Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1238: Completely Surpassing Mercedes-Benz 220S (5k)

It’s just that this thing was originally supposed to be developed by the 11th Ministry of Machine Building, but it was developed by the blacksmiths in the 17th Ministry of Machine Building, which made the comrades in the 11th Ministry of Machine Building more or less embarrassed.

They also sought the opinions of the 17th Ministry of Machine Building and fully absorbed its experience. They did not award them one by one. Moreover, even if Gao Zhendong did not count those scattered things, the level of these major achievements was really high. They might as well learn from the 17th Ministry of Machine Building and award the special prize.

As a result, on the day of the award ceremony, many comrades were stunned when they saw the only special prize and were completely unable to react.

Special Prize Name: None

Winners: None.

This special prize was awarded in vain.

Some ministries: What's a year of loneliness for you? We've been lonely for several years and didn't say anything.

Gao Zhendong happily accepted a number of prizes from the chief engineer of the 11th Ministry of Machine Building, and Xiao'e's collection became a little richer.

This was the reception room, and there was nowhere to put it, so he turned around and asked the security comrade outside the reception room to help him put it away, and repeatedly reminded him not to drop it.

He could never have too much of this stuff. The more he received, the more it proved that he had changed the world.

Returning to the conference room, Gao Zhendong said with a smile: "Come on, let's get started."

The director of the Beijing Automobile Factory nodded and said, "I have been looking forward to this day for a long time, hahaha."

"Are we going from big to small, or from small to big?" Gao Zhendong asked.

The factory manager glanced at their chief engineer and said, "Let's go from the largest to the smallest."

It seems that he answered this question for the chief engineer. The chief engineer, who is in charge of the overall technology, undoubtedly pays more attention to the general direction.

Gao Zhendong nodded: "Okay, let's start with the big one. Let me ask you a question first. How are the traction control system and the vehicle stability system doing now?"

These two things were proposed by Gao Zhendong a long time ago, and they have been working on them. The former is the basis of the latter.

"The traction control system is pretty good, but the vehicle body stability still has some issues. This is mainly due to my lack of experience. There are many issues that I can't even imagine."

To achieve vehicle stability, it is not enough to have sensors, ECU, and traction control, just like having only a kitchen knife, ingredients, and fire does not necessarily make a good meal. How big the fire is, how hot the oil is, how to cut the vegetables, how much salt to use, these are things in another category.

It is understandable that it is difficult to deal with. After all, this thing involves safety, and there is no reference in the world.

Gao Zhendong smiled and said, "Well, it's almost done. Don't worry about the stability of the car body for now. The traction control can be brought to the table."

The factory manager was a little confused: "Chief Engineer Gao, this traction control system is just a subsystem of the vehicle stability system. Are you just serving us a semi-finished product?"

The factory manager wondered if he was being too eager for quick success. But it was obvious that Chief Engineer Gao himself was definitely not in a hurry for such quick success, so he must have his reasons.

Gao Zhendong nodded: "You are underestimating this thing. Although it is just a subsystem, it is also a dish. It is like the meatballs in the cabbage, tofu and meatball soup. Although it is only a part of the dish, it can be served on the table alone. Fried meatballs are so delicious."

Chief Engineer Gao seems to like eating a lot. He makes me drool just by talking about it.

"As long as the traction control system is mature, we will install it on the car first. This is also a technology that is very beneficial to driving safety and riding quality. It is very good for wheel slip. And we must not forget that this technology is now unique and we are the best in the world. This is of great use for what I am going to talk about next." Gao Zhendong added.

"Commissioner Gao, why don't you wait until the vehicle stability control system is mature before launching it all at once?" Although the chief engineer of the 11th Ministry of Machine Building only came with ears, as long as it did not affect or change Gao Zhendong's thinking, it was okay to just ask questions.

"There are actually two reasons. The first one is to seize our technological superiority and technological influence in the automotive industry. There is a world of difference between the first and the second."

