Chapter 233: Core Technology

"White Cast Iron Cannon? Grey Cast Iron Cannon?"

In front of the Blast Furnace, the craftsmen were busy; some were transporting ore, others were pulling the bellows to blow hot air into the Blast Furnace.

When Zhao Xu further explained how to produce iron cannons, Wang Ying was quite depressed.

Because he understood less and less.

"Look, this is what is called knowing the 'what' but not the 'why.' Once the Technology Academy is built, you can also come to listen to my lectures," Zhao Xu said.

Wang Ying was full of shame; before meeting Yan Wang, he was still quite narcissistic.

He always felt that there were few people in this world who understood craftsmanship as well as he did.

Now, he only felt that in front of Yan Wang, he was just a young child who understood nothing.

"Your Highness is right; this subordinate will certainly listen well to Your Highness's lectures," Wang Ying said.

"Pfft." Seeing his father acting like he had made a mistake in front of Yan Wang, Wang Chong could not help but laugh.

Hearing this, Wang Ying glared at him, "What? Do you understand the difference between this White Cast Iron Cannon and Grey Cast Iron Cannon?"

"I don't." Wang Chong's head drooped.

Zhao Xu smiled.

Now, there was Liu Fu for government affairs and Chang Wei for military matters.

He actually had more time to free himself up to focus on the Armory.

After all, the knowledge from the present was his true wealth.

This wealth would be realized in the Armory, bringing huge wealth and security to Yanzhou.

"The cross-section of iron has two colors; one is silvery-white, and one is grey. You understand, right?"

"This subordinate understands," Wang Ying replied, "Before Your Highness brought out the Blast Furnace for iron smelting, the iron produced in Yanzhou was all white-cast once it cooled. This kind of iron is hard, but brittle."

"Your Highness, wouldn't using this kind of iron to make cannons easily lead to barrel explosions?" Wang Chong revealed a puzzled expression.

"These are to be sold to the noble clans, so they are meant to explode easily," Zhao Xu said.

He had not yet told the two what these two types of cannons were to be used for.

Upon hearing this, Wang Ying and Wang Chong let out an "oh" and revealed smiles that said, "Your Highness, you are truly wicked."

"It's just that now that we use the Blast Furnace, the iron we smelt is all grey-cast. If we want to make White Cast Iron Cannons, wouldn't we have to use the old methods of smelting iron? That is a bit too troublesome," Wang Ying continued.

Zhao Xu smiled, "That is not necessary; you only need to adjust the air supply to the Hot Blast Stove when smelting."

In fact, the main difference between grey cast iron and white cast iron is the silicon content in the molten iron.

If the silicon content in the molten iron is greater than four percent, what comes out will inevitably be grey cast iron.

This type of iron has high flexibility and is suitable for making cannons.

Whether the silicon in the molten iron can reach four percent depends on the smelting temperature.

As long as the temperature of the Blast Furnace exceeds 1,500 degrees, under chemical reaction, the silicon in the material will form crystalline silicon and melt into the molten iron; when the iron solidifies, it will change the crystalline form of the carbon in the iron.

Below this temperature, the iron can still melt, but most of the silicon can only exist in the form of compounds, so after the iron parts cool, they become white cast iron.

It is precisely because there is such a complex principle inside that he is so confident that the noble clans can never imitate his cannons.

Even for white cast iron, there are levels of quality; they cannot catch up to Yanzhou's smelting level.

In the contemporary era, the Qing Dynasty did not understand this even around the time of the Opium War, so they were always unable to build Grey Cast Iron Cannons comparable to those of the great powers.

At the same time, there is another key technical point here.

White Cast Iron Cannons cannot undergo bore reaming.

Because they are too brittle, they shatter as soon as they are drilled.

In the mid-to-late 19th century, high-quality cannons were basically cast iron parts drilled directly, or at the very least, bore-reamed once.

Only in this way would the inner wall of the cannon be smooth, allowing the cannonball to be fired further, even up to over ten kilometers.

This is why, during the Battle of Dagu Fort in the Qing Dynasty, the British army could directly bombard Dagu Fort from the sea using warships.

Cannons that have not undergone bore reaming have flaws on the inner wall, with slight unevenness.

Although it is generally not visible, the cannonball will encounter resistance when exiting the bore, reducing the range and power.

The steel cannons currently made in Yanzhou have not undergone bore reaming, so their only advantage is a low barrel explosion rate, plus the support of Granular Gunpowder.

But even so, the effective lethal range is only 1,500 meters, with a maximum range of over 2,000 meters.

If they could undergo one more round of bore reaming, it would be perfect.

The maximum range of his cannons would definitely be able to match the highest quality cannons of the 19th century.

However, to do this, one must master the technology of bore reaming.

For the most basic bore reaming technology, there are two difficulties: one is power, and the other is the cutting tool.

This cutting tool does not mean a machete, but the various Drill Bits used for processing metal on a Lathe.

In terms of power, the initial Boring Machine used water power; this is not a problem.

What remains is the manufacturing of the cutting tools.

In the mid-19th century, cutting tools were basically made of High Carbon Steel, which is also known as Tool Steel.

As everyone knows, steel is also divided into soft and hard.

So this is equivalent to using hard steel to drill soft steel.

Of course, the ideal cutting tool is hard alloy steel, such as Tungsten Steel.

But with Yanzhou's current level, trying to achieve that is harder than ascending to heaven, and it would also be a waste of time.

High Carbon Steel is much easier; there is no need to add extra alloys, just smelt a pot of High Carbon Steel specifically.

For him, he only asks that it can be used, not for it to be a masterpiece.

At worst, he will just waste a few more cutting tools.

"Just withdraw the Hot Blast Stove?" Wang Ying and Wang Chong were even more surprised, "Your Highness, what is the principle behind this?"

"It cannot be explained in a short while. Once I lecture you at the Technology Academy, you will understand," Zhao Xu said.

The two nodded, feeling as restless as if a cat were scratching at their hearts.

They truly could not fathom how Yan Wang came to understand such strange and peculiar knowledge.

Yet, deep down, they were filled with a yearning for this knowledge.

They very much wanted to master the "technology" that Yan Wang spoke of, just as he had.

After discussing the matter of the two types of Artillery, Zhao Xu took a set of blueprints from Xu Lie's hands.

"Director Wang, the matter of the Artillery is left to you," Zhao Xu said.

Following this, he said to Wang Chong, "You have a new task now."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chong immediately perked up, "Yes, Your Highness."

The two arrived at the courtyard exclusively used by Wang Chong at the Armory Bureau.

On the stone table in the courtyard, he spread out the blueprints.

"Besides Artillery, I intend to develop these firearms. The principles are similar to Artillery, but they are much smaller and can be held by soldiers," Zhao Xu said, pointing to the Flintlock on the blueprints.

This was drawn by his own hand.

Wang Chong's eyes stared straight at the object on the blueprints, his heart quite shaken.

Although this was only a drawing, he could imagine how magnificent it would be once it was manufactured.

"Is this subordinate really to be responsible for building this?" Wang Chong's voice was distorted with excitement.

Since entering the Armory Bureau, he had not yet independently completed a single item; he had only made some small attachments.

Zhao Xu shook his head, "No, this type of firearm involves multiple crafts. What you need to do now is this part of the firearm: the firing mechanism."

Wang Chong's smile froze; in the end, he was still only responsible for a part.