With cold metal parts, a huge breech full of texture, and a thick and heavy gun frame structure, it stood there quietly, silently and silently, exuding a faint momentum.
Perhaps, this is the sense of security that soldiers in war years need.
Send destruction and death to the enemy, and bring victory and hope to the warriors.
"Prepare the slewing bearing assembly." Yu Hua carefully checked the structural parts of the gun mount according to the procedures, confirmed that they were correct, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said in a serious voice.
The slewing bearing, a special bearing with a special structure, can rotate 360 degrees, and can be transmitted and fixed. It is multi-functional and multi-purpose. It first came into the world's attention when it was the French-made Renault FT-17 ultra-light tank that was born during World War I.
This is the first tank in the world to be equipped with a rotating turret. The reason why this tank can rotate the turret is that it uses a slewing bearing, so that the angle of the turret can be adjusted as desired and the target can be hit in all directions.
As the core component of the Red Peony Howitzer's combat operations, this slewing bearing is made of special steel with high hardness and high wear resistance. It has a working life of 10,000 hours, is greased every 800 hours, and has a rotation accuracy of 1 degree.
, the combat fixed accuracy is one centimeter, and the operating temperature range is 50°C - minus 30°C, which can meet the harsh working conditions of most battlefield environments.
Of course, if it is the extremely low temperature environment in the three northeastern provinces, a more cold-resistant special grease needs to be developed to meet the use scenarios in the extremely cold weather in the three northeastern provinces. However, for the Eighth Route Army at this stage, it is not possible to enter the three northeastern provinces to fight.
The matter is too far away, and the performance indicators of the slewing bearings currently equipped on the Red Peony howitzer are sufficient.
Two professionally trained soldiers followed standard procedures and pushed the heavy-duty flatbed transport truck slowly towards the No. 1 assembly point. On the transport truck was placed a slewing bearing assembly with a diameter of 1.5 meters and a weight of more than 400 kilograms. The entire assembly
It is in a fully assembled state. The interior is filled with brand-new mechanical grease. The inner and outer rings are closely connected. Balls made of wear-resistant steel are dotted among them, forming a precise and complex support structure foundation.
"Squeak!" The transport truck stopped steadily in the undetermined area of the No. 1 assembly point.
Subsequently, the small crane was operated, and two soldiers cooperated with it to tie up the slewing bearing with a lifting belt, lift it steadily and transfer it to the assembly point operating platform, and then lower it steadily.
When the slewing bearing assembly was ready, Yu Hua nodded and made a gesture. The four soldiers on standby immediately stepped forward and used lifting straps to tie and fix the heavy gun mount foundation. Then they cooperated with a small crane to lift the gun mount foundation.
Come to the top of the slewing bearing assembly.
The foundation of the gun mount slowly descended and continued to approach the slewing bearing. Four soldiers assisted the crane operator in the docking operation to ensure that the screw holes between the two were docked accurately.
The entire docking process was slow and careful. A thin layer of sweat broke out on everyone's forehead. They were extremely cautious for fear of making any mistakes.
The things in front of them are too precious and important. They are not qualified to make mistakes, let alone bear the consequences of their mistakes.
Sensing everyone's nervousness, Yu Hua did not say anything to comfort them, but asked them to carefully experience the tension and learn from it.
Engaging in military production is no joke. Any mistakes in the production stage may lead to serious damage to collective assets, or may lead to the defeat of frontline troops and even the loss of their lives.
There must be a tight string in the minds of military workers that can never be relaxed.
To people, this may be cruel, but there is no other way.
When the distance between the base of the gun mount and the slewing support is about five millimeters, the crane's hovering position remains different. The four soldiers work together to fine-tune the angle between the two parts to fix it. After Yu Hua's inspection and confirmation, he gestures to the crane, and then,
The foundation of the gun mount slowly falls on the surface of the slewing bearing assembly.
Thirty-six screw holes are precisely connected.
After the docking was completed, Yu Hua signaled the four members of the assembly team to install the screws. Upon seeing this, the four people did not hesitate and immediately got busy. They picked up the torque wrench to set the corresponding torque, took out the special screws, and performed the screw installation operation according to regulations.
standard!
The entire assembly process is carried out in accordance with the "Heavy Artillery Standard Assembly Manual" formulated in advance. Any assembly operations or personal behaviors that violate the assembly manual are strictly prohibited.
As a later generation, Yu Hua is well aware of the importance of standardization. Big brother taught him the skills of a complete industrial system, and Old America taught the secrets of the standardization system. The combination of the two made the motherland the world factory for future generations and laid the foundation for its prosperity.
The most solid foundation.
Set the standard and own it all.
Of course, this is not yet serious standardization. What Yu Hua did was just to establish an environment for the standardization system to take root and flourish in the base area.
Under Yu Hua's arrangement, the four soldiers tightened the screws in an orderly manner and firmly fixed the gun mount foundation on the slewing bearing assembly. After completing this step, the entire artillery had a clearer outline.
Without wasting time, Yu Hua and all members of the assembly team continued the assembly work, installing parts one after another on the body of the Red Peony Howitzer, including the cradle, balancing machine, steering gear, height machine, optical artillery sight, angle meter...
With the installation of the triangular auxiliary hoe and the moving body assembly connected to the base of the gun mount, the gun mount of the Red Peony Howitzer is finally assembled. Now, only the last core component remains - the gun body!
At this time, I don’t know how much time has passed. There is already a huge crowd outside the artillery assembly workshop. The leaders are the instructors and the boss. They are smoking and chatting with smiles on their faces. On the left and right are the familiar heads of the Eighth Route Army.