Being the first in a technology with great prospects and potential for popularization is something that all automotive industry practitioners and personnel are eager for and value. The most typical example is Volvo, which invented the three-point seat belt. It directly built the seat belt on its logo, fearing that others would not know it, and then used "safety" as a marketing selling point, and consumers really bought into it.

The chief engineer of the 11th Ministry of Machinery naturally understood the truth and importance of this, and he even valued it more than Gao Zhendong. As a new country, he, as a senior leader, naturally did not want to miss any opportunity to make our voice heard and increase our influence in the world.

People who play games frequently know that reputation points are accumulated bit by bit.

"Well, what you said makes sense. It is indeed possible to do this. Once there is a first, there will be a second. What is the second reason why you suggest releasing this technology now?"

"The second reason is that good dishes cannot be served all at once. When we have weddings or funerals, we still pay attention to the order of serving dishes, first cold dishes, then hot dishes, and then hard dishes. If we want to establish an image and attract users, the world's first traction control system is enough. It is a waste to release traction control together with body stability. We lose an opportunity to promote ourselves. Body stability is difficult and time-consuming. We can work on it gradually, which can not only retain room for technical upgrades, but also attract users for a long time, and fully enhance our influence and technical reputation in the automotive industry."

If Gao Zhendong was talking to colleagues from the Ministry of Foreign Trade, he would definitely use the word "customer", but in this case, he used the more objective and detached word "user".

If the leader of the Ministry of Foreign Trade was here, he would probably say something like that Gao Zhendong is also good at business and should go to the Ministry of Foreign Trade, which the 17th Ministry of Machine Building would not understand.

Even though they were not there, Gao Zhendong's words still surprised the chief engineer of the 11th Ministry of Machine Building. It seemed that this Commissioner Gao was not just a technical person. Ordinary technicians would not be able to think of these words, let alone recite them clearly.

But what Commissioner Gao said does make sense. It is indeed a waste to introduce traction control as part of vehicle body stability!
"Well, I've been taught a lesson. Is there any other reason?" For the chief engineer of the 11th Ministry of Machine Building, it was not at all unfair to say "I've been taught a lesson" in front of Gao Zhendong. He was also a scientific committee member of the National Academy of Science and Technology. Anyone who said "I've been taught a lesson" in front of him would not suffer any loss.

"Third, this is what I want to talk about, and it's related to the big picture. We need this world-first technology, combined with other things, to create a product that belongs to our image, to layout the high-end of the automotive industry, and at the same time layout high, medium and low-end models, to form a synergy, to completely establish our image in half of the world or even most of the world!"

Gao Zhendong's words made the experienced chief engineer's blood boil. Those who work in the automobile industry are looking forward to this. Although automobiles are only a part of their ministry, it is undoubtedly a very important part.

"Low-end? Chief Engineer Gao, is it the minivan we have already made?" asked a colleague from Beijing Automobile Factory. Speaking of low-end, that one does fit the description, with a 1.0 3-cylinder engine, and the suspension and configuration are all saved as much as possible.

This car has been made, basically according to the suggestions of Chief Engineer Gao, and the effect is really good, simple and durable, good passability, and can load and tow. After all, it is according to Gao Zhendong's requirements, the suspension is leaf spring, and the engine is tuned for low-speed torque.

The reason why it has not yet been mass-produced is that it is busy completing export orders. Fortunately, preparations for expanding production are also underway, and many third-tier regions such as Shuangqing are also deploying production of this car.

Gao Zhendong shook his head: "No, that is a productivity tool. We will talk about the details later. Let's talk about the high-end first."

No? Chief Engineer Gao has a lot of ideas. I was a little surprised, but more happy. The more ideas, the better.

"We won't talk about ultra-high-end models like limousines. China has already been developing them and has achieved results. It is impossible to repeat them. In addition, the demand for such cars is not large, so it is unnecessary to make industrial layout. Therefore, we should focus on the level of Mercedes-Benz 220."

