Chapter 156: High-temperature Alloy

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This is a set of precision ceramic molds, specifically used for manufacturing Turbine Blades.

The mold has been preheated to a specific temperature, and the molten metal will be poured into it to form the basic shape of the blade.

"Begin pouring."

The liquid metal, like flowing sunlight, poured into the mold.

Li Mingyuan focused all his attention on controlling the pouring speed and angle, ensuring no air bubbles or impurities were mixed in.

Next is the long cooling process.

To ensure the stability of the metal's internal structure, the cooling rate must be precisely controlled.

Li Mingyuan used a specially made temperature controller to make the temperature inside the mold gradually decrease according to a preset curve.

A few hours later, the first batch of blades finally finished cooling and could be removed from the mold.

"Now is the most critical moment," Li Mingyuan said to everyone present, "If there are cracks or pores on the blade surface, or defects in the internal structure, it will lead to failure."

Under everyone's gaze, the assistant carefully opened the mold and took out the finished product inside.

A collective silence.

The blade surface was covered with tiny cracks, and there was obvious deformation at the edges.

Clearly, the first attempt was a complete failure.

"I knew it," an elderly materials expert whispered, "This kind of High-temperature Alloy is not something that can be mastered in a short time."

Other experts also nodded one after another, their faces filled with an "as expected" expression.

But Li Mingyuan appeared surprisingly calm, even wearing a trace of a smile.

He picked up the failed blade, carefully observed every crack and every deformation, then walked to the microscope to further examine the microstructure of the material.

"The problem lies in the cooling rate," after a moment, Li Mingyuan raised his head and said, "The grain boundaries formed unevenly, leading to internal stress concentration. Furthermore, the aluminum-titanium ratio needs fine-tuning to increase the alloy's toughness."

He immediately modified the formula and process parameters, preparing for the second attempt.

"Chief Engineer Li," Professor Zhang couldn't help but advise, "The first failure is normal, but to solve these problems, it requires systematic experiments and analysis, which may take several months. Are you sure you want to continue?"

Li Mingyuan smiled: "Professor Zhang, metallurgy has a basic principle: failure is the mother of success. We have already collected valuable data; the second time will definitely be better than the first."

Without waiting for the experts to react, he had already started the second round of testing.

This time, he adjusted the metal ratio, added some rare elements, and completely redesigned the cooling curve.

The second melting and casting process lasted for an entire afternoon.

When the second batch of blades was removed from the mold, it was already late at night.

This time, the cracks on the blade surface were significantly reduced, but there were still some subtle defects at the blade tip and root.

Although there was significant progress compared to the first time, there was still a considerable gap from a qualified product.

The workers on the materials team began to show signs of fatigue; the continuous high-intensity work had left them exhausted.

But Li Mingyuan seemed to have endless energy; he immediately began to analyze the results of the second test.

"The heat treatment process needs adjustment," Li Mingyuan muttered to himself, quickly recording new parameters in his notebook.

"We need to introduce Directional Solidification, to control the direction and speed of metal crystallization."

Professor Zhang looked at Li Mingyuan's notes, his eyebrows raised high:

"Directional Solidification? That is the most cutting-edge metal preparation technology; even the Polar Bears rarely apply it in actual production!"

"But it is the key to solving the internal structure problems of the High-temperature Alloy," Li Mingyuan said firmly.

"I have already designed a set of simplified Directional Solidification equipment that can be retrofitted using existing equipment."

Over the next twelve hours, Li Mingyuan led the team to carry out a series of modifications to the melting equipment.

He personally designed a set of special temperature gradient devices that could control the direction of heat flow during the metal solidification process, prompting the crystals to grow along a specific direction.

"This is crazy," a young expert whispered to his companion, "He is using crude methods to replicate the cutting-edge technology that the Polar Bears have spent decades developing!"

The third test began the next afternoon.

This time, Li Mingyuan appeared unusually cautious and focused.

He adjusted almost all parameters, from alloy composition to melting temperature, from pouring angle to cooling curve; every detail had been precisely calculated.

The most critical part was the newly added Directional Solidification process.

The liquid metal cooled slowly under the action of the special device, with heat dissipating along a preset direction, prompting the metal crystals to form a regular columnar structure.

This structure can greatly improve the material's strength and stability at high temperatures.

The entire process lasted nearly ten hours. When the third batch of blades was finally ready to come out of the oven,

it was already the evening of the next day.

Having worked for 72 consecutive hours, everyone was exhausted, but no one was willing to leave—they all wanted to witness the result with their own eyes.

In a tense atmosphere, the assistant carefully opened the mold and took out the finished product inside.

A piece of metal blade glowing with a silver luster lay quietly there, its surface smooth as a mirror, its edges sharp as a knife, without a single crack or deformation.

The laboratory was silent; everyone stared with wide eyes, looking in disbelief at this piece of metal that seemed ordinary but contained infinite technological miracles.

Professor Zhang reached out with trembling hands, carefully picked up the blade, placed it on a precision balance to weigh it, and then used a micrometer to measure the dimensions of every part.

All data was accurate to the micron level, completely meeting the design requirements.

"This... this is impossible..." Professor Zhang muttered to himself, his voice trembling with shock, "Three days... three days..."

"We still need to conduct high-temperature testing," Li Mingyuan said calmly, as if what he had just completed was not a technological miracle, but just an ordinary job, "I have designed a simple high-temperature testing device."

In the next six hours, the blade was placed into a specially made high-temperature test chamber, and the temperature was gradually raised to 850 degrees Celsius.

Everyone nervously stared at the monitoring screen, fearing that the blade would deform or crack under high temperature.

But the blade withstood the test perfectly, maintaining its shape and strength in the extreme high-temperature environment, without any deformation or damage.

"The test is passed," Li Mingyuan announced, a smile of exhaustion yet satisfaction finally appearing on his face, "we have succeeded."

A burst of cheers erupted in the laboratory.

Those experts who had originally been skeptical were now flushed, too excited to speak.

They had witnessed the birth of a technical miracle, a research and development process that should have taken years, completed by Li Mingyuan in a mere three days.

"It's unbelievable," Professor Zhang said, still shaking his head in disbelief, tears shimmering in his eyes.

"Chief Engineer Li, you... you are simply like an ancient alchemist, able to turn ordinary metal into miraculous materials."

Li Mingyuan smiled: "It's not magic, just science. Now, we can begin mass-producing the Turbine Blade, and simultaneously start the manufacturing of other components."

"Do you really intend to complete the prototype of the entire Engine within a week?" a young engineer still found it hard to believe.

"Of course," Li Mingyuan nodded, a determined light flickering in his eyes, "we have already solved the most difficult part; the subsequent work will be relatively easier."

He turned to the team members: "Rest for four hours, then we begin the next stage of work."

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