Chapter 647: Everything is Ready

There are more than one potential safety hazard. First, it is easy to burn the gunner. Second, the flames are soaring into the sky. Combined with the range of about 10 kilometers, it is very easy to be discovered on the plains, especially at night, just like lighting a sun. This problem is not only in 122, but also in 152.

So both sides paid close attention and nodded. The reason was correct and we knew it, but how to solve it?

Seeing that they agreed with this analysis, Gao Zhendong felt relieved. It was hard to say anything else, but there was still a solution to this problem.

"If the expansion rate is basically the same, and the burning rate of the propellant reaches XX m/s, is that enough for you?" Gao Zhendong didn't play any other tricks, and directly removed the fuel from the bottom of the pot. The combustion is not complete, right? I'll give you a faster burning one.

"How much?" Mr. Fu asked again, and Mr. Shao couldn't believe his ears.

"XXm/s!" Gao Zhendong repeated it again.

Before Mr. Fu could reply, Mr. Shao said happily: "It's enough! It's more than enough!"

President Fu glanced at him and said, "You're solving my problem, why are you so excited?"
Then he turned around and said: "Enough, more than enough!"

Mr. Shao curled his lips and said, "You're just farting because you have to take off your pants."

Mr. Fu added: "If we had propellant with this burning rate, we wouldn't have to worry so much. We tried our best to find a solution to the structure and barrel, but there was no solution."

This kind of problem that can be solved directly by removing the root of the problem is often difficult to solve by other means. It is a typical example of something that is easy for those who know how to solve it but difficult for those who don’t.

Gao Zhendong smiled and said, "That's easy. I'll give you a unit. You can ask the committee for a permit and ask them for smokeless propellant. The burning rate must meet this requirement. Other things may need to be improved, but there aren't many areas that need improvement. You can try to modify it yourself first. If you have any questions, come back to me."

Changjian Machinery Factory has the high-burning-rate propellant that Gao Zhendong finally improved, which is used for 61 fire and is not much different from propellant.

To be honest, Gao Zhendong didn't understand why the Institute of Navigation and Research received the news about the new propellant so long ago, while the 122 howitzers and 152 howitzers did not. Perhaps it was because of the different technological levels of their equipment.

Nowadays, when we talk about smokeless double-base pyrotechnics, the main ingredients are those two things, nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin. They are cheap and abundant in quantity. As long as the parameters are right, they can basically be used.

I guess they won’t come to me, so this is not much different from the ready-made answers.

Hmm? Gao Zhendong's words made the two artillery bosses speechless with joy. There was actually a ready-made bargain to be picked up?

Not to mention them, even their comrades in the team were confused.

Is it that simple?
However, they did not suspect that Gao Zhendong was lying. The fact that he could give the specific burning speed first proved that he had real goods.

"Good! Good! Great! Thank you, Chief Engineer Gao."

The two of them kept thanking Gao Zhendong. Even if Gao Zhendong just revealed a piece of information to them, it was worth their gratitude because the information was too important.

What's more, as soon as we heard Gao Zhendong's words, we knew that this kind of propellant was invented by him, and he also promised to make improvements, which was really thoughtful.

Gao Zhendong did not stop: "The chamber can be enlarged normally, and the problems that follow are naturally the gun body structure and weight problems caused by the high chamber pressure, such as recoil, and the thickness of the barrel, etc., right?"

Mr. Fu and Mr. Shao kept nodding.

President Fu looked at Lao Shao and felt something was wrong: "Lao Shao, what are you talking about? You didn't enlarge the chamber. You are imitating the Russians' 152. Why do you need to enlarge the chamber?"

Lao Shao smiled and said: "This is a principle conclusion. We can discuss it whether there is a demand or not." Tsk, not adding it now does not mean I won’t add it in the future.

Besides, if the problem of withstanding high chamber pressure can be solved, the weight of the gun can be reduced while other conditions remain unchanged.

Gao Zhendong said he enjoyed the nonsense among his colleagues.

He simply stated his solution to the problem: "To strengthen the gun, the first thing is the barrel. I just heard about your gun barrel steel selection and process. My suggestion is that you contact the Defense Work Committee, communicate and coordinate with the Grassland Tractor Factory, and ask them for electroslag remelting gun steel and gun barrel self-tightening technology."

"The combination of these two technologies can greatly improve the chamber pressure performance of the gun without changing the gun weight. These two processes have been used on tank guns for more than a year. They are very mature and have good effects. Even if you need to make improvements after you get them, you can do it quickly."

Numb, completely numb, this is how Mr. Fu and Mr. Shao feel now.

It turns out that a problem that seems very difficult to solve in your own eyes may have been solved a long time ago and is practical in the eyes of others.

However, Mr. Fu was a little worried: "Chief Engineer Gao, will there be any difficulties? Isn't it inappropriate to be so eloquent?" These days, people are not so particular. Gao Zhendong shook his head: "There is nothing inappropriate. Just say it is my idea. I think there will be no problem."

