Chapter 906: Too high production capacity also brings troubles

Originally, Chang Haonan reserved two and a half months for the entire trial production process.

That is to say, it can be completed before the beginning of September, or at least the process parameters can be basically determined.

As for why...

very obvious.

If there is no major change in the timeline, there will be big news starting from September and in the remaining months of this year.

In 2001 in his previous life, he was still studying hard for a doctorate, and his knowledge of the drastic changes that could be considered a historical turning point in hindsight was limited to bits of information in newspapers and on television.

Since we had just experienced a plane collision in the first half of the year, our reaction at that time was very simple.

"You deserve it."

Of course, Chang Haonan really couldn't do anything else at that time, so he could only vent in his heart.

But in any case, this did objectively lead to his lack of understanding of what happened in the fourth quarter of 2001, making it difficult for him to plan in advance like he did during the Allied Operation.

We can only take one step at a time.

Therefore, although Chang Haonan is unlikely to be able to directly participate in the decision-making this time, by that time, he will definitely have to devote some extra energy to pay attention to the development of the situation.

However, it turned out that he was worrying too much.

The trial production process was progressing much faster than he expected.

This is not entirely because of the high work efficiency of the two teams, but because Chang Haonan's initial thinking was a bit stubborn.

The two and a half months he set aside were the time he set aside to find the "optimal processing conditions."

But in fact, the air film holes of the WS-10 can be rubbed out by traditional electrospark technology and the manual work of a master craftsman, and it does not require such extreme techniques.

At least it is not necessary for the Dawn Factory.

So only one month later, starting from the beginning of August, the trial production had already begun to produce products that met the process requirements.

Although at the beginning, the yield rate remained at a relatively low level.

But no matter what, it is much better than the situation of electrospark machining, which makes people sad and cry.

Therefore, in mid-August, Zhong Shihong led his team directly back to the Liming factory and brought back one month's supply of semi-finished turbine blades and turbine discs.

That’s right, he plans to use this engineering prototype to process the air film holes of the mass-produced turbofan 10——

Since we have to try it anyway, we might as well make good use of the production capacity here.

As expected, the number of prototypes produced soon exceeded that of mass-produced models...

According to Chang Haonan's calculations, under ideal circumstances, taking into account the improvement in production efficiency and yield rate, the efficiency of ultra-short laser process in drilling can be improved by an order of magnitude compared to the previous electric spark process.

Of course, this does not mean that the production capacity of WS-10 can be directly increased to 10 times the original.

After all, as the drilling efficiency is improved, there will be other speed-determining steps.

For example, the finishing of high-pressure compressor blades and the coating speed of heat-resistant coatings, etc.

In these links, Liming Factory has actually already used international mainstream or equivalent technologies.

What constrains the increase in production capacity is still the workers' proficiency.

And more importantly, the order volume——

Although China's GDP surpassed Italy and France to become the fifth in the world in the second quarter of 4, four years ahead of the previous period, and is only one step away from the fourth-ranked United Kingdom, it is still a relatively backward developing country overall.

Money is needed everywhere.

We must also take into account the need to avoid overly provoking neighboring countries and major competitors.

Therefore, this year, that is, 2001, the budget allocated for national defense construction is 2200 billion yuan.

This equates to approximately $260 billion.

It is about 1/12 of the United States.

And this is the result of at least 1997% annual growth and a maximum of 15% annual growth since 20.

So, even though the Air Force and the aviation industry were complaining that it was not enough when they produced 20 WS-10s every year before.

If they can really make 200 units every year, they won’t be able to afford it…

……

"Mr. Chang."

Looking at the test report with increasingly good data, Zhong Shihong looked a little melancholy:

"Is it really impossible to increase the production capacity of Factory 112 and Factory 132?"

After his production capacity potential gradually increased, even his speech became much more assertive than before.

When facing the counterparts from the Aviation Industry Corporation next door, the attitude immediately changed from "please be gentle" to "didn't you eat?"

cough cough...

In short, the production capacity potential of WS-10 is now very obvious, so Zhong Shihong's concerns have gradually shifted from pure technology to business.

It is really frustrating that we have the ability to produce more than a hundred units a year, but we only get orders for fifty or sixty units.

