The pressure test that the master shipwright refers to is actually a load test.
Put heavy objects into the boat and record the weight of the heavy objects and the time the boat withstands it.
Then continue to increase the weight and see if there will be water seeping into the bottom of the boat after it is fully loaded.
If everything goes well, the ship will be considered a complete success.
Song Yang went home and slept all morning. After noon, Tong Qian asked him to get up and eat.
Just after dinner, Liu Bao came and said that the gravity experiment on the iron ship was completed and the results were not very satisfactory.
"Not ideal? What's going on?" Song Yang asked anxiously.
"There were no problems with the boat when it was half loaded in the morning. However, when it was fully loaded at noon, several rivets on the bottom of the boat broke off and the water leakage was very serious!"
"The ship sank before the heavy objects could be unloaded!"
Liu Bao also slept until noon. When he went to the shipyard, he saw the boat sinking.
When it was half loaded, the rivets could still withstand it, but when it was fully loaded, it exceeded the limit and the rivets broke.
"Oh! That's actually not bad. The rivets we are using now are not strong, so it is normal for them to break. Come on, let's go take a look." Song Yang packed up and was about to go out.
"Will the prince come back to finish dinner today?" Shen Xiaowan asked.
"Probably not coming back." Song Yang shook his head.
Back at the shipyard, the small iron boat had been salvaged.
Just now when Liu Bao went to find Song Yang, the workers started salvage.
It was lifted directly from the water using a crane.
"My lord, I'm really ashamed. This ship can't withstand the full load test." Master Fu Linhui shook his head and said.
"It doesn't matter, it's a problem with the rivets. This can actually be foreseen a long time ago." Song Yang waved his hand nonchalantly.
Under the guidance of the old master, Song Yang took a look at the bad spots on the bottom of the boat. The broken rivets seemed to have been broken by force.
The huge water pressure caused the iron plates at the bottom of the ship to continuously deform, causing the already tiny rivets to break.
"If you make this thing one centimeter thick and replace it with iron material, then it will definitely be fine." Song Yang picked up the broken rivet and said.
"A one-centimeter iron rivet? What kind of pliers are used for folding?" Wang Muyue was very puzzled.
As a blacksmith, he knew that such thick rivets would be useless if the old method was used.
"This is simple. Build a kiln at the construction site, burn the rivets thoroughly, then pass the rivets through the buckles and use a steam hammer to press them into buckles." Song Yang pointed out.
This hot riveting method is suitable for thick rivets over one centimeter.
Master Lin Hui picked up another broken rivet and said, "My lord, it doesn't actually need to be one centimeter long. If you replace this rivet with an iron one, it can be used by ordinary small and medium-sized ships."
"Our ship has a keel. If the rivets are driven into the keel and measured, the frame can also help the rivets."
The boat that was built overnight last night was just tied up casually in many places for convenience, and it couldn't bear the pressure at all.
In fact, if yesterday's rivets were finely processed, today's rivets must be able to withstand full load pressure.
"Well. Let's do it this way. Regarding the size and material of the rivets, Lao Lin, you and Xiao Wang will discuss it, and this matter will be left to you two."
Song Yang looked at Wang Muyue and old man Lin Hui and said.
"Okay. I will definitely choose the most useful rivet." Lin Hui nodded.
Wang Muyue also said that the rivets must be made well.
The two took the job, and Lin Hui pointed to the keel of the boat and said:
"Your Majesty, our iron ship is different from the wooden ship. The hull frame structure may need to be adjusted."
Song Yang nodded. He had noticed just now that the stress points of the ship were almost all in the front half.
It should be caused by the layout and structure of the keel.
Song Yang had never studied Dragon Bone, nor did he look through the book now.
Yesterday, I temporarily said that I needed to build the keel, so I asked my master Lin Hui to do it according to the keel layout of the wooden ship.
The result is a bit top-heavy.
Because the bow of a wooden ship needs some heavy objects to hold it down to be stable, the iron ship itself is heavier and requires less heavy objects.
Song Yang looked at Liu Bao and said, "Xiao Baozi, help Lao Lin adjust the hull frame."
"Yes. Students know." Liu Bao nodded in agreement.
"In fact, although the iron ship sank, it also verified my king's statement that the iron ship is feasible. Moreover, the service life of the iron ship is longer than that of the wooden ship, and its ability to withstand wind and waves is stronger. So our future development direction,
We still have to move closer to the iron ship."
Returning to the shipyard office, Song Yang Min Iron Ship made a summary.
"What the prince said is true, but the development of iron ships may still have a long way to go. The rust prevention of the bottom of the ship is a big problem." Lao Lin saw the key issue at once.
"Yes. Anti-rust of iron ships is indeed a big problem. Xiao Wang, please pay more attention to these matters. You can communicate frequently and solve any problems together." Song Yang arranged work for Wang Muyue again.
"Let's see. Iron ships will definitely be developed, but we can't rush it. The two large ships under construction can apply some iron ship technologies, such as fake steel decks, armor, or other things that need experimentation."
"Some early ships can be mixed with iron and wood. Our new version of the steam engine can be used on iron ships. If wooden ships are disguised as iron armor, the defense and risk resistance will definitely be improved."
Song Yang gave some suggestions, and Lin Hui would carefully consider each one and then give his experience.
Finally, the shipbuilding method of combining iron and wood was basically determined, and gradually transitioned to all-iron ships.
The person in charge of the iron ship project was assigned to Lin Hui, and the team members included Liu Bao, Wang Muyue, and Lin Sheng.
The Lin family came from the Jiangning Shipyard. Lin Hui came to Jiangzhou and basically took the job of the general manager of the Jiangzhou Shipyard.
Now he is shouldering the research and development work of steel battleships. Although the old man deeply feels the kindness of encounter, he is also walking on thin ice, fearing that he will ruin the work and disgrace Song Yang's attention.
In the next few days, the iron ship team immediately started work.
Wang Muyue began to make new thicker rivets, and Liu Bao began to polish the new keel structure.
Lin Hui wrote a report and formally finalized the iron ship project in writing, which was then reviewed and approved by Fang Zhe.
In the future, the iron ship project will be able to get the right support from the government, and the progress and efficiency will be greatly improved.
According to the time on the planned project schedule, the manufacturing period of the iron ship is three to five years.
This time was also agreed upon by Song Yang and others.
Song Yang consulted some information for this purpose.
With riveted shipbuilding technology, three examples of the Titanic took three years to produce.
Although the technology in Jiangzhou now is not as good as that era, what Song Yang wants to build is not as big as Titanic.
Coupled with the experience of his master Lin Hui, Song Yangcai initially set the construction period at three years.
Of course, for insurance purposes, an additional two years of flexibility are provided.
This time does not include research and development time.
If all are calculated, it is roughly estimated that the first ship with an all-iron hull will not be launched until seven or eight years at the earliest.
After the matter was finalized, Song Yang said with emotion:
"Let's build it. I am waiting for the day when I can travel around the world on a steel battleship. Maybe we will even have electricity by then, and then the steel battleship will be truly perfect."