78: Bringing his wife and children to Harbin Institute of Technology

Chen An grabbed the blueprints and ran out, not daring to delay for even a moment.

Meanwhile, Liu Xiaojun ran into the workshop and called out Master Li.

The four people gathered around the toolbox, with the blueprints spread out in the middle.

Ye Bingwen quickly gave a brief explanation of the situation.

After listening, Master Li frowned and said:

"Two hours, no mold, new material, isn't this a joke?"

"I know, that's why I called you here to discuss it."

Liu Xiaojun stared at the blueprints, gesturing with his fingers.

"This place has three curved surfaces and two countersunk holes, it's not easy to work on."

Just when everyone was worried, Chen An ran back with copies and handed one to each person.

Ye Bingwen also took a look at the instruction manual for the special material.

The fiber is woven in a triaxial manner, which is different from the biaxial weaving used normally, and the resin content is also five percentage points lower.

This means that the material's fluidity and wettability will change.

During the pressing process, the pressure, temperature, and holding time all need to be readjusted.

While Ye Bingwen was still thinking about how to solve these problems, Master Li suddenly spoke up:

"Regarding the mold, I have an idea: use a wooden mold."

Chen An was stunned and said:

"Wooden mold? Will that work? The temperature and pressure are so high during pressing, the wood can't withstand it."

"Who said it had to be made entirely of wood?"

Master Li excitedly took the blueprints and pointed to several curved surfaces, saying:

"These areas have complex shapes, and we don't have time to make steel molds, so we carve them out of hardwood and wrap them with a release cloth to shape only one side. We lay the other side out by hand, using less pressure and lower temperature when pressing to get the shape, but the surface will definitely not be as smooth as a steel mold."

As Ye Bingwen listened, his mind raced, calculating the possibilities of success. He then asked Master Li:

Can you guarantee the size?

"The curved side can be guaranteed, but the other side is done by hand, so there will be some deviation in size."

Engineer Sun, who was not far away, watched everything that was happening. He didn't come over or participate, but he listened the whole time.

Ye Bingwen was very anxious. He looked at Master Li and said:

"Master Li, how long will it take to make the wooden mold?"

"Give me forty minutes to pick the hardest wood. Old Hu the carpenter's skills are still there."

"Okay, you take care of the wooden mold."

Ye Bingwen turned his head and looked at Liu Xiaojun again.

"Xiaojun, are you confident you can adjust the process parameters for this new material?"

Liu Xiaojun held the small piece of material, turning it over and over to examine it, before finally speaking with difficulty.

"I'm not sure, but I can try."

"for how long?"

"Give me an hour to do a small-scale pressure test first, to check the flowability and curing, and then adjust the parameters."

"Okay, you take care of the equipment."

Ye Bingwen looked at Chen An and said:

"Chen An, you are in charge of ply design and dimensional control. Determine the number and direction of the ply layers, and clearly label each layer."

"it is good."

The three of them went off to do their respective tasks.

Ye Bingwen walked up to Engineer Sun and said:

"Mr. Sun, we'll give it a try, but it might not work."

Engineer Sun nodded.

"You go about your business, I'll wait here."

Wang Jianguo walked over and patted Ye Bingwen on the shoulder.

"Xiao Ye, don't put too much pressure on yourself. It's okay if you can't do it."

Ye Bingwen didn't say anything and turned to go into the workshop.

Meanwhile, Master Li rushed off to find Old Hu the carpenter.

Old Hu, the carpenter, is a retired worker from the factory. His home is right behind the factory, and he often comes over to help repair tables, chairs, and benches when he has nothing to do.

Mr. Li arrived at Old Hu's house, panting heavily. Without taking a break, he pushed the door open and went inside.

Carpenter Hu was sunbathing in the yard when he saw Master Li panting heavily and instinctively exclaimed, "Ouch!"

Just as Carpenter Hu was about to ask, Master Li spoke first.

"Old Hu, stop in the sun, come with me."

"What are you doing? Are you in a bind?"

"There's an emergency at the factory."

When Old Hu the carpenter heard it was about the factory, he went with them without saying a word.

On the way, Master Li pulled Carpenter Hu along, and Carpenter Hu staggered all the way to the workshop. Before he could rest and ask what was going on, Master Li had already stuffed the blueprints into Carpenter Hu's hands.

"Can this shape be sculpted?"

Old Hu the carpenter, panting heavily, looked at it for a long time and said:

"Yes, but it will take time."

"Only forty minutes."

"That's enough, but what about the wood? It has to be hardwood, pine won't do, it's too soft."

