The gray-haired old professor smiled and said: "Your Highness asked about the key point. In fact, we built this device in one month. The reason why we spent two years was to study how to change the vertical force into a horizontal force.
Thirty of our Tai students and fifty craftsmen worked together to test various plans. We also thought of changing the direction of the river, digging a horizontal ditch and adding a ring ditch, so that the river flowing from east to west would flow in a north-south direction, but it was very troublesome.
, and finally two craftsmen made it using a swash plate gear."
The old professor opened a small door below. Chen Qing stepped forward and lowered his head to look inside. He couldn't see clearly inside. He could only vaguely see a few large wooden gears rotating. The gears were slowly tilting, and finally turned sideways.
Turn.
"Not bad!"
Chen Qing praised continuously: "Who came up with the gear method?"
"Our students thought of it and the craftsmen made it. The next step is to make a mold and cast it into a gear with copper water. It will definitely be more durable than wood."
Of course, gears are not a new invention. They have appeared a long time ago. Hourglasses and engraved glasses use gear transmission. The key is that a Taipei student can think of using gears to transmit power. This is amazing.
Chen Qing also very much agrees with this model of students plus craftsmen, where students imagine the design and let the craftsmen implement it.
As the saying goes, experts watch the door and laymen watch the excitement. Officials are not too concerned about the mechanism and skills inside. They are more concerned about the purpose of this set of machinery. Zhou Kuan was straightforward and asked directly: "I don't understand this device, but I think it can be used
A camel or two cows can also pull the millstone, and at most two people can operate it. Why do you need to spend so much effort to make such a device? It seems that this cost can buy at least dozens of cows. Can your Highness explain it to everyone?"
Chen Qing said slowly: "Let's use an analogy! At first, people used stone spears to throw for hunting. Later, someone discovered that by tying a rope to an elastic stick, they could shoot a wooden branch more than ten steps away. Everyone knows that
, this is the earliest prototype of the crossbow, but this simplest bow and arrow is far less powerful than throwing a spear, and it is not as good as throwing a spear far. Many people must have ridiculed and opposed it at the time, but those who studied bows and arrows did not give up, and studied it from generation to generation.
, and finally there are today’s divine arm crossbows, bed crossbows and large trebuchets. The same goes for this water-driven machine. It cost thousands of dollars, but the effect is no different from that of a camel, so why study it?”
Zhou Kuan's old face turned red and he laughed at himself: "I thought it was too simple. Thank you, Your Highness, for clearing up the confusion!"
Next to him, Zhang Miao added: "You are not thinking simply, but you have spent thousands of dollars to make your body hurt. If it is cheaper than a camel, you will definitely sneer at the camel!"
Everyone laughed, and the atmosphere suddenly relaxed. Chen Qing said to the professor again: "Professor Yan, tell everyone, what is the use of this device?"
The old professor smiled and said: "The reason why this device is expensive is because it cost thousands of dollars to research it, including building this stone house. In fact, its cost is only about a few hundred dollars. If it is replaced with pig iron, it will be more expensive."
It is cheap and has many uses, such as flour grinding, cotton ginning, oil extraction, spinning, rice milling, irrigation, mixing, such as making coal cakes. Although animal power can also achieve the same effect, as His Highness said
, we will continue to improve and invent new things based on it. For example, we invented a linkage device. Although it is useless now, it will definitely be of great use in the future. There are also gears, which very delicately drive other objects to move.
This is something we never thought of."
Everyone unanimously agreed to vigorously develop hydraulic devices, and Chen Qing immediately announced his intention to allocate 10,000 yuan from the treasury to support the research and development of mechanical devices in Taixue.
Everyone came out of the stone house. Chen Qing asked Professor Yan: "Just now you said you invented a connecting rod device. What is it?"
Professor Yan said with a smile: "A student came up with the idea from the joints of human arms. The craftsman made an artificial joint based on the drawing he drew. We call it a connecting rod. It pushes and pulls back and forth, just like a hand that rotates a flat joint below.
The wooden disc is placed, and there are gears on the disc. The gear rotates and drives the larger gear next to it to rotate. However, this connecting rod is suitable for pushing forward and backward, and is not suitable for the rotation of water flow. Of course, it can be used, but it is convenient without gears.
.”
Chen Qing nodded. The connecting rod reminded him of a train and a steam engine.