I see, it's your doing again! No wonder you talk about these things so well.

If I had not made significant contributions to these two technologies, I would not have had such a say and would not have been able to say this in such a relaxed tone.

To be honest, before today, the two had never even heard of Gao Zhendong's name. Now, after a little contact, they found that he is simply a treasure!

I don’t know where the Defense Work Committee got this comrade from.

Before the two of them finished expressing their feelings, Gao Zhendong added, "As for recoil, I can't provide much help. I believe you are more professional than me, but I can still help you with materials. I have customized a batch of materials for the Grassland Tractor Factory, including engine cylinder materials that work in high temperature and high pressure environments. You can ask them for a list. It may be helpful to you, such as hydraulic anti-recoil."

Oil cylinders and air cylinders are all cylinders, there's nothing wrong with that.

The two were even more awed when they heard this. Customized materials! This is not an easy job. When it comes to customized parts, they may not feel so deeply, but is it easy to customize materials?
If you go to the 17th Ministry of Machine Building with such a request and they still talk to you with a smile after listening to it, it means they are polite.

Seventeenth Ministry of Machinery: Guess who we ask for most of our materials?
Mr. Fu smiled and said, "Chief Engineer Gao, you are wrong. You say this is not helpful? Our biggest headache right now is the materials! There are some structures that we dare not design, and that is the problem! Thank you so much."

Gao Zhendong smiled and said, "No need to thank me, I was born in the infantry and have fought in foreign countries. What you are doing is to support us."

This is not surprising, the two thought, no wonder he is so concerned about artillery, throwing out all kinds of advanced technologies as if they were free. I guess he must have been disappointed when he suffered the loss of insufficient firepower back then.

——All fear comes from lack of firepower.

Without saying anything, Mr. Fu patted his chest and said, "Chief Engineer Gao, don't worry. With the technologies you mentioned, I am confident that I can make a good 122 hound!"

Gao Zhendong smiled and said, "Thank you very much. Just now we talked about enlarging the chamber and strengthening the gun body. The next thing is to improve the projectile."

He gave too much! Both Mr. Fu and Mr. Shao felt that if they had all these skills but couldn't come up with a good weapon, they would be ashamed to face the people of Jiangdong.

The two felt the pressure on their shoulders suddenly increase.

Gao Zhendong didn't know what they were feeling, so he joked, "But this time, we only have the principle for the improvement, and no ready-made technology. You have to figure it out on your own, haha."

President Fu felt a little embarrassed: "Chief Engineer Gao is joking. We can't always rely on ready-made things. We are already very happy to have a principle. It's good to have a way. I'm afraid of having no way out. That feeling is too uncomfortable."

Gao Zhendong smiled: "Well, it's not that difficult actually. As for the projectile, there are mainly two suggestions and one prospect."

Tsk tsk tsk… Even a small place like a cannonball can be made into a temple and come up with so many tricks. But this thing seems to have nothing to do with the materials, right? You also understand this?

Gao Zhendong: I understand a little bit!

"You said it, we remember it." Mr. Shao unconsciously used honorifics to address Gao Zhendong. Although this man was much younger than himself, as the old saying goes, there is a sequence in learning, and everyone has their own specialization in skills, and the one who achieves it comes first.

Gao Zhendong drew a cut-off date pit shape on the blackboard: "The first suggestion is to change the projectile shape to a date pit shape. This shape can fly farther. Of course, it is not without disadvantages. The accuracy will be a little worse. It depends on your choice. The specific design will also require you to work out little by little. And for the guided ammunition that may appear in the future, this problem will not be a problem."

The date-seed projectile, one of the earliest means we used to increase the range, has defects, but is not unusable.

Mr. Fu and Mr. Shao don't care much about this defect. As long as the range can be increased, it's good. To put it bluntly, for a gun used for covering and suppressing, as long as the range is sufficient, what the hell does it matter?

It’s not that it’s useless because I’m not very accurate in the first place!

As soon as Gao Zhendong made this suggestion, they simulated and imagined the flight of the shells in their minds. It seemed that this thing could really increase the range! It was worth a try!
"Well, we will process a bigger batch later and try various shapes!" Mr. Shao said with a smile. This amount of R&D funds is still affordable.

Gao Zhendong smiled and said, "In fact, when you do experiments, you can cooperate with the comrades who are engaged in artillery position detection and calibration radar. They have also done experiments, and your experimental efficiency will be much higher."

The artillery position detection and correction radar is still under improvement. At least the work of integrating the hardware multiplier has not been completed, and they have had this thing not long ago.

By combining the two, comrades working on artillery reconnaissance radars don't have to look for cannons everywhere to fire, and comrades working on artillery don't have to look for artillery shells everywhere.

Once the shot is fired, the artillery detection radar will be able to roughly know the range and impact point.

(End of this chapter)