Will the kemonomimi encounter Alien Ranch Story?

"The components used to repair the factory, the higher-ups said to treat it as practice." The old man looked around and indeed there weren't many complicated things; most of them were straight steel beams and frames, which did look like materials for repairing the dock structure.

"How long have you been learning this?"

"It's been about three or four years. I used to work at the equipment factory in Kazdel." The foreman offered the man a cigarette. "To be honest, the equipment here is pretty big, which makes things much easier..."

Wet component equipment is least afraid of large-scale equipment manufacturing, because the larger the equipment, the more obvious the advantages of wet components become.

Conversely, if the volume is too small, the volume of equipment such as insulation, heat dissipation, and life support will not be small.

Of course, with the same manufacturing equipment, the wet part version is three to five times the size of ordinary machinery, but the performance improvement is less than 20%, and only a few of them have a large enough improvement.

"Oh? How so?" Large-scale machinery manufacturing and small-scale machinery manufacturing are two different things. Although small-scale machinery requires high precision, the difficulty is not actually too exaggerated because the workpiece is easy to move.

Large machinery is different. It not only requires higher precision, but it is also difficult to move. If a huge machine weighing tons is moved carelessly and bumps into something, both parts will be scrapped.

"Sigh, it's a long story," the foreman sighed. The thing that Master Ke designed was a real test of skill to repair. Not only was it huge, but it was also made up of a whole bunch of high-precision little parts, making it even more troublesome than repairing a watch.

“However, are you sure you want to use welding? It’s not suitable for first-time shipbuilding.”

Building in sections is simple, but when it comes to the final assembly, the difficulty increases exponentially with the number of sections you've divided it into—especially when you also need to ensure the strength of the hull.

The simplest method is to use riveting, following the traditional shipbuilding process, riveting the sections together along the integrally formed keel, instead of cutting the whole thing apart and then welding the sections together as a whole.

“We have special welding technology and processes…” The Star Alliance welding equipment technology that Lao Xia provided, the industrial version, is still sufficient to deal with alloy materials of this level. The Iberians searched the coast and the seabed and found one that had been abandoned in a cargo container. There was only one machine inside, and the thing that was powering it… It’s a sad story.

One hour after it started operating, the entire factory experienced a power outage. The problem was only barely resolved after several solar power plants and a large Originium power plant were recently added. However, even with it running, almost all processes in the factory have to stop and wait for it to finish.

"The equipment is powered by the antimatter reactor, so please stop asking if there are any ways to reduce energy consumption; this is already operating at the lowest possible power..."

It's more accurate to call it "pressing" rather than "welding." The principle is to create a gravitational singularity, roughly the size of a black hole, about a few micrometers in size, which is pulled down along the weld seam from top to bottom, and the joint is directly squeezed into a whole by gravity.

It's claimed that even if you pull both sides off, the joint won't break, more like forming a band of material resembling strongly interacting matter near the weld. Of course, it's only an approximation; it's not actually strongly interacting matter.

When equipment of this level is running at full power, the fuel in the antimatter reactor burns out very quickly, not to mention Terra's limited electricity.

Therefore, it could only operate at the lowest efficiency in the end. All the superconducting cables that Lao Xia had on hand were used for this. Otherwise, with Terra's cable materials, the entire power grid would probably burn out as soon as it was turned on.

A beam of blue light flowed through the gap, leaving no weld seam, only a smooth line of metal that seemed to have always been a single piece.

Even after tapping it, it was discovered that the metal strip was significantly stronger than the surrounding ones.

For the test, the 30-centimeter-thick, wide alloy plate was transformed into a single alloy plate. Subsequent stress tests on smaller plates also proved that even if the Longgang alloy was pulled apart, the joint would not break. This means that the land-based ship components produced using this technology will have the strength of an integrated, cast-in-place piece, greatly reducing the requirements for the materials themselves and the difficulty of construction.

