When Xue Fengzuo was first kidnapped, he was still a little unacceptable. But when he came here and saw the ingenious machinery and equipment, the sophisticated experimental equipment, as a scientist, he immediately forgot the unhappiness of being kidnapped.www.biquge.info The agents of the Heaven and Earth Society were indeed capable, and brought Xue Fengzuo's family to him, so he threw himself on the steam engine.

Xue Fengzuo's student Mei Wending is the same, seeing the experimental equipment is like seeing the most rare treasures in the world, and he regards these experimental equipment as more important than his own life.

Wang Xinyu originally had a group of scientists such as Song Yingxing, Dai Cang, and Xu Zhengming, as well as Xue Fengzuo and Mei Wending, who were like a tiger with wings and made great progress in the development of steam engines.

"How powerful is this steam engine? How much horsepower is converted? Wang Xinyu asked.

The method of calculating the power of the steam engine was also thought up by Wang Xinyu, long before the development of the steam engine, Wang Xinyu suggested that after building a steam engine, the steam engine should be connected to the pump to pump water, and how much water could be pumped up in one minute. Then use the horse-drawn turntable to drive the pumping machine to pump water, and see how many horses the pumping efficiency of a steam engine is equivalent to, and then how much horsepower the steam engine can have.

In fact, this unit of horsepower is still very inaccurate, and the strength of each horse is different, so before the standard conversion of the unit of watts and horsepower, the horsepower of the steam engine can only be roughly estimated.

Xue Fengzuo said: "We have tested it with a pumping machine, and this steam engine is about two and a half horsepower. ”

The power of the 2.5 horsepower steam engine is too low, not to mention the powerful power of nearly 3,000 horsepower compared with the later forward steam locomotive, even if it is a very backward pilot steam locomotive in the late Qing Dynasty, a small and simple steam locomotive that can be lifted by six people, has more than a dozen horsepower.

And this steam engine obviously weighed more than the later pilot steam locomotive in real history, but the power was only a fraction of that of the pilot steam locomotive.

The shape of this steam locomotive is not the most humble shape of the pilot, but with a cab and a coal water car, from the appearance of the wind is still relatively stylish, very similar to the steam locomotive of later generations, but only the weight of the boiler must exceed those simple steam locomotives made by the British.

In fact, as early as the mid-seventeenth century, that is, in this era, the theory of using steam to drive vehicles and ships was proposed, but the concept of a reciprocating steam engine did not exist at all.

Because of the arrival of Wang Xinyu, although he only provided a sketch of the reciprocating steam engine, and the rest was developed by these scientists themselves, but just such a concept of reciprocating steam engine has saved mankind from decades of detours! It went directly to the right path, so it is not surprising that the steam engine came out early.

"How much does this car weigh?" Wang Xinyu looked at the steam locomotive and asked.

Xue Fengzuo replied: "If you don't count the coal water wheel, the steam locomotive weighs 5,000 catties; plus coal water trucks, 7,000 catties; There is a carriage behind it, which weighs 1,800 pounds and can carry 4,000 pounds. ”

Ming's catties are a little heavier, converted into tons, this steam locomotive and the carriages pulled behind it weigh a total of seven tons, which is still not as heavy as the rail cars currently running in Qiongzhou. However, this steam locomotive will definitely be much faster than the rail car. So Wang Xinyu said: "Then come up and try how fast you can run." ”

Xue Fengzuo said: "Speed is no problem, if you don't bear weight, you can run eighty miles in an hour." If you carry a load, you can run sixty miles in an hour. It's just that the reliability is too poor, and it stops after running for a while. ”

Such a speed is fifteen kilometers to twenty kilometers per hour, according to the data of the world's first steam locomotive in real history, this speed is normal, the current technical level is still very low, and it is impossible to ask too high.

Wang Xinyu said: "Let's go, get in the car and try it!" ”

Xue Fengzuo personally served as the driver, Mei Wending as the deputy driver, Liu Feng as the stoker, the three of them got on the locomotive, and Wang Xinyu also boarded the cab.

Walking into the cab, Wang Xinyu stood at the door of the furnace and looked at the boiler, only to see that the furnace door was closed, and there was still heat coming out inside. Liu Feng, who served as the stoker, pulled the switch, and the door opened, and inside was a block of coal that burned dark red.

"Ready to drive!" Xue Fengzuo, who was sitting in the driver's seat on the left, shouted.

Stoker Liu Feng first shoveled a shovel of coal from the coal water truck behind and put it into the boiler, then put down the shovel, walked to the boiler, and shook a handle vigorously.

This made Wang Xinyu wonder very much: why did the steam engine still use the handle to shake to start like the early internal combustion engine? But soon he understood that this handle was not driving a steam engine, but a blower. Liu Feng quickly shook the handle, and the gear drove the blower blades to rotate at high speed, sending fresh air into the boiler, and the dark red coal turned into a bright yellow, with a light blue flame in the middle.

The co-driver, Mei Wending, stood aside, looking at the pressure gauge, and after a while, Mei Wending shouted: "The pressure is enough!" ”

Xue Fengzuo, who served as the driver, pulled the handle, and the powerful steam rushed through a whistle, and the steam locomotive made a "woo-" a long sound that shook the earth, only to hear a steam gushing sound, the body moved slowly, and then the steam engine cylinder made a huge sound, and the car began to move forward slowly.

After a while, the speed of the train increased to its maximum, and Wang Xinyu estimated that it was about twenty kilometers per hour. The wheels crush against the rails, making a rhythmic sonorous sound, making Wang Xinyu feel as if he has returned to the industrial age.

As the speed of the car increases, it is connected to an air supply outlet outside the car to send fresh air into the boiler, at this time, there is no need for the stoker to shake the handle to supply air to the boiler, the fresh air is continuous, automatically poured into the boiler, the furnace fire is burning, emitting a bright yellow, and there is a gust of heat wave wind.

The train was running on the circular track, and after running for about five minutes, Mei Wending shouted: "It's too stressful!" Close the boiler valve a little! ”

The driver, Xue Fengzuo, pulled a handle and slowed down. The stoker Liu Feng also pulled the switch on the boiler, and the blazing furnace fire seemed to have weakened a lot. Xue Fengzuo over there pulled the handle again, and the speed of the car recovered.

However, the steam locomotive did not throw far, and only ran for more than ten minutes, when the boiler pressure was too high, the furnace temperature was too high, the cylinder was leaking, and the steam locomotive was forced to stop running.

"There is no safety valve installed that can control the pressure automatically." Wang Xinyu looked at the equipment in the cab and said.

The cab is still very rudimentary, there are few control switches, and it seems that this steam locomotive can only move forward, and there is no way to reverse. (To be continued.) )