Immediately, Master Li ran to the warehouse and found a piece of old elm wood. The old elm wood had been stored for five or six years and was very hard, meeting the requirements.

Master Li got the wood and didn't dare to delay, so he ran back immediately.

When Old Hu the carpenter saw the piece of wood in Master Li's arms, he quickly took it and weighed it in his hand.

"Okay, this material is good."

Without saying a word, Old Hu the carpenter quickly got to work. He clamped the wood onto the workbench, picked up the plane, and started working.

Wood shavings flew everywhere, but Old Hu the carpenter's hand was steady; with each stroke, the shavings were just right.

Master Li stood by and watched, occasionally handing over a tool.

On the other side, Liu Xiaojun cut a small piece of the new material and put it into the press to test the pressure.

He set the temperature 10 degrees lower than usual and reduced the pressure by half.

During the first pressure test, the material did not flow properly, and there were dry spots on the surface.

Without thinking twice, he quickly raised the temperature by five degrees, increasing the pressure by ten percent.

The second pressure test showed slightly better fluidity, but the curing time was insufficient, and it was still a bit soft when it was taken out.

Seeing that time was running out, he quickly adjusted the parameters again according to the instruction manual.

The third pressure test produced a sample with a smooth surface. I bent it by hand and the strength was acceptable.

He wrote down the parameters in his notebook and ran to report the situation to Ye Bingwen, saying:

"Uncle Ye, we've roughly figured out the parameters. The temperature is eight degrees lower than usual, the pressure is 30% lower than usual, and the heat preservation time is 15 minutes longer."

"Okay, do it this way."

Chen An squatted in front of the worktable, with carbon fiber cloth spread out in front of him.

He drew the layering plan on paper, clearly marking each layer.

The direction of force on this irregularly shaped component is marked on the drawing. The main direction of force is along the length, so the main direction of the fibers should be laid in this direction.

On the curved side, the fiber continuity must be ensured; it cannot be broken.

He calculated that twelve layers were needed, with each layer arranged in an alternating direction to ensure strength in all directions.

He drew out the cutting shapes for each layer and handed them to the workers to cut.

At 11:40, Old Hu the carpenter finished carving the wooden mold.

The shape is exactly the same as the drawing, with smooth curves and neat edges.

He sanded the surface again and then applied a layer of release agent.

Master Li took it, looked at it, and nodded.

"Alright, Lao Hu, you can go back and rest now."

"What are you resting for? I'll keep watch here."

Old Hu, the carpenter, put away his tools and squatted down beside them, too nervous to say a word.

At 11:50, Chen An finished the layering plan.

The twelve layers of carbon fiber fabric were cut and stacked together in order.

Liu Xiaojun adjusted the parameters of the press, setting the temperature, pressure, and time.

Ye Bingwen stood in front of the wooden model, looked at the blueprints one last time, silently vowed to succeed, and then spoke:

"Let's begin."

Upon hearing this, Chen An quickly picked up the first layer of carbon fiber cloth, laid it on the wooden mold, and pressed it down with his hand.

The second floor is rotated ninety degrees.

On the third floor, it turns back again.

After each layer is laid, it must be pressed down with a roller to remove air bubbles.

By the time they reached the sixth layer, Chen An's forehead was covered in sweat.

Liu Xiaojun helped pass the materials, keeping an eye on the placement of each layer.

When they reached the ninth layer, Chen An suddenly noticed a problem.

The fabric is a bit wrinkled in that curved area.

Chen An quickly called for a stop, picked up a pair of scissors and cut a small slit, then laid the cloth flat again.

Liu Xiaojun was very anxious and asked nervously.

"Will it work?"

"It's feasible. The strength will be affected in the wrinkled areas, but since they are not in the main stress areas, it's not a big problem."

After laying the twelfth layer, Chen An stepped back and took a look.

The entire layup looks smooth, without obvious bubbles or wrinkles.

"Alright, we can put the mold together now."

Master Li moved the upper mold over; it was a flat steel plate with a release agent applied to its surface.

Two people put the top mold on and clamped it in place.

Liu Xiaojun wiped the sweat from his face, glanced at his watch, and said:

"11:58, one hour and two minutes left."

"Push the press."

Several people worked together to lift the mold and push it into the press.

Liu Xiaojun pressed the start button, and the press began to slowly close.

The pressure was gradually increased until it reached the set value and then stopped.

The temperature also started to rise.

Liu Xiaojun stared at the thermometer, watching the pointer slowly rise.

Once the set temperature is reached, the heat preservation timer will begin.

Sixty minutes.