

"To do scientific research, you have to be mentally prepared. No matter how many obstacles we face, we will overcome them one by one. We believe that as long as we have perseverance, we will definitely be able to develop the WS-6 turbofan engine!" Engineer Li continued.

Qin Liang shook his head: "If the direction is wrong, no matter how hard you try, it will be useless. The development of aero engines needs to start from the first-stage compressor, and develop and improve it step by step. It takes four or five years to complete the development of the core engine. Then, different turbines and fans are added on it. Low bypass ratio is the fighter jet engine, and high bypass ratio is the civil aviation engine. How was the WS-6 turbofan engine developed?"

These people don't follow scientific principles at all. They just use whatever they have on hand, like the Spey, the WP-7 turbojet, or even the J-79... It would be a miracle if these cobbled-together things could work reliably!

The compressors at each stage were not coordinated, and the blades were not matched... When the WS-6 turbofan engine was first built, it was difficult to start! After so many years of improvements, it still cannot work stably. As for the data on paper... hehehe.

“Why should the West be right just because we’re going in the wrong direction? As long as we keep improving, we’ll definitely succeed!” Engineer Li continued.

“Further improvements won’t guarantee success. After all, the development approach for the WS-6 turbofan engine was fundamentally flawed,” Qin Liang said. “I suggest that our superiors halt the WS-6 project and use the precious funds on the development of the core engine. There’s no rush; we can take it slowly…”

Snapped!
Engineer Li slammed his hand on the table and stood up: "What did you say? Say it again if you dare! What do you know, you young lad?"

"At least I know a little bit, but you don't know anything at all," Qin Liang said. "You don't even understand the scientific principles of aero-engine development. The more power someone like you has, the greater the harm you cause to our aviation industry!"

"Old Li, Old Li, stop..."

Seeing that Engineer Li was about to rush in and start a fight, the others quickly pulled him back.

Qin Liang rolled his eyes at him. Fight? He wasn't afraid! As for the consequences of fighting, well, he wasn't afraid either. He was a college student, and the other was a key engineer on the WS-6 turbofan engine. If the other was punished for fighting and had to leave front-line scientific research, that would be great.

"What, you resort to violence when you can't win an argument? Is this all you've got? How did you become a research and development engineer?" Qin Liang's tone was utterly contemptuous.

The WS-6 turbofan engine project was cancelled, but the team couldn't fall apart. So, these guys started working on the WP-14 turbojet engine, codenamed Kunlun. The method was still to build it up, and the specifications were still very high. They installed it on the J-8 fighter jet, which would enable supersonic cruise! Later, they even forced a batch to be sold to the military. As a result, the military grounded the aircraft after taking over.

Who would dare use an engine with parts constantly flying off its engine? Pilots' lives are precious!
The Kunlun engine underwent many years of improvement, and it was finally usable when the J-8 was retired!
These guys are arrogant and self-righteous, they don't follow scientific principles, and in order to protect their WS-6 project, they sabotage other projects. If I don't take them down, who will I take down?
"Leaders, look at this Qin Liang, he's a complete novice who doesn't know anything. I suggest you all fire him. If he doesn't leave, I will!" Engineer Li was angry, and the consequences would be severe!

"Engineer Li, calm down. Qin Liang is not ignorant. He gave us some pointers at our Capital University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and we made a precision-cast, directionally solidified, single-crystal air-cooled turbine blade with no margin. This blade can withstand a temperature 100 degrees higher than the existing ones. We have already made a set and installed it on the WP-7 turbojet, which increased the thrust by 20 percent."

Zero-margin precision casting, directional solidification, single-crystal blades, and air cooling—these technologies are all at the forefront internationally!

Old Wu's eyes lit up instantly: "Your Capital University of Aeronautics and Astronautics has already overcome these technical difficulties?" "Yes, we also contacted Tsinghua University to develop it together. After all, the final small hole needs to be made with a laser, and we don't have that equipment."

"What? You need a laser to drill that tiny hole?" Engineer Li was stunned. He had never heard of such a thing before.

"Yes, this is the only way to be more precise. These technical approaches were all proposed by Qin Liang. He is definitely a talent and has a deep understanding of the field of aero-engines!"

"Great! Use this technology to manufacture a batch of turbine blades for our WS-6 turbofan engine! We also have a modification project that can increase the thrust of this engine to 14 tons!"

They're still launching satellites!
In the early 1980s, the WS-6 turbofan engine was about to be canceled. The team quickly worked on it and successfully completed ground tests. They even said that the main indicators had been met or even exceeded the design indicators. Unfortunately, it was useless. Everyone knows how it met the standards. In the end, the project was still canceled.

The team refused to accept this and came up with another modification. While keeping the original technical data unchanged, the thrust was increased to 14 tons and the thrust-to-weight ratio was increased to 7. These figures are better than those of the third aunt's husband, which did not mature until the late 1980s.

These people are good for nothing but launching satellites!
Many people are lamenting that if the WS-6 turbofan engine project hadn't been cancelled, things would have been different. In reality, even the design team lacked confidence in it and didn't know when it would mature. Outsiders, of course, had even less chance of knowing! They, however, were very clear about how many experimental data had been modified.

“No, we can’t waste such a good thing,” Qin Liang said. “Professor Ning, as the one who proposed this technology, shouldn’t I have the authority to decide which engine it should be used with?”

"Qin Liang, this is retaliation!"

"I just don't want to waste such a good thing. Advanced turbine blades shouldn't be used in projects with no future."

Engineer Li was furious.

"Unless you promise to develop the WS-6 turbofan engine to maturity within three years, or the R&D team is disbanded and you can go home and farm!"

Even with such provocation, Engineer Li didn't fall for it: "Hmph, the Capital Aviation Academy is independent and autonomous. Old Ning, our Factory 410 will pay for your technology!"

Professor Ning's expression was complicated: "Engineer Li, the technology belongs to Qin Liang. If you want to buy it... go talk to him."

Oh no, this is a vicious cycle!

Just then, Old Wu spoke up: "Qin Liang, you said the WS-6 project is garbage. What do you think is the right way to develop our aviation power industry?"

(End of this chapter)