Of course, the speed was also amazing. The whole process can be condensed into the traction equipment dragging the largest metal block that the foundry can manufacture into the machine, starting it up, and then stopping get off work.

The next day, it was found that it had been completed automatically; several metal strips had been transformed into a 20-meter-wide metal plate that appeared to have been cast in one piece.

The only problem was that after the test, the engineer spent most of the afternoon taking care of the burnt-out blade cooling equipment, replacing the cooling equipment and checking the machine, then checking the power grid and reconnecting the circuit breaker, which took another half a week.

"The fuel cost is close to 70 Lungmen Dollars. If it's not necessary, it's best not to use it."

"I understand, this price is a great deal..." The old man nodded. It really was a great deal. Even if you added two more zeros to the end, you still wouldn't find equipment or a welding master who could combine a bunch of loose metal strips into a metal plate with extremely high strength.

Chapter Fifty-Three: I Don't Want to Think of a Title That's Too Tiring and Troublesome

Chapter 53

After more than two months of understanding and investigation, we have gained a preliminary understanding of the shipyard's technical capabilities and can begin design seminars. This involves listening to the client's requirements, then convening designers to study and discuss how to implement them, and if they cannot be implemented, then identifying which related subsystems need to be strengthened.

After the discussion, the chief designer can produce the first draft, which is a general concept diagram and overall layout without considering the specific implementation.

If the other party is satisfied, we can start discussing the next step; if they are not satisfied, we have to go back to the first step until both parties have reached a basic consensus on the draft.

Only then will specific design work be carried out for each subsystem and the overall architecture. Once these are completed, the next step will be refined. If any part encounters a situation where, for example, the construction capacity cannot meet the standards or the detailed plan cannot be modified, we have to go back to the first step.

This is why, in many cases, whether it's military equipment or civilian devices, the initial concept sketches and the final products are not entirely unrelated, but they are worlds apart.

To use a cold weapon as an example, imagine you intend to make an exquisite sword, but due to various reasons and problems, after several iterations, the designer's blueprints end up being an axe. However, due to technical issues at the manufacturing plant, what you actually end up with is likely a spiked club.

"Your requirements are different from those of the traditional warships of the Great Yan Dynasty." The warships of the Great Yan Dynasty are mainly designed for defense and counterattack, and are slow and sluggish.

However, the ships were strong and the cannons were powerful, relying on the firepower of the long walls and various levels of defensive cities to carry out the battle, and a certain modular assembly capability was required.

Before the Great Wall was built, armies heading north to defend against demons had to rely on warships to form "ship cities" to survive in the frigid, barren northern wilderness. Otherwise, the harsh environment alone would kill half their men before they even engaged the enemy.

Kazdel clearly does not need the ability to form a fleet city with warships, and they do not have long walls, so they do not need to be paired with fixed defensive positions, which is very different from the defense system of the Great Yan.

Another reason that couldn't be mentioned was that Old Man Li didn't want to betray his country, and didn't want to take out the warships he designed for the Great Yan and make them up, as that would be tantamount to leaking state military secrets.

Although the upper-class gentry of the Great Yan Dynasty didn't care, he, as someone who had served the country his whole life, couldn't help but care.

However, this was his last bit of persistence. As for whether the warships he designed for Kazdel would end up being used against the Great Yan in the future, he couldn't care less.

It wasn't just out of necessity; it was also because if a small state could suppress the Great Yan with just a few advanced warships, then the problem clearly lay with the Great Yan itself.

"So, my general idea is..."

"Don't say so much yet, how about this?" Old Xia pulled out a roll of paper and spread it out; it was just a simple concept drawing.

However, compared to simple concept drawings, it includes three views and perspective, and also marks the functions of each compartment and the general subsystem areas.

"Where...where did you find this?" It was completely different from Terra technology, but based purely on his life experience and intuition, he instinctively felt that there shouldn't be any problems with the structure, as if it had been verified many times.

