I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 979 French Institute of Engineering Design
Joseph patiently explained to his father:

“You see, the power of the hydraulic forging machine comes from the water flow, and the speed and strength of the water flow are changing all the time, and the output power of the forging machine will also fluctuate, which will seriously affect the accuracy.

"Even because of the uncertainty of water flow, gears and crankshaft structures that are too precise cannot be used because they may be damaged after a big wave surges through.

"But the steam engine can always produce a steady output, which allows the distance and force of each forging to be accurately controlled.

“At the same time, the force of the hammer blows can be finely adjusted by changing the amount of steam through a very precise valve. Releasing the steam will stop the forging immediately.”

Joseph glanced at his father who had fallen into reverie and continued, "10 tons is the upper limit of the hydraulic forging machine, but for the steam forging machine, this is just the beginning.

"As long as we make a breakthrough in the research and development of high-power steam engines, we can easily build forging machines of 30 tons, 50 tons, or even hundreds of tons."

When Louis XVI heard the words “hundreds of tons”, he stopped watching the fencing competition and dragged his son towards the royal workshop: “At least draw a schematic for me. This thing is amazing!”

He walked down the stand and suddenly looked at Joseph in a very tangled manner: "But, the revolver you mentioned before is also very interesting... God, which one should we start with?"

Joseph smiled and said, “By the way, the most powerful thing about the steam forging machine is that it is not affected by seasons at all. Whether it is a dry season or a cold winter, as long as there is coal, it can work forever.

"One steam forge can do the work of 10 to 20 hydraulic forges."

"That's right!" Louis XVI nodded repeatedly, gesturing with his hands excitedly, "And it is not limited by rivers, it can be used anywhere. For example, forging can be done right next to an ironworks. Yes, that's it! No more transporting iron ingots back and forth. Efficiency will be doubled.

"Yes, I've decided. Let's make a steam forge first!"

Joseph smiled. He mentioned the steam forge this time just to arouse his father's interest.

You know, the steam forging machine is the "productivity booster" second only to the train in the steam engine era.

Only with this thing can large metal parts be processed in batches.

For example, if used to produce items such as bearings, metal frames, anchors, boilers, cannons, the speed will be dozens of times faster than it is now, and the quality will be much higher!
Well, there is one more very important thing that needs to be produced using the Steam Forge.

That's the railroad track.

If the rails were forged by hydraulic forging machines or manually, the cost would be high and the output would not meet the requirements. This is one of the reasons why the early promotion of trains was slow.

In addition, once the steam forging machine matures, it can become a pile driver or even a punching machine with simple improvements.

The former will greatly increase the speed of infrastructure construction, and the latter is essential equipment for the Second Industrial Revolution.

Therefore, the steam forging machine is a high-tech equipment of strategic level.

In comparison, although the revolver can slightly improve the combat effectiveness of the cavalry, it is limited by the processing precision of that era, which makes it impossible to achieve a very high airtightness between the revolver and the barrel, so the lethality is very general.

Usually the effective killing distance does not exceed 30 steps.

The cavalry of this era was also more obsessed with sabers. In fact, even in World War I, the saber was still the most important weapon for the cavalry, without a doubt.

After one hour.

In the Royal Workshop, Louis XVI was listening to the music and cheers outside the window, and he was looking at the drawings in front of him very seriously. It was the schematic diagram of the steam forging machine that Joseph had just drawn. Well, he only remembered the general principle.

After a long while, the king finally exhaled with difficulty, looked at Joseph and said, "My dear, to be honest, this thing... is a bit complicated.

"I estimate that it will take seven or eight years to manufacture it, if everything goes well."

This did not surprise Joseph.

The steam forging machine is the "photolithography machine" of this era.

Every component must be repeatedly designed, trial-produced, debugged, then modified, and then trial-produced again... This may require hundreds or even thousands of attempts before the desired result is achieved.

There are hundreds of parts in this machine.

Of course, Joseph didn't expect his father to be able to build a steam forging machine by himself.

Historically, James Nesmith was able to invent this thing independently because steam machinery technology was already very mature in the mid-19th century, and he had a large number of "shelf accessories" available. But now there are no such conditions.

Joseph nodded and said, "Yes, this is indeed a very challenging job, so we need to gather a group of excellent technicians to assist you in completing the design."

In fact, Louis XVI was not necessarily the best person in France at designing steam engine machinery, but the fact that His Majesty the King personally managed the project ensured that all participants were fully motivated, and there was absolutely no need to worry about leaks.

Louis XVI thought: "Mr. Aymeric and Mr. Martinier can come to help."

Joseph shook his head: "This is not enough."

"Ah, I don't think I have any other suitable candidates. What about you?"

Joseph spread his hands:
“I don’t know who would be qualified for the job, but we can take this opportunity to build a complete engineering design department.

"You will be the general manager, and you will have several sub-departments under you, responsible for selecting and recruiting talents, fund management, project review, security and confidentiality, plus a large number of project teams.

"Each project team is responsible for a design project, such as the 'steam forging machine project team' and the 'revolver project team'. The team leader leads the technicians to design the project and has an independent production and debugging workshop.

"Oh, let's call it 'Institut français', what do you think?"

Louis XVI waved his hands when he heard this: "Well, this name is very good, but you should let someone else be the person in charge of the design institute.

"I'll just be the leader of the 'Steam Forging Machine Project Team'."

His Majesty the King does not want to waste his energy on recruiting talents and managing funds. He just wants to work on his own mechanical design quietly.

"I'll obey your wishes." Joseph had no choice but to nod, "I'll find another director of the design institute."

Louis XVI pointed impatiently to the Royal Arsenal in the southeast: "Let's put the design institute there and build a new factory nearby..."

Joseph's mind suddenly emerged the scene where the roar of machines in the design institute's workshop drowned out the performance of the court band, and the thick black smoke turned the Palace of Versailles into a giant "block of coal".

(End of this chapter)