Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

The news that Lin Weidong had completed the machine tool modification using self-made quenching tools spread like wildfire, reaching the ears of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense in just a few days.

That afternoon, the department head personally knocked on the door of dormitory 302, followed by several people dressed in Zhongshan suits.

"Wei Dong, these are comrades from the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense. They came all the way from Beijing to see you."

The middle-aged man at the head of the group, named Old Chen, grasped Lin Weidong's hand and said earnestly and urgently:

"Comrade Xiaolin, we have studied your machine tool modification plan repeatedly, and the 30% improvement in precision far exceeds our expectations."

"The country is currently advancing a military research project on the processing of aero-engine blades, but it's stuck on the hurdle of deformation control. The pass rate is less than 30%. We'd like to invite you to join the research team and participate in the research!"

Aero engines are a vital national asset, and the blades are the core of the core.

Seeing the expectation in Old Chen's eyes, Lin Weidong agreed without hesitation: "Comrade Chen, I'll join!"

The next morning, Lin Weidong followed Lao Chen to the confidential workshop of the school-run factory.

Upon entering, one sees a pile of scrapped blades next to a dozen precision machine tools, and several gray-haired researchers fussing over blueprints, with cigarette butts scattered all over the floor.

"Without temperature control equipment, the workshop temperature can reach 35°C in summer. The finished products look acceptable, but they deform after cooling and become unusable."

An experienced technician sighed, "If all else fails, we'll have to wait until winter to try again, but military orders don't wait!"

Lin Weidong circled the processing table twice, and then he had the system scan all the processing data and environmental parameters, simulating hundreds of cooling schemes.

The next morning, he slapped a sketch of an "underground water circulation cooling device" directly onto the conference table.

"Use the well on the hill behind the campus to draw water from a depth of more than 10 meters. Pipe the water around the processing table and then let it flow back into the well to form a circulation, which will stabilize the temperature of the processing area."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the gray-haired old technician immediately said, "Young man, I tried this method twenty years ago! The temperature of deep water is indeed low, but the water pump power is insufficient, and the water flow is slow, resulting in poor cooling effect. Moreover, well water contains silt, which easily clogs the pipes, and the joints are prone to leakage, so it cannot stabilize the temperature at all."

The surrounding researchers nodded in agreement, clearly finding this "makeshift method" unreliable.

Lin Weidong was prepared and pointed to the markings on the blueprints, adding, "Master Wang, I've considered the problem you mentioned. The water pump's power is insufficient. We'll modify the old lathe from the school-run factory with speed-increasing gears to increase the rotation speed, which will double the pumping efficiency."

As he spoke, he picked up a piece of chalk and quickly drew a sketch of the modified speed-increasing gear on the blackboard.

Master Wang leaned forward, adjusted his glasses, and examined the plan for a long time. His brows gradually relaxed, and the doubt in his eyes turned into surprise: "This renovation plan... it can actually work?"

"Try it and you'll see."

Lin Weidong patted Zhang Qiang on the shoulder, "Zhang Qiang, you're good with your hands, come with me to modify the water pump. Li Ming, you're in charge of calculating the pipe length and water flow rate to ensure uniform cooling."

Master Wang slapped his thigh: "I'll lead the team to lay the pipes! If this method works, it will solve the urgent problem for military machinery factories across the country!"

For the next two days, the confidential workshop was bustling with activity.

Following Lin Weidong's blueprints, Zhang Qiang disassembled the gears from a scrapped lathe, polished, adjusted, and reassembled them to create a simple speed-increasing device.

Master Wang, along with several researchers, carried water pipes and moved around the workshop, laying the pipes precisely according to the markings.

Lin Weidong kept an eye on the water thermometer, adjusting the sealing of the pipe joints from time to time.

As expected, an accident occurred on the first day of work.

A pipe joint near the machine tool suddenly leaked, and water flowed down the ground to the machine tool base.

"I told you it wouldn't work!" one researcher said, stamping his feet in frustration.

Lin Weidong remained unusually calm. He took out the asphalt and hemp thread he carried with him, squatted down, and quickly resealed the area, solving the problem in less than half an hour.

When the water thermometer stopped steadily at 20℃±2℃, the entire workshop fell silent, and everyone's eyes were focused on the first blade to be processed.

The machine tool starts up, producing a crisp and steady cutting sound.

Two hours later, the first blade was completed. The inspector repeatedly measured it with a micrometer, then suddenly shouted excitedly, "Perfectly qualified!"

The entire workshop instantly erupted in excitement!

Master Wang grasped Lin Weidong's hand and said, "Comrade Lin, you've done a great service to the country! This method may seem rustic, but it's more effective than foreign temperature-regulating equipment!"

Within a few days, representatives from the military industry, along with a team of experts, came to inspect the equipment.

Looking at the rows of qualified blades, the representative immediately approved: "This technology will be directly included in the National Military Technology Promotion Catalog and popularized in all military machinery factories nationwide! Comrade Lin Weidong, award him a first-class merit!"

The news caused an uproar at Harbin Institute of Technology.

School leaders personally presented Lin Weidong with the "Core Talent of Military Industry" certificate at a school-wide assembly. The bright red certificate was stamped with the seal of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, carrying great weight.

What caused even more a sensation was that the school specially approved a monthly military allowance of 50 yuan. It should be noted that at that time, a professor's monthly salary was only 60 yuan. For a sophomore to receive such a high allowance was unprecedented in the history of Harbin Institute of Technology.

Meanwhile, several large-character posters quietly appeared on the school's bulletin board.

Without naming names, the criticism was vague, stating that "some students only value technology and not ideology, are detached from the masses, and have deviated from the revolutionary direction." The implication was clear.

Lin Weidong simply smiled faintly when he saw it.

Before he knew it, winter vacation arrived. Lin Weidong, carrying his experience and stipend from his military research project, boarded the train back to Beijing.

As soon as I arrived at my doorstep, I saw the steel rolling mill manager and several key technical personnel pacing anxiously at the entrance.

Lin Weidong had written home saying he would be back today, but unexpectedly, people from the steel mill were waiting for him right at his doorstep.

"Dongzi, you're finally back!"

Factory Director Yang grabbed his hand and said urgently, "Our factory has received an order to process new tank track plates, but the pass rate for track plates processed by our existing machine tools is only 75%. Your father is worried sick!"

Lin Weidong followed Factory Director Yang and others straight to the steel rolling mill workshop.

In the workshop, the father, Lin Jianjun, was sighing around a Soviet-made machine tool. When he saw his son return, hope instantly ignited in his eyes.

Lin Weidong walked around the machine tool twice, and drawing on his experience with relay control at school, he drew a diagram of an "automatic feed device" on the spot.

The dimensions and installation location of the parts were clearly marked: "Dad, install this device and keep the feed rate uniform to reduce deformation caused by cutting stress."

The factory manager immediately arranged for workers to make the changes overnight.

Lin Jianjun exclaimed, "My son has truly become a technical expert!"