"It's difficult... The three branches of the military plus the Second Artillery are under great pressure to replace their equipment, and the resources that can be allocated to the fighter aviation are limited."

Chang Haonan put down the pen in his hand and shook his head:

"Including the J-11B and J-10A, we can produce about 30 aircraft each year, which has already exceeded my expectations. On the one hand, there is no customer for the J-10E, and on the other hand, it is still powered by the AL31F."

"And let's take a step back. Even if there are so many orders, the expansion of Factory 112 and Factory 132 has not yet been completed. Especially Factory 132, which has planned a brand new factory area. Even if they run around the clock, they can't produce much production capacity..."

Nearly 200 engines are produced each year, which, even excluding engine replacements and spare parts, can be converted into the production of about 100 new fighter jets.

This number could not be achieved every year even before Chang Haonan was reborn, let alone now.

"The main reason is that our current production potential is too great."

Zhong Shihong touched his chin:

"Happy troubles..."

Chang Haonan was originally planning to change the subject, but when he heard the other party say this, a sudden idea came to him.

The production capacity of WP-14 is actually not low.

The reason why this problem has not been encountered is that the Persian F4 upgrade project occupied the production capacity of several hundred units at a time.

Of course, in the international market, there is currently no model that requires a high-thrust engine like the WS-10.

After all, the United States and Russia have their own power models and do not need to import them from China.

But if you open your mind...

What if we don’t export complete engines?

The current production capacity potential of the Liming Factory is actually mainly accumulated in the turbine discs and turbine blades.

This is a unique problem in the world.

You know, the turbine structure is one of the most precious parts of the entire aircraft engine.

The situation of the vast majority of aircraft engine manufacturers is similar to that of Dawn before, with total output being dragged down by turbine components.

It's just not that exaggerated.

Therefore, there is definitely a market for exporting turbine blades alone...

However, what is needed now is one thing to make the whole world realize China's capabilities in this regard.

Thinking of this, he put down the pen he had just picked up and picked up the phone.

But after thinking about it, I let it go again.

Even an internal call is not absolutely foolproof.

Therefore, according to regulations, some truly core matters need to be communicated in person.

"Old Zhong."

Chang Haonan looked at Zhong Shihong who was already sorting out the report not far away:

"Next time you return to Shengjing, remember to go to the 606th Institute to look for Comrade Liu Yongquan."

Zhong Shihong has to go back to the Liming Factory to report on work progress about every half a month, so he is more suitable to do this than Chang Haonan who is based in Beijing.

"Mr. Liu?"

Zhong Shihong stopped what he was doing and looked back at Chang Haonan:

"But I remember... he should have been transferred to guide Snecma Group to improve the M88 engine?"

"Yes, that's why I asked you to find him."

Chang Haonan nodded:

"Tell Comrade Yongquan that when you revise the M88 engine design next time, you can consider modifying the cooling air film holes on the turbine structure and change the current two-dimensional forward-inclined holes into three-dimensional dustpan-shaped holes."

"Before you leave, I will prepare a technical document and you can hand it to him."

"Three-dimensional structure..."

Zhong Shihong's originally confused expression gradually became clear:

"Same design as the WS-10?"

"Yes."

Chang Haonan showed a meaningful smile:

"The structure of the film cooling holes on the turbine is different from that on the inner wall of the combustion chamber and is relatively independent of the design of the engine itself. Therefore, after the same film cooling holes are installed on different models of engines, the cooling efficiency will not change much."

"It just so happens that the French want to further improve the performance of the M88, so let's help them..."

Regardless of the hole type, the processing difficulty of two-dimensional holes is much lower than that of three-dimensional holes.

Moreover, Western militaries currently generally use electrochemical processing to make holes, and its process parameters are relatively complex. When relying mainly on experience, the process development cycle is at least calculated in years.

Therefore, if M88 really replaces the air film hole structure, it will be impossible for Snecma to achieve mass production in a short period of time.

But if the Rafale fighter wants to compete with the EF2000, the upgrade progress cannot be delayed.

The order will naturally flow to the hands of Liming Factory...

Moreover, the French will not suffer any loss.

The cost of ultrashort laser processing is not higher than that of electrochemical processing. Combined with the actual situation in China, even if enough profit margin is left, the products that finally reach Snecma will probably still be cheaper than if they make them themselves.

Win-win, win-win!