"If that's all there is to it, I can't guarantee anything. However, it seems there shouldn't be any problems at first glance. But, is there something wrong with your scale?"

"Too big?"

"No, the span is too large. Look at the middle part, even if it were made of Longgang alloy, it wouldn't be able to support it."

"So how much do you think is appropriate?" "The width should be cut by at least 10 meters. Six sets of support structures are too few. We need to increase it to at least 10 sets. And here, and here the cabins need to be converted into support keels."

"If it weren't for your amazing welding equipment, I really can't say this thing wouldn't fall apart on its own with just a bump in the road."

"The walking mechanism... I have a question, was this walking mechanism designed by an amateur? The drive motor shouldn't have that much horsepower, right? Even if it did, wouldn't the main shaft keep running?"

At first glance, it seems fine, but upon closer inspection, it's riddled with errors. It's just that the concept is sound; if we were to actually build it, this concept drawing alone would need major revisions, and there would be even more to change when it comes to the actual construction.

"Uh..." Old Xia looked bewildered, wanting to ask, "Then what were those things I used to watch every day at home?"

The Covenant planetary development command ship is a ground unit. In terms of size, it might be smaller than Rhodes Island's, only about the size of a normal surface aircraft carrier. It's 334 meters long, 59 meters wide, and 40 meters high. It's just a moving brick on the ground, and its speed isn't particularly fast. Judging solely from its appearance, it might not even be as imposing as Terra's land-based ships.

But as Old Man Li has already said, if Terra were to build this kind of landship, let alone sail it out, it would crush itself in the shipyard. The Covenant version of the command ship only has six support structures and a walking mechanism, and its power compartment is only half the size of Rhodes Island's. Not to mention, upon closer inspection, you can find several technical problems in every part that cannot be solved without some strange black technology and materials.

To be honest, this design doesn't offer much of a performance improvement; it only reduces production time and costs, provided that you can actually achieve the goal of using only six drive motors to propel this 6-ton monster to 13.4 kilometers per hour on the ground without it falling apart.

This is a small colonial industrial outpost, as well as a mobile factory. It is used not only for agriculture, but also for construction and surface mining. It is also used when building habitable planets and light industrial zones on the ground.

"The length also needs to be increased, because the structure of a land-based ship can be longer but not wider..." Increasing the length means adding more pairs of walking and supporting structures, and it may even make the structure more robust.

However, the width is a different story. The width means that either a third set of walking and support structures needs to be added in the middle, which would require a complete overhaul of the entire power system and the chassis.

Moreover, when it needs to turn, the force on the middle leg is an astonishing figure. If there is no third leg in the middle, imagine thousands of tons pressing on a steel beam that is more than 30 meters wide. This thing would probably bend and hit the ground in a few days. And that's assuming it has good toughness. If it doesn't have good toughness, it will collapse in the shipyard.

By choosing to lengthen the length, the weight is distributed along the long axis, reducing the stress in the middle, especially along the central axis. This is completely different from the stress structure of a seagoing vessel.

Of course, another method is like Rhodes Island, with four legs—two main legs and two secondary legs—symmetrically distributed. Aside from being slightly slower when turning, the impact is minimal.

However, the complexity of that power system really means that AI would have to be responsible for its daily control and maintenance; a normal human maintenance team would faint on the spot if they saw this thing.

If it becomes like this, it means that the keel rib material is three ribs combined into one, and the structure of the supporting beam in the cross-section is the shape of the Roman numeral II. If the welding technology is not up to standard, let alone going to the battlefield, even if you go out and have a bumpy ride, you will hear a loud bang and your ship will sit on the ground.

"So how did the Great Yan design achieve such a large land-based warship without collapsing itself?"

"This..." Old Man Li hesitated for a moment, but finally explained a little, "Have you ever seen a sled?"

You mean to say?

"That's the idea. The bottom of the boat is reinforced, with a structure similar to a sled, so the bottom of the boat directly bears the force, which is somewhat similar to being on water..."