He immediately smiled and said: "Let's do it! The day after tomorrow I will go to Taixue to give a class to your students in the morning, and call the craftsmen to attend. I don't care about my status, as long as I have the ability, I will give you some inspiration!"
"I understand my humble position, and I will definitely make arrangements!"
.........
After returning from Weihe River, it was still afternoon. Chen Qing did not go to the official room, but to the Jubao Pavilion.
The chief shopkeeper of Jubao Pavilion was startled and quickly invited His Highness King Yong into the guest room, "Is Your Highness here to pick up the princess's pearl necklace?"
Chen Qing shook his head, "I'm not here to pick up the necklace today, but the beads are ready, so I can take it back with me."
"It's ready. I'm going to send it to the palace tomorrow. Please wait a moment, Your Highness. I'll go get it now."
Chen Qing waved his hand and said, "I'll get it later. I'll get down to business first and find your best goldsmith!"
"Your Highness, please wait a moment!"
The big shopkeeper immediately went to the backyard. After a while, a middle-aged man was brought up. His name was Li Si. He was the most famous goldsmith in Jingzhao. The goldware he made was exquisite. The flying phoenix hairpin on the princess's head was...
Made by him.
Li Si knelt down to pay tribute to His Highness King Yong. Chen Qing asked him to stand up and asked him: "How far can you achieve the fine things?"
Li Si thought for a while and said: "The villain once made a small flower basket, and the flowers on it were woven with gold wire that was thinner than hair."
Chen Qing nodded and said, "Do you have any long gold foil strips rolled together?"
"There is a roll of silver chaff, and the gold chaff has just been used up."
"Silver chaff strips are also fine, show them to me!"
After a while, Li Si sent a plate of silver rolls, which were very fine and neat. It was exactly the style Chen Qing wanted. Unfortunately, the silver was a little soft and inelastic. Chen Qing thought for a while and said, "I'll give you a piece of fine steel."
, can you make it into a thin roll like a silver bar?"
Li Si's eyes widened and he said for a long time: "I've never hit pig iron before, so why don't you give it a try?"
"I know this is what the blacksmith does, but the blacksmith's craftsmanship is too rough and cannot meet my fine requirements, so be it! Try both fine steel and copper, and use whichever one is successful. The key is to be neat.
The thickness is the same, I’ll give you two days, I won’t blame you if I can’t do it.”
Chen Qing actually didn't want to make a clock, he just wanted to make a prop to let students know that there are many sources of power in the world.
But Chen Qing still took it for granted. Making a clock spring cannot be made from ordinary metal materials. It requires special steel with high strength, high toughness, and high elasticity, which does not exist in this era.
Li Si didn't know why, so he nodded, "I'll give it a try!"
...
It has always been Chen Qing's idea to make a clock. In fact, there were timekeeping tools in this era, such as sundials, engraved glasses, hourglasses, lamp clocks, more incense clocks, etc. The engraved clock was used in Chen Qing's study, and in the room of Princess Lu Xiu
There is an hourglass, and little wooden figures will come out to ring bells and drums to tell the time.
Of course, every city has a bell and drum tower. The bells are rung eighteen times at five o'clock in the morning and at dusk every day to notify the whole city of the arrival of day and night. Then the drums are beaten every hour during the day to tell the time. At night, if it does not affect everyone's rest, the bells are played.
Use the watchman to tell the time.
On the way back home, Chen Qing asked the soldier to buy an iron teapot for boiling water, and he asked the blacksmith to modify it a little.
...
Two days later, goldsmith Li Si sent a copper roll and a fine steel roll, but Chen Qing was disappointed with the two items. The items were exquisitely made, like works of art, but unfortunately they were not elastic enough and could not play after being rolled up.
opened.
His idea was a bit ahead of his time, and the clockwork failed, but he could also consider a gravity clock, using gravity and an escapement device to constantly catch the pendulum, then put it down, catch it again, and put it down again, and use gravity to drive the gears.
Operation.
But there was no time now. He had to give the first lecture well. Early that morning, Chen Qing took the teapot and stove to teach at Taixue.
====
[All the neighbors around me are sheep. Lao Gao is huddled in his room and shivering with fear. This is mainly due to lack of exercise all year round and his immunity has declined. Two updates today. 】