"Mercedes-Benz 220? A bit... a bit high, right?" As the chief engineer of the 220th Ministry of Machinery, he naturally knew what Mercedes-Benz represented. The three-pointed star did not have the ups and downs of other luxury cars, and it has always been firmly in the luxury car camp. Is it a bit too big to directly compete with Mercedes-Benz? "It is a bit high, but in terms of technology and hardware, we are not inferior to them. They have their accumulated experience, and we also have our latecomer advantage." Gao Zhendong's words sounded like nonsense.

"Are our skills not inferior to theirs?"

Gao Zhendong nodded: "No, what is the most important thing about a car?"

"Engine!" There is only one answer to this question in this era, no other.

“对，那我们的463发动机如何？奔驰220的发动机是什么样？”高振东笑道。3.0升L6的663发动机还在搞，但是463发动机已经足够了。

Yes...yes. The people present here are very familiar with these two engines. After all, we also tried to copy the engine of Mercedes-Benz 220, but the result was not so good. However, they are still very familiar with the original performance of this engine.

The 463 is generally more technologically advanced than the 220-liter engine in the Mercedes-Benz 2.2S.

"Well, you are right. We are even better in this respect." The chief engineer said happily.

"In terms of the core chassis and safety, we will first use the traction control system as our trump card. As for the suspension, we will still use McPherson for the front suspension, and for the rear suspension... let's temporarily adopt the same single-joint rear swing axle independent suspension as the Mercedes-Benz 220S." Gao Zhendong weighed the pros and cons.

The single-joint rear swing axle is the earliest type of independent suspension, and is naturally weaker than later suspension methods. However, since the Mercedes-Benz 220 has chosen this, there will be no problem in choosing it in this era as well.

"For the time being?" The chief engineer of the 11th Ministry of Machine Building keenly grasped Gao Zhendong's words. Before coming here, he had communicated with the top leaders of the technical departments of several ministries and commissions, and the other party clearly told him that when listening to Comrade Gao Zhendong, he must pay attention to the details, no matter how incredible it sounds, just grasp it, maybe there will be a surprise.

Isn't it right now.

Gao Zhendong slapped his head and said, "Yes, I was thinking that since you have already copied the chassis of the Mercedes-Benz 220, you must be very familiar with this suspension, so there will be no problem with it."

"In other words, you have a new idea, but because it is too new and risky, you have temporarily given up on it?" the chief engineer said with a smile.

Gao Zhendong did not answer. He fiddled with the system for a while and breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes, a little."

The chief engineer was overjoyed. Sure enough, those ministries and commissions that had long dealt with Commissioner Gao were familiar with him! This time, he caught something good by grasping the details.

He hurriedly said, "Come on, let's talk about this first." As for the other things, I heard from the director of the Beijing Automobile Factory that Commissioner Gao had been thinking about it for a long time, so it doesn't matter if it's earlier or later, he won't forget it, but this technology about the rear suspension might be something he came up with just now in a flash of inspiration, so it's not impossible for this comrade.

It’s not something I just thought of, it’s something I just translated.

The director of the Beijing Automobile Factory said: "Yes, yes, the boss is right."

Since this is the case, Gao Zhendong said: "Okay, then I will tell you my idea. I have a new idea for the rear suspension - four-link independent suspension!"

This is what he just found in the system. Although he has no inventory data in this regard, he has an incredible buff on him - "Gift from Hometown".

This set of four-link independent suspension drawings is from a pure electric car produced by the car factory established by Volvo's parent company in Qianshan. The rear suspension of this car is a four-link, and there are structural drawings on the Internet. So it was not expensive for Gao Zhendong to make this thing.

The advantage of a system like the four-link independent suspension is that its principle can be explained clearly to industry insiders as long as there are drawings. Moreover, if one wants to pass it on to industry insiders, one only needs to teach the principle and does not need to worry about the details. Comrades can just do the specific structural design and tuning for each vehicle.

