Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

The workshop of the steel rolling mill's motor transport team was in an uproar early in the morning, with arguments almost lifting the roof off.

Xiao Wang slammed the wrench on the toolbox, his face turning bright red.

"You go ahead! I wouldn't dare drive on that road! One side is a cliff, the other a mountain wall, a downhill stretch of over ten kilometers. Last time Old Li came back from delivering goods, his brakes were almost worn down, the tires were smoking, and he almost went all the way down!"

Xiao Zhang also waved his hand hurriedly, shaking his head like a rattle-drum: "I'm not going either! Now they're shouting 'Hunt more, run faster' every day, and every truck is overloaded by more than 30%."

"The brakes are already too weak to hold, going down that road is suicide! Squad leader, you should find someone else!"

The two argued back and forth, neither willing to give in, attracting the attention of their fellow workers who gathered around, who began to discuss the matter.

The motorcade foreman squatted on the ground, his brows furrowed, smoking one cigarette after another.

In two days, the deadline for delivering steel pipes to the chemical plant will be approaching, but everyone in the factory knows how dangerous this route is.

The long downhill slope was steep, the road surface was full of potholes, and the vehicles were seriously overloaded, so accidents caused by brake failure were common. Apart from the retired foreman, no one was willing to take on this job.

"Neither of you wants to go, so who's going to do the work? We can't just let the mission fall through, can we?" The foreman said helplessly. "The factory is pressuring us, and the chemical plant is also waiting for materials. What are we going to do?"

"How about... we ask Chief Engineer Lin for help?" someone in the crowd suddenly suggested.

"Chief Engineer Lin is an engineer; he can even build an eight-cylinder engine. Maybe he can improve the car and make the brakes more reliable?"

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. "That's right! Chief Engineer Lin definitely has a solution!"

"Chief Engineer Lin always solved the equipment problems before; you can't go wrong with him!"

The squad leader's eyes lit up, and he immediately stood up: "Great! I'll go find Chief Engineer Lin right now!"

At this moment, in the R&D workshop, Lin Weidong was hunched over the blueprints, focusing intently on modifying the mass production plan for the eight-cylinder engine.

Su Wanqing sat to the side, checking the parts list. The two of them would occasionally discuss something in hushed tones, the atmosphere focused and orderly.

After the previous setbacks, engine development has gotten back on track, and preparations for mass production are being carried out intensively.

"Chief Engineer Lin, excuse me!" The auto repair foreman strode in, his face showing urgency.

Lin Weidong looked up and put down his pen: "What's wrong? What happened?"

The squad leader explained the predicament of the motor transport team in detail, emphasizing the dangers of that route and the problem of braking.

"Chief Engineer Lin, could you possibly think of a way to improve the car's brakes? Otherwise, no one will dare to take this job."

Upon hearing this, Lin Weidong nodded: "Let's go, I'll go check the car."

Following the squad leader to the motor transport unit, Lin Weidong carefully inspected the trucks that were to be sent out for deliveries.

He opened the brake system's protective panel and his brows furrowed. "The current brakes are still purely hard friction structures, without retarders or cooling devices. If you brake downhill for a long time, the brake pads will definitely overheat and fail. Add to that overloading, and it's practically playing with people's lives."

He turned to the apprentices in the machine repair shop beside him and said, "Go get some paper and pens."

The apprentices quickly brought paper and pens, and Lin Weidong began to draw rapidly on the table.

Before long, a simplified diagram of the water tank and a mechanical control diagram of the brake spray system were completed.

"Following this diagram, make a small water tank, fix it to the frame, and install a linkage device to connect to the brake pedal. When you press the brake, the spray device will automatically spray water to cool the brake pads."

Pointing to the blueprints, he explained in detail, "Add a filter to the water tank to prevent clogging, and increase the sensitivity of the linkage device to ensure that it can start as soon as the brake is applied."

The apprentices stared at the blueprints, their eyes widening in disbelief, their faces filled with expressions of sudden realization.

The foreman of the motorcade came over for a look and slapped his thigh excitedly, exclaiming, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Chief Engineer Lin, your idea is absolutely brilliant!"

"Why didn't we think of that?" He had never imagined that the problem of brake overheating could be solved in such a simple way. Looking at the clear structure on the blueprint, he felt a sudden inspiration.

The other workers gathered around, looking at the blueprints and discussing, "This method is simple and practical; the materials are all available at the factory, and it can be made quickly!"

"With this sprinkler system, the brakes won't overheat, and I'm not afraid of driving down long hills anymore!"

"Chief Engineer Lin is truly amazing! He came up with a solution so quickly!"

Lin Weidong smiled and was about to turn and leave when his gaze fell on the driver's seat of the truck.

The seats were bare; there weren't even seatbelts. Only then did he realize that it hadn't been rolled out worldwide yet.

"By the way," he stopped and said to the foreman, "Does the factory have any high-strength webbing? We can make a batch of simple seat belts from the webbing and install them on the driver's and passenger's seats, securing them with buckles. They can act as a buffer, reducing injury even in the event of an accident."

"seat belt?"

Lin Weidong explained to them why seat belts were necessary and their importance.

The squad leader paused for a moment after hearing this, then realized, "When we were delivering goods before, we almost got thrown off our seats on bumpy roads. The seatbelts made things much safer! Chief Engineer Lin, you've thought of everything!"

Lin Weidong nodded, said nothing more, and turned back to the R&D workshop.

But as he walked along the road, his heart was filled with turmoil.

When he was inspecting the trucks earlier, he discovered that the domestic truck manufacturing technology is extremely backward. Not only are the braking systems rudimentary, but problems such as insufficient power, limited load capacity, and poor safety are also very prominent.

As the country's industrial development progresses, the demand for truck transportation is increasing, but there is a severe shortage of reliable transport vehicles.

"Perhaps I could try producing trucks?" Once the thought popped into his head, he couldn't suppress it.

After resolving the case of the deaf elderly woman, the system rewarded MAN trucks with all related technologies, from the engine to the chassis, from the transmission system to the safety features, all of which are complete, and the technical level far exceeds that of any truck in China at present.

If this technology can be successfully implemented to produce high-performance, high-safety, and heavy-duty trucks, it will not only solve the transportation problems of steel rolling mills.

It can also meet the needs of the domestic market and provide strong support for the country's industrial construction and logistics transportation.

Back in the R&D workshop, Su Wanqing noticed his unusual expression and asked curiously, "What's wrong? Did you resolve the issue with the motor transport team?"

"It's resolved," Lin Weidong nodded.

"Wanqing, I have a new idea. Maybe we can start producing trucks!" he said, sharing his idea.

Su Wanqing's eyes lit up, and she immediately understood the significance: "This is a great idea! The country desperately needs reliable trucks right now. If we can produce advanced trucks, transportation efficiency will improve significantly!"

Lin Weidong nodded, already starting to make plans in his mind.

Mass production of the eight-cylinder engine can continue, and at the same time, he can take some time to organize the technical data of MAN trucks and formulate preliminary plans for truck production.

When the time is right, we will report to the factory and our superiors to seek their support.