Courtyard Houses: The Great Masters of a Nation Hidden Within

The atmosphere during the meal was incredibly pleasant.

Anyone would be happy to be in this situation—a major problem has been solved, and a whole host of other problems can be solved as well. Everyone present had smiles on their faces.

Chief Engineer Wang and Gao Jianguo never stopped talking when they got together.

Both of them came from technical backgrounds, so they naturally hit it off. Plus, it was obvious that the new material was spearheaded by Gao Jianguo, which made Chief Engineer Wang like him even more.

Gao Jianguo himself had been interested in the aero-engine field for a long time.

In his past life, he spent a lot of time browsing the military sections of forums and online communities. He certainly didn't know as much about the past of aero-engines as Chief Engineer Wang, but he knew far more about the future of aero-engines than Chief Engineer Wang.

The two got more and more excited as they chatted.

When the conversation turned to jet engines, Gao Jianguo blurted out, "Chief Engineer Wang, what do you think would happen if, besides using gas to power the compressor, we could also use a fan to expel gas backwards?"

Before General Manager Wang could even speak, a young engineer from the Lyp-6 team laughed: "Senior Technician, isn't this the same as just jetting air backwards? The efficiency is reduced from the jet to the fan, resulting in even greater energy loss."

Before Gao Jianguo could respond, Chief Engineer Wang launched into a tirade: "If you don't understand, don't spout nonsense."

After finishing his tirade, General Manager Wang turned to Gao Jianguo and said, "Zhendong, besides metallurgy, you've also worked with aero-engines? That's not a question an outsider should ask."

Gao Jianguo waved his hand: "No, no, I studied automation, I was just figuring it out. I was thinking that according to the rules, when the gas temperature is high, the pressure is high, and when the pressure is high, the flow rate is high. When the flow rate is high, the exhaust gas doesn't slow down enough, so it's ejected before it's fully decelerated, resulting in a large loss of kinetic energy and low efficiency. So I was wondering if I could use a turbine to drive one or more stages of fans to recover some of the gas's kinetic energy and reduce the exhaust speed to a suitable level. This way, efficiency would increase and fuel consumption would decrease, and the fans could also add some thrust."

As soon as these words were spoken, Chief Engineer Wang's eyes lit up: "Automation? I'm impressed. You're truly a promising young talent. Zhendong, your technical sensitivity is amazing. You're right, there's a type of engine called a turbofan engine, which is what you're talking about. However, we don't have any projects using it here, so we haven't started researching it yet."

After saying that, he turned around and continued to berate his own people: "Listen to what they're saying, you're all ignorant and incompetent. Even someone from a different major is quicker-witted than you."

Gao Jianguo was now even more energetic, not because he wanted to continue watching Chief Engineer Wang reprimand people, but because he remembered a problem in the scientific research system of this era that everyone used to talk about in his previous life—the lack of supporting facilities.

To put it simply, some equipment, because it is a copy or designed for a specific purpose, is rigidly tied to the intended user or installer. Once that user or installer is discontinued, the equipment is discontinued as well.

If it were special-purpose equipment, that would be one thing, but for core components like engines that can be used anywhere, doing it this way would be a huge loss, and all the previous work would be for nothing.

Just like the old J-5 bomber, once the upgrade program was stopped, the matching Type 5 turbofan engine also stopped.

With this in mind, Gao Jianguo was determined to speak his mind, especially since the leaders of the 17th Ministry of Machine Building were still sitting at the table. Of course, he didn't think much about the consequences after he finished speaking; he just felt that he should say it.

Do good deeds and don't worry about the future.

Having made up his mind, Gao Jianguo feigned confusion: "Matching? Aren't engines general-purpose equipment? Do they have to be tied to a specific project or installation target?"

"I'm new to this job, so I don't know much. I'm just thinking that as long as the engine is good enough, even if the aircraft to which it's intended for installation falls through, we can still continue researching it. For example, if a fighter jet A is cancelled for some reason, its engine can still be used in a fighter jet B with similar thrust. Or, installing one engine can make it a light aircraft, installing two engines can make it a heavy aircraft, and logistics will be much easier."

While General Manager Wang was still carefully pondering Gao Jianguo's words, the leaders of the 17th Ministry of Machinery Industry got excited. They already had a good impression of Gao Jianguo and had been paying attention to him. After listening to these words and thinking about them carefully, they found them quite interesting.

"Hey, Zhendong, we've considered what you're saying, but we haven't quite figured it out. Don't be afraid to say the wrong thing, just tell us your thoughts."

The leader put down his chopsticks to encourage Gao Jianguo.

Gao Jianguo scratched his head, feigning embarrassment: "Hehe, well, I'll just say a few words, just my personal opinion, please don't take offense, leaders."

"I just feel it's a real shame that once the main product is discontinued, a bunch of general-purpose equipment projects are also forced to stop. Could we select some that have been evaluated for their versatility and continue developing them?"

After finishing that part, Gao Jianguo moved on to the second scenario.

"Then there are those technically challenging, demanding, and extremely complex pieces of equipment. Take Mr. Wang's engine as an example; the research cycle for these kinds of things is usually very long. By the time they're urgently needed, it's often too late to start. Could we separate the engine project from the corresponding aircraft model and develop each one independently?"

An engineer from lyp-6 asked, "How do we address compatibility and usability?"

Gao Jianguo answered quickly: "First, make sure the planning is thorough. For example, determine which types of engines are needed, conduct thorough research and strict planning, and once the plan is finalized, stick to it without fail. That way, when the day comes that it's needed, even if what we produce isn't the most suitable, it will at least be usable."

"Secondly, define the interfaces between systems at all levels. I'm not talking about the kind of interface like an aviation plug, but a set of standard specifications that include functions, performance, installation, and maintenance. No matter what method you use to achieve it, as long as it conforms to this interface, you can install and use it."

Gao Jianguo then gave an example from his own experience: "Take this 3Z-591 material, for instance. This material was originally intended for trial production to support another research project in our factory. I didn't think much of it at the time and just included it as an auxiliary material in that project. It was the factory leaders who had foresight and allowed me to develop it as a separate project. And you know what? While that project is still in its later stages of testing, 3Z-591 has already produced results, completely unaffected by that project."

This was a compliment to the factory, but it wasn't exactly flattery; it was indeed Old Chen who asked him to separate the project.

He didn't say much, but everyone present had their eyes light up after hearing it.

After pondering for a while, the leader picked up his glass and said with a smile, "Zhendong truly lives up to his reputation as the one who created 3Z-591. He's crossed so many disciplines, his technical skills are top-notch, and his research approach is exceptionally clear. I've learned a lot from him. Your words have given me a lot of inspiration. Come, let me toast you; consider it paying your tuition."

Gao Jianguo quickly said something modest, stood up, picked up his glass, and downed it in one gulp. Of course, he didn't do the kind of nonsense that Xu Damao did, like "the leader drinks one, I drink three."

Chief Engineer Wang, however, looked on with delight, turning to Factory Director Yang and saying, "Factory Director Yang, we're desperately short-staffed, how about—"

Before he could finish speaking, Factory Director Yang smiled and flatly refused, "General Manager Wang, stop. It's fine for you to come here for materials, but if you want to get rid of someone, forget it."

The room was filled with laughter and chatter until everyone dispersed, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

When the leader left, Factory Director Yang saw him off to his car. Beside the car, the leader said to Factory Director Yang, "This Zhendong is a talented person. Give him more responsibilities; don't let him go to waste."