Building ships with steel would seem to be a matter of course and easy in later generations. However, in the early 19th century, this was a major initiative and there were countless difficulties that needed to be overcome.
For example, the navigation problem mentioned earlier, such as the rust problem that Li Xiao just mentioned. The former can be overcome through the efforts of George Airy and others (it is not completely solved, and must be constantly corrected during the voyage). The latter was solved in 1847
There is no solution at all.
The reason comes from two aspects. There was no anti-rust paint available in that era, and there were huge defects in the shipbuilding raw materials.
Let’s talk about the issue of anti-rust paint first. Don’t think it’s as simple as just painting. But it actually involves all aspects of chemistry, and it’s impossible to do it without a sufficient chemical industry foundation. At least it’s impossible to do it in Russia.
.
For example, the anti-rust paint for ships of later generations that Li Xiao knew contained quite a few chemical components that were not available in this era. Starting from scratch would require too much investment and would require building a complete industrial chain, which is simply unrealistic.
Li Xiao can only get some earlier anti-rust products, the performance is not that ideal, the price may be very impressive, and...
"Furthermore, this kind of paint is very toxic, not only for people in direct contact, but also for marine life..."
Li Xiao is not the Virgin of the Environment, but he does not want poisons to run rampant in the world, and he does not want those workers and soldiers who come into contact with this kind of anti-rust paint to struggle in pain for the rest of their lives, so what should be said must be said first, and what protection must be done.
Must be reminded.
However, he seemed to be a little too worried, because neither Lazarev nor Bellingshausen didn't care at all. It was not that these two veterans were cold-blooded and ruthless, but that there was no such awareness at that time and they had no regard for the environment.
Human nature doesn't pay special attention to things, people focus on effects and benefits.
Prolonging the life of a ship costing tens of thousands of pounds is more worthy of attention than a human life that cannot earn a thousand pounds in a lifetime.
In a sense, human life in this era is really worthless. Although Li Xiao does not like this concept, he cannot immediately make people in this era change.
The material base determines the superstructure, just like the poor scum of the third world in later generations do not care about the negative impact on their homes by developing highly polluting industries or recycling highly toxic waste from developed countries. They cannot even have enough to eat.
At this time, people are more concerned about having enough to eat. It is as simple and realistic as that.
In fact, Li Xiao doesn't really care. He just wants to make his conscience easier and make himself appear less cold-blooded. Because he knows that in this era of cannibalism, if you want to live a better life, you must pay a price, just like
The Industrial Revolution in Britain would make sheep eat people. If the more backward Russia wants to develop, it will inevitably engage in various cannibalistic activities. The primitive accumulation of capital is always extremely bloody and violent.
So Li Xiao quickly ignored this topic and continued to talk about technology: "If you want better rust prevention, changes in shipbuilding materials are also very important. As far as I know, today's iron-made ships are more
Apply wrought iron?”
Lazarev asked doubtfully: "Is there any problem?"
Of course there is a problem. Everyone knows that wrought iron is iron with a carbon content of less than 0.05%, which can also be called pure iron. This thing is soft in texture, has good ductility and plasticity. However, this thing
It's too soft and is actually not a good material for shipbuilding.
For example, most of the earliest iron tools made by humans were made of wrought iron. For example, the iron swords of ancient Rome were generally wrought iron swords. To be honest, those things are not very useful as weapons because they are too soft and can cut people.
A few swords may deform it. We can see records in ancient books that after fighting with a wrought iron sword, the ancient Roman soldiers had to step on the blade of the sword to straighten it.
Similarly, when used in shipbuilding, wrought iron also has insufficient strength as a structural component and is prone to deformation under the action of gravity and waves. Of course, the most important thing is that it is also prone to rust.
According to the records of the Royal Navy, if a ship with a wrought iron hull is not properly maintained, its average lifespan will be very impressive, and it will often become a pile of leaking scrap iron in less than ten years. Therefore, around 1847, criticism of iron-hulled ships was actually
It is the mainstream in the UK, and even the British stopped using wrought iron to build ships because there were too many problems.
Li Xiao's meaning is very simple, that is, to go beyond this stage and switch to steel for shipbuilding. Essentially, the difference between steel and iron is only the carbon content, but their physical properties are thousands of miles apart. Steel is tougher and more suitable for shipbuilding.
Of course, steel, especially ordinary carbon steel, actually has serious corrosion problems. Especially in the marine environment with high salt and humidity, corrosion is almost inevitable. Even in the 21st century, the problem of rust still exists and cannot be solved.
eradicate.
The reason why Li Xiao recommends steel is very simple, not only because it is the mainstream of the future, but also because the Russian steel industry is in desolation. Whether it is the first or the second industrial revolution, steel has always been the foundation.
Without enough steel, nothing can be built, neither railways, skyscrapers nor giant ships can be built. Therefore, it is necessary to use the corrosion problem of iron-made ships to indirectly promote the development of the Russian steel industry.
"Steelmaking is imperative. Steel has many advantages over wrought iron. In the future, all ships will have to be built with steel. This will make our warships stronger in defense, lighter in weight, and more buoyant!"
Lazarev and Bellingshausen were stunned, because in their traditional thinking, isn't steel heavier than wood? How can a ship made of steel be lighter than one made of wood? Shouldn't it be the other way around?
?
Li Xiao explained patiently: "The density of steel is indeed higher than that of wood, and it is indeed heavier for the same volume. But steel is tougher than wood. Ships with the same displacement use steel as the structural material because the steel structure is strong and can be used
Less material is needed to achieve the same structural strength as wood.”
Li Xiao was indeed not lying about this. Wooden boats actually have a common problem of insufficient structural strength. The larger the wooden boat, the more obvious this problem becomes. Due to the nature of the material itself, wood must pay a heavier structural price.
For example, the British Royal Navy found through research that wooden ships commonly suffer from keel deformation and ship plank displacement. Especially if it has encountered stormy weather or has been in service for a long time, the entire ship will undergo serious deformation, making repairs almost impossible.
Want to hit a wall.
But iron-hulled ships hardly have this problem. According to research by the Royal Navy, iron-hulled ships can be 15% lighter and about 10% more buoyant than wooden ships. Moreover, the hull will hardly undergo structural deformation due to its own weight.