, Li Qiang, the head of the Military Industry Bureau, acted like a tour guide, constantly explaining the artillery assembly process and the role of each component.
The crowd was very lively, but no one came to disturb Yu Hua.
Everyone understands the importance and significance of this moment, and they wait patiently to witness history.
Yu Hua glanced outside and said nothing. He stared closely at the red peony howitzer in front of him. He took a drink of water from the water glass and signaled that work would start.
The gun body components of the Red Peony are relatively simple, consisting of a 105 mm 23-times diameter barrel, sleeve and breech block. There are no fancy artillery smoke exhaust devices and muzzle brakes.
The artillery smoke exhaust device requires drilling holes in the barrel to install an air reservoir. This design has extremely high requirements for the quality of the barrel. If you are not careful, the barrel will explode, so it is not suitable for towed howitzers.
As for the muzzle brake, there is no need for it. The function of this part is to reduce the recoil of the gun by reducing the pressure inside the tube. The problem is that the double-chamber hydraulic brake of the Red Peony Howitzer can easily resist the recoil of firing, and there is no need for a muzzle at all.
muzzle brake to reduce chamber pressure.
What does lowering chamber pressure mean?
The muzzle velocity of the cannonball becomes smaller and the range is shortened!
Sorry, what we want is strength and might!
The higher the firing chamber pressure, the better, the higher the muzzle velocity of the shell, the higher the range, and the stronger the firepower!
The muzzle velocity of an artillery shell of 600 meters per second and the muzzle velocity of an artillery shell of 900 meters per second are completely two concepts.
Yu Hua was in charge of the command, and four soldiers performed auxiliary operations. First, they carefully installed the tapered sleeve used to improve shooting accuracy and lifespan on the gun mount. Since the self-tightening technology of the heavy artillery-level barrel has not yet been broken through, the artillery sleeve can only be removed here.
With some effort, I took over the tapered sleeve used in later generations of artillery.
The comprehensive performance of the tapered sleeve is better than that of the traditional sleeve. The sleeve itself gradually tapers from front to back, which is not only lighter, but also more evenly withstands the stress and heat of firing.
The breech block had been installed before, and after the tapered sleeve was installed, Yu Hua came to the parts table. The two-meter-long artillery barrel was fixed upright, and the lower 90 centimeters were placed in a round metal container with a diameter larger than
The barrel of the gun is slightly larger.
The whole person exhaled softly, then opened the liquid nitrogen bottle and poured the extremely expensive liquid nitrogen into the round metal container. The white extremely cold mist spread and a bone-chilling chill came.
Big factories freeze, small factories bake, and roadside stalls bang bang knock.
In order to ensure the assembly accuracy and quality of the artillery barrel to the greatest extent, Yu Hua specifically chose liquid nitrogen freezing assembly technology. After liquid nitrogen freezing, the diameter of the artillery barrel will be shortened by a few inches, just enough to fit into a tapered sleeve of the same diameter.
After returning to normal temperature, the artillery barrel and the tapered sleeve achieve an interference fit, so that the two rely on the elastic pressure of each other's contact surfaces to create a tight and strong connection.
Liquid nitrogen freezing interference assembly is the most popular assembly method in later generations of major machinery manufacturers.
The artillery barrel cooled rapidly under the influence of liquid nitrogen, and the diameter of the affected part was slightly shortened. Yu Hua stood on the console and counted the time. When the predetermined cooling time was reached, he immediately issued instructions to the crane.
Low-temperature frozen parts must not be overcooled. Once overcooled, the metal will become brittle.
The crane was running, lifting the heavy artillery barrel vertically upwards. The crystallized part below the barrel gradually came into Yu Hua's sight until it left the round metal vessel.
The breeze is caressing, the time is just right.
Yu Hua gave instructions, and four soldiers assisted in the operation and cooperated with the crane to lift the gun barrel to the front of the tapered sleeve as quickly as possible, and then adjusted the angle.
The gun barrel is pointed vertically downward, and the gun tail is aligned with the tapered sleeve hole.
The crane slowly descended, and the breech that had been cryogenically frozen easily entered the tapered sleeve hole of the same diameter without any effort, entering bit by bit until it was submerged in it.
The whole process is smooth and smooth.
Seeing how easily the frozen part of the artillery barrel was installed, a satisfied and comfortable smile appeared on Yu Hua's face, and he nodded lightly. He felt extremely comfortable, and the tight strings in his heart slowly relaxed.
He did it.
It took nearly ten months from the time he traveled to the present, and he did it with his own hands and brain - in northern Shaanxi in 1937, he built a large-caliber heavy artillery for the army.
Has history changed?
He doesn't know anymore.
But he knew that with the base area of large-caliber heavy artillery and the Eighth Route Army, more Japanese troops would be eliminated!
The heavy machine gun developed by Maxim wiped out 60,000 British troops in one day at the Battle of the Somme. The AK-47 developed by Kalashnikov began to kill lives from the day it was born. Tens of millions of people were produced and died from its gun.
The soul beneath the mouth is no less than its production figures.
Yu Hua did not expect that the Red Peony Howitzer could wipe out millions of Japanese troops. He only hoped that every shell fired would take away at least one Japanese soldier and soothe his own soul with the lives of Japanese soldiers. That was enough.
What is success?
Whenever I think of the Japanese soldiers on the battlefield dying because of the artillery they developed, this is success.
Of course, this is just a kind of success. He has never forgotten Miss Qiu's dream.
At 4:08 pm on October 5, 1937, the Red Peony 105mm prototype gun was finally assembled at the Liushugou Arsenal in the base area. China's first independently developed large-caliber howitzer was born.