Four-link is a type of multi-link, and there are also other numbers of multi-link. Generally speaking, the advantages of this thing are small size, relatively simple structure, high comfort, and the ability to adapt to a variety of driving styles, which is different from the slightly extreme double wishbone.

Anyway, Gao Zhendong could only get four-link machines, as for the other three-link and five-link machines, let the comrades figure out how to develop them themselves, and Gao Zhendong just had to plant the seeds.

Gao Zhendong was flipping through the blueprints of the four-bar linkage with his mind and drawing it on the real blackboard, talking as he drew.

If the chief engineer of the 11th Ministry of Machine Building was not very familiar with this, then the comrades from the Beijing Automobile Factory were much more familiar with it. Although they saw it for the first time, they quickly appreciated the essence and benefits of this suspension system through Gao Zhendong's introduction.

It has high comfort, adaptability and applicability, and what's rare is that it is not complicated. Of course, it cannot be compared with leaf springs in terms of simplicity and load-bearing capacity, but its overall performance is much better than that of leaf springs.

"This is great. It's used for the suspension of a Mercedes-Benz 220, and it's much better than a Mercedes-Benz 220S!"

"Hey, it looks complicated, but the principle is actually not complicated. Why can't I figure it out?"

"This car drives like a boat, and you can hardly feel the bumps."

"That's why I say this suspension is comfortable. It's perfect for a car of this level."

"..."

After the comrades vented their excitement, Gao Zhendong said, "If we use a single-joint rear swing axle as a backup, use this suspension as a target, and imitate the Mercedes-Benz 220S chassis as a basis, with a front McPherson and rear four-link suspension, combined with a traction control system, as long as it is properly tuned, the chassis of this luxury car will stand up! We all know that there are three major parts of a vehicle, the engine, the gearbox, and the chassis. We have already solved two of them. For the remaining gearbox, we will use manual transmission and AMT first. Basically, this car has surpassed the Mercedes-Benz 220S in terms of hard foundation."

Gao Zhendong's words are not exaggerating at all. In addition to the slightly leading 463 engine and the comprehensively leading chassis, even the gearbox is actually not backward. The 220S also has manual and automatic transmissions. The automatic transmission is actually an automatic clutch. Fundamentally speaking, it is not much better than the AMT.

In fact, compared to the Mercedes-Benz 220S, there is one area that can be improved, and that is the body!
The 220S is a non-load-bearing body with a ladder frame, just like the real hard-core off-road vehicles that Gao Zhendong had in his previous life. This was a very normal thing in the 60s. Load-bearing bodies with larger interior space, lighter weight, greater comfort and better handling were not common in those days.

However, this type of car body has requirements for steel strength, so let's wait and see, mainly because the steel manual has not been completed yet, and many types of steel have not yet formed mass production capabilities. It might as well be used as a technical reserve or upgrade space, just like the body stability control system.

Moreover, our comrades do not have any original design capabilities for the chassis of luxury cars, so directly asking for a load-bearing body is almost certainly nonsense. It is better to use the results of imitation, mainly changing the shell.

Technology is based on changing the shell, which doesn’t seem to be unacceptable.

Gao Zhendong's words made the comrades in the 11th Ministry of Machine Building feel as if they were in a strange time.

The Mercedes-Benz 220S was copied in Songjiang, and results will be produced soon, but don't even think about surpassing the Mercedes-Benz 220S in all aspects. It can't even be on par with it. The copied model uses the Jinfeng 2.2-liter 680QK L6 engine with a maximum power of 90 horsepower, which is roughly on the same level as the 363 three-cylinder engine. However, the size, weight, fuel consumption and reliability of the two are completely not on the same level.

And before I’ve even been sitting here for a few hours, I see a car that completely surpasses the Mercedes-Benz 220S taking shape?

What's going on? The comrades in the 11th Ministry of Machine Building felt that they had to slow down.

(End of this chapter)