Back in Fanjiazhuang, Li Zhi checked various industries again. After confirming that there were no problems, he began to invest in the development of rolling bearings.
Bearings are indispensable in industrial production. They can greatly reduce the rotational friction at mechanical joints, improve the operating efficiency of machinery, and enhance the stability of mechanical operations. Without bearings, modern machinery would not be possible at all.
As an industrial designer, the production of bearings is considered a basic skill. Before time travel, Li Zhi had understood the principles of bearings, and had also looked up some simple methods of making bearings, and now he was just using them.
Li Zhi selected ten blacksmiths who were good at processing steel tools from the blacksmiths who were gunsmith apprentices. He chose the ten most honest people and called them to stand in a specially built workshop. The workshop was divided into ten
Each room has a furnace for making iron and burning steel.
Li Zhi first educated them on the confidentiality regulations: "I'm asking you to make a new thing. After this thing is completed, your monthly income will be increased to three taels per month, and your three meals will remain the same."
After hearing what Li Zhi said, the craftsmen were very excited.
Sir, are you going to do something new again? This time you have found yourself, and you are going to make a fortune!
Li Zhi made the craftsmen excited for a while, and then said slowly: "But I will give you a high salary, but I want you to keep the secret strictly. If I find that anyone leaks the secret of producing this thing, it will be a death penalty!" He looked at it coldly for ten times.
Li Zhi glanced at the blacksmith and said, "The nine traitors in the glass workshop are a precedent. You don't want to make the same mistake again, right?"
The ten craftsmen had not been happy for a while, but they were frightened and nervous by Master Shou's words.
Wu Tietou, who was chosen as the head craftsman, quickly replied:
"Lord Cheng, can you still not trust me, Wu Tietou? Even if a knife is placed on my neck, I won't reveal any secrets!"
The other craftsmen also replied: "Sir, we are all honest blacksmiths and we will not reveal secrets!"
"Sir, we all do things honestly and will not leak secrets."
Li Zhi nodded and said: "This new workshop implements a joint sitting system. If one person leaks secrets, ten people will be punished together! The person who leaks secrets will be beheaded, and the others will also have to deduct a year's wages. So if you see others stealing secrets, all of you will be punished.
Go up and stop it and report it!"
Wu Tietou patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, sir. I, Wu Tietou, will be the first to get in trouble with anyone who steals secrets!"
Li Zhi looked at the blacksmiths and saw that they all looked serious and shocked, and then he said: "The thing I want to make is called a bearing! I want to use good Su steel to make eight steel balls, and they need to be polished and rounded.
Then two steel rings are cast, one large and one small. Two tracks of steel balls, one inner and one outer, are left on the steel ring. Then the eight steel balls are allowed to rotate on the tracks of the steel ring. Finally, two steel rings are made.
The iron cage fixes these steel balls inside the steel ring so that they do not collide."
Hearing Li Zhi's words, the ten blacksmiths were a little confused. They had never seen rolling bearings, and they had no idea what Li Zhi was talking about.
Li Zhi began to teach them one by one.
Li Zhi divided the bearing production into five processes. The first process is to make two steel rings, one large and one small. The second process is to cut off the steel rods into small sections as raw materials for making balls. The third step is to heat the balls.
raw materials, and then use high-temperature soft ball raw materials to beat on the steel mold, and beat small sections of steel rods into balls. The fourth step is to use a good porcelain clay grinding wheel and a fine steel grinding disc to polish the balls, eliminate burrs, and polish the steel balls.
.The last process is to use iron sheets to make two cages, clamp the balls on both sides, and fix the steel balls to the predetermined position of the track.
Li Zhi divided the ten craftsmen into five groups to operate different processes. Li Zhi asked the craftsmen to only focus on their own processes and not to know or inquire about other people's operations.
Then Li Zhi took out the drawings he drew and showed them to the five groups of craftsmen in each process.
After looking at the drawings, the ten craftsmen had some idea of what they should do.
Li Zhi guided the craftsmen step by step in building the bearings from beginning to end.
The first step is to cast the steel ring, which is quite simple. Make a mold with sand and pour the molten steel into it. However, in order to reduce the honeycomb of pores on the steel parts, Li Zhi asked the blacksmiths to use the cast steel ring to make an iron mold in turn, and then use iron
Mold cast steel rings.
Then, a round steel rod is heated until soft, and then placed on a simple cutter to cut out a small section of steel material, which is used as the raw material for the ball.
Put the raw materials for rolling balls one by one in a furnace and heat them until they are red hot. Then take out the raw materials one by one and place them on a steel block with semi-circular holes. Use a stick with the same semi-circular holes on the head.
The steel rod is pressed against the ball material, and the steel rod is hammered with a hammer to squeeze the material into a spherical shape.
After obtaining the rough balls, use multiple ball screens to screen the balls to remove too large or too small balls. Then use a grinding wheel and grinding disc to deburr and polish the balls. After obtaining smooth balls, temper and heat the balls, and finally pour
Quenching in hot oil increases the hardness of the balls.
After the balls are ready, arrange the balls in a row into the outer ring of the bearing. After installing the inner ring of the bearing, slide the balls to different positions. The balls and the inner and outer rings will be integrated and will not fall off.
Finally, an iron sheet is used as a cage, fixed with steel nails, and the balls are wrapped from both sides so that the eight balls are evenly distributed inside the steel ring without collision and friction.
Li Zhi guided different blacksmiths step by step, making tools and operating production. Finally, it took him fifteen days to make the first rolling bearing of this era.
Li Zhi added some oil to the bearing, put the bearing sleeve on his hand and turned it hard. The bearing turned four or five times and stopped.
Seeing the final effect of the bearing, the blacksmiths were very surprised. The headsmith Wu Tietou said: "Sir, this circle can roll so many times on its own, it is so smooth! Sir, what is it used for?"
Li Zhi did not answer Wu Tietou's words. He was wondering why the bearing did not work well? It could only rotate four or five times. Although this was much better than without a bearing, it was obvious that the bearing designed by Li Zhi should not have such an effect.
After thinking about it, Li Zhi felt that the inner and outer rings of the bearing were probably too rough, and the friction coefficient was too high, causing the balls to stop after a few turns.
It seems that the inner and outer raceways of the bearings also need to be finely polished.
Li Zhi added another process to the entire production - orbital polishing of the inner and outer rings - after the steel ring was cast, the burrs were polished and the orbit was polished with a fine porcelain clay grinding wheel and a fine steel grinding disc.
It took another three days for Li Zhi to lead the blacksmith to make polishing tools and polish the ball track.
The bearing was remade and oiled. Li Zhi held it in his hand and turned it hard. The bearing did not stop this time. It turned and turned for a long time, at least a dozen times, and then it slowly stopped.
.
Such bearings can already meet Li Zhi's needs, and Li Zhi is very satisfied.
Feeling happy, Li Zhi said loudly: "The bearing is successfully manufactured, and each of the ten craftsmen will be given three taels of silver as a reward!"
The craftsmen were overjoyed and shouted one by one: "Your grace!"
"My lord is so proud!"
"Thank you, sir!"
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Thanks to Tuhao 123 for the 500 reward, thank you! Thanks to @生好好 for the reward
