The Pudelin method was the main production method before the advent of the modern steelmaking method, and it used to reach a considerable production scale, but due to the high technical requirements for controlling decarburization and the very harsh working conditions in the semi-condensed solid smelting environment - the mixing workers were not only baked at high temperatures, which affected their health, but also prone to safety accidents - after the advent of the more advanced Bessemer method, the Pudelin method was quickly phased out. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 However, in the 17th century, this backward production technology in the 18th century was already quite advanced, and as for the human rights of the mixing workers, Lin Weiye chose to ignore them, and he still can't take care of them.

Although it is an engineer in a modern steel mill, it is the first time to make steel by ancient methods, the principle of Pudelin method and ancient Chinese steel frying method is similar, the key is the control of decarburization, decarburization is not enough is still pig iron, the carbon content is too low to become pure iron, only in between the two is steel.

With the assistance of craftsmen from Guangzhou, the first furnace of molten iron was smelted, Lin Weiye was very nervous, and Xia Nan was also very nervous. The ancient steelmaking method judged whether steel or iron was smelted, and it was only known when it was baked.

After the molten iron cooled, an experienced craftsman could tell with the naked eye that it was not steel. Lin Weiye did not give up, and beat it with an iron drill, and it was really pure iron with a very soft texture - the heat was not mastered well, and the decarburization was too much!

Xia Nan didn't know how to make steel, so he could only comfort Lin Weiye: "It's okay, it's okay, failure is the mother of success, the pig iron we bought this time is enough, and we can start again after smelting a furnace." ”

Having said that, my heart is dripping blood, not to mention the huge amount of money, the key is that pig iron is difficult to buy, pure consumables, and the development of the Qiongzhou subway mine must be put on the agenda.

Lin Weiye thought about the process and circled around the open-hearth. Xia Nan didn't dare to disturb him, and the craftsmen didn't know what he was doing, so they didn't say anything.

After a long time, seeing that Lin Weiye had not stopped, a craftsman had the courage to say: "Owner, this smelting wrought iron is a delicate work, when we were in Guangzhou, we used a small furnace, and we could smelt up to two or three hundred catties of pig iron at a time. Generally, it is ten to eight catties of pig iron to refine one catty of wrought iron. Now with such a large furnace, hundreds of kilograms of pig iron are put into it at a time, and it is not easy to control the heat. ”

Everyone thinks that this is always the case when smelting wrought iron, and the smaller the scale, the easier it is to grasp the heat. Although there was a method of frying steel in the Han Dynasty in China, the government did not allow large-scale steelmaking among the people, and the government-run workshops did not necessarily pass down the process of frying steel.

Lin Weiye stopped abruptly and retorted: "A few hundred catties of pig iron are smelted dozens of catties of wrought iron at a time, it is too slow, how much wrought iron can be smelted in a year?" ”

He looked up at the open-hearth furnace and remembered the key process of the ancient steel frying method recorded in the relevant books - heating pig iron to a liquid or semi-liquid state, using methods such as blasting or sprinkling concentrate powder to oxidize silicon, manganese and carbon, and reduce the carbon content to the composition range of steel and wrought iron. At present, there is no concentrate powder, only blast, and the oxygen in the air is used to oxidize silicon, manganese, and carbon, avoiding the defects of the previous single mixing method. If there is no experience in the single mixing method, the mixing time is too long, and the phenomenon of excessive decarburization will occur. By blowing air, with stirring, and reducing the time, it should be successful.

There was no time to make a hydraulic blower, so the traditional manpower blower was used. After restocking a furnace of pig iron, a dozen or so powerful apprentices take turns blowing air into the furnace with a traditional iron-making blower, while the workers on the top of the furnace start stirring at the same time. After the second molten iron was baked, it was already in the west. If you don't succeed this time, you can only try again tomorrow.

When the molten iron cools, everyone's eyes are focused on it. The sharp-eyed craftsman saw the gray finished product and shouted: "It's done, it's wrought iron, not soft iron!" ”

Lin Weiye used an iron drill to try, made a crisp metal sound, hard texture, has a certain toughness, and hard and brittle pig iron and soft wrought iron are different, according to the metallographic explanation, neither pig iron, nor pure iron, then it is steel, and the most likely is relatively good plasticity of low carbon steel, the most suitable material for making muskets!

Lin Weiye hugged Xia Nan and shouted excitedly: "It's done!" We did it! Mild steel can be manufactured on a large scale! ”

Producing more advanced alloy steel on a modern steel production line is obviously more rewarding than refining the original carbon steel by hand. The joy of success filled Lin Weiye's chest, and an emotion that could not be experienced in the old time and space permeated his heart.

In the old time and space, although he was an engineer, but he was only a part of the huge production line, which was insignificant for the entire steel production line, here, he was able to achieve large-scale steelmaking on his own, and suddenly he was able to grasp the ideal of Xia Nan to open up a new world - we are here, we have seen, we will conquer and change this old world!

In the summer, Nan breathed a sigh of relief, and if he could make steel, he could make muskets, and he wasted a furnace of pig iron, which was also worth it. He hugged Lin Weiye, patted each other's backs, and shouted, "Lao Lin, it's good." ”

After the excitement, Lin Weiye maintained a good professional spirit, he and the craftsmen determined the operation points of the entire production process, and then recorded them in writing to form a production manual. In this way, the craftsmen who are responsible for the entire process in the future only need to follow the production manual, even if they are replaced, they should not slowly explore and master the heat - this is the essential difference between the ancient production process and modern industrial production, the ancient craftsmen regarded the skills as a magic weapon for eating, and never passed on to the outside world, resulting in advanced technology can only be inherited by word of mouth, which is easy to be lost, and is not conducive to the implementation of large-scale production.

The craftsmen present witnessed the smelting of wrought iron from thousands of catties of pig iron at one time, which is several times more efficient than their usual ten catties of pig iron smelting one catty of wrought iron! Some of the people who were active had their eyes flashing, wondering if they could remember this method and sell it for a good price in the future.

Xia Nan didn't understand the craft, but he knew management, and he knocked on the craftsmen present: "This craft manual can only be kept in the factory, and it can't be passed on, but I'm not afraid if it gets out." You don't want to make money on this, except for me, no one can have such a large scale of iron smelting, and even if there is, who will he sell so much wrought iron to? The government punished him first. Besides, where can you find a better place than me when you work with me, and you have a lot of money and a good salary? ”

Before the ironmaking, Xia Nan announced to everyone: the remuneration system of the iron and steel plant is similar to that of the Bofu shipyard, and it is also divided according to the rank, and the competition mechanism is introduced, and the bonus is calculated according to the total amount of ironmaking and steelmaking at the end of the year.