"Won't the hull be worn out?" A thing weighing tens or even hundreds of thousands of tons is being ground on the ground, how could the hull not be worn out quickly? Even if the hull doesn't break, the road will be worn out too.

"It's an external structure on the hull that can be quickly replaced and maintained. It needs to be replaced every so often, otherwise, how could we afford to spend so much money?"

"So how did Victoria manage to create such a large-span vehicle?"

"That old man doesn't know; we'll have to ask them how they did it."

"So, you also recommend that we use this structure?"

"That's how it was originally..." This structure reduced the difficulty of materials and stress on land-based ships, but it also increased the difficulty of navigating certain sections of the road.

Because the bottom of the ship is directly in contact with the ground, it is easily blown up by anti-ship mines, and a sturdy low wall can block it.

Because you absolutely cannot tilt your boat uphill, or you'll hear the keel snap in an instant.

The solution was to add a large stone crusher at the bow to break up anything in the way, thus preventing the ship from tilting and being crushed by the keel.

Of course, the broken drake of a land-based warship does not affect its combat effectiveness, so it doesn't matter in battle. The broken drake simply means the loss of all mobility, turning it into a fortress that sits on the ground.

The Covenant's command ship combines mobility, flexibility, and stability. However, it demands exceptionally high standards in terms of materials and technology.

“Your welding technique can be used with this four-legged structure, but you will need to modify it in terms of size and other aspects.”

The old man was relatively relieved, because a warship of this size shouldn't pose a threat to the Great Yan. This class was somewhere between a fighting warship and a large warship; in Terra, tonnage dominance was truly a form of dominance.

The force of something weighing tens of thousands of tons crashing down on you is truly immense. Even if the keel bones break under the force, this thing is still pressing down on you!

Moreover, there is no issue of sinking on the ground, just like riding on someone's back to beat them up in a fight, the suppressive power is extremely high.

Moreover, its large tonnage and volume mean that more artillery can be stacked on the platform, making land-based artillery engagements much more reliable than those at sea, because it won't be swayed by waves. In that case, having more cannons really means having more power!

"Weren't the weapon's structure marked?"

"These and these areas are used to mount drones, this area is used to lay mines, this area is used to mount missiles, and these other locations are used to mount turrets and turret auxiliary structures..."

Old Xia marked all of these, but of course, that's all he could mark—just a conceptual sketch.

After all, I've seen this kind of thing a lot, so I can basically remember how the compartments and structure are distributed.

However, if you ask him what it's actually like inside, for example, what the running gear looks like and how it's constructed, he'd be completely clueless. It's like some modern ship enthusiasts can draw a rough structural sketch of the Lexington, but if you ask them, "In detail, what is the mechanical structure of this elevator like?"

He was completely bewildered; all he knew was that it was an elevator and how much space it occupied.

The diagram drawn by Lao Xia represents this concept. However, it's currently just a preliminary seminar; a conceptual diagram is enough. It hasn't yet progressed to the point of discussing how to do it, what to make, or what to use.

"Just four turrets? That's a bit few, isn't it?" At this time in Terra, the more naval guns the better, but judging from the rings and depth of these turrets, they should only be medium-sized naval guns. You went through all that trouble to make just four medium-sized naval guns? Is such a large volume and tonnage being wasted?

"The main purpose is to install missiles. There are 40 launch units in the front and 30 in the back, plus the drone pods on the sides, that's about it."

"And no matter how many weapons you install, the power can't keep up..." The old man was even more confused now. "I've roughly looked at the subsystem plan and parameters you provided. You're using such a large power redundancy?"

"The Originium railgun requires such a large amount of power, as well as equipment such as the blade cooler. In short, the power load rate is very high, so only four weapons can be installed. However, there are enough for various missiles."

"That kind of missile?" The old man had only seen missiles before, but he had never seen one being test-fired.

"Forget it, it's your ship anyway. This old man is only responsible for making it for you. Whether it works or not is your problem..."