I do research in ancient times

The graphite crucible is not difficult to fire for the blacksmiths who have been spinning around the stove for a long time.It's just that everyone was surprised when they saw Xu Jin go out of the city happily and come back listlessly.

This big brother... what happened today?

Everyone didn't dare to ask Xu Jin, so they asked Liu Tie secretly.

Liu Tie thought about it, but he didn't hide it.

"The steel materials we made were not good enough, which delayed Juzi's shore artillery experiment, and Juzi said that he would re-smelt steel."

He pointed to the graphite material that had just been delivered by the mining team not far away.

"Here, this is the guy who is going to use Juzi to make steel."

what? !

As soon as these words came out, the entire blacksmith workshop fell silent.

Xu Jin and Liu Tie are considered the best blacksmiths below Mu Donglai. Neither of them can forge well. What kind of material does Juzi want? !

He wanted to ask further questions, but Liu Tie himself couldn't make it clear, he only said that Ju Zirang made the crucible first.When the crucible was made, all the disciples gathered around the workshop, waiting to see how Juzi made steel.

When Ning Fei entered the door, he was taken aback by the curious eyes in the field.After asking about the situation, I realized that these were just for the fun, and they didn't drive people away.

The blacksmiths are all Mo Zong's own people, and they will still be counted on to operate them in the future. If he can understand how to make steel in a crucible today, it will save him the trouble of going to start a class again.

Liu Tie burned more than ten crucibles in this batch, except for those that were defective and unusable, there were just ten finished products left.

Ning Fei checked carefully once and found that the crucible was indeed made of graphite clay, and the size was also the size he requested.

He nodded, expressing his satisfaction, and then started to transform the steelmaking furnace.

The blacksmith workshop in Jiuling City is newly built, and the furnace is also different from the previous ones.In addition to the blast furnace equipped with hydraulic bellows, relatively independent compartments were built in the large empty yard of the blacksmith workshop, and the areas were divided according to the production line model.

Furnaces are all ready-made, but crucible steelmaking is different from pouring steel, and some additions or changes are required.

Although crucible steelmaking can improve the quality of steel materials, the output is a big problem that cannot be solved. At present, it can only be applied to a small amount of refined steel casting, and the main force of mass production still depends on the pouring method.

Therefore, Ning Fei did not start with the steel production area that had already been formed, but chose an idle furnace.He added a furnace bridge to the originally empty furnace cavity, and the furnace bridge was filled with coke. The graphite crucible was placed in the middle of the coke, and an observation hole was reserved on the furnace top to check the state of molten iron and stir it.

In the first experiment, only two crucibles were placed on the furnace bridge to observe the effect of the amount and position of coke.In order to compare the advantages and disadvantages of crucible steelmaking more objectively and truly, Ning Fei also specially asked Xu Jin to open a steel filling furnace together, and prepared to do another control group.

On the fourth day after the cannon test, Mozong's first graphite crucible steelmaking experiment officially started.

Everyone stared at the stove without blinking. It was already dry and hot in summer, and the temperature of burning coke was unbearable. After a while, many craftsmen's clothes were already wet with sweat.

But no one was ready to leave, and a few rough men simply shirtless, gathered around the stove and waited to see Juzi's next move.

So far, this new iron smelting method seems to be the same as before, except that the stove is different, and the iron blocks are burned in a strange pot.

At this time, Ning Fei asked Liu Tie to put some lime powder in the wrought iron.

"Juzi, what is this for?"

Mu Donglai stroked his beard, couldn't help his curiosity, and asked in a low voice.

"Adding stones to iron dishes, isn't that impure?!"

"Adding stones is to make slag."

Ning Fei said seriously.

"No matter how good iron ore is, there are impurities. Not every impurity can be burned with fire, but it can interact with limestone, which is the physical and chemical reaction I mentioned to you before, forming slag and can be removed."

"Burning for a few hours, wait until the ore in the crucible turns into molten iron and infiltrates carbon, then open the furnace to scoop out the slag floating on the water, and then you can get relatively high-quality molten steel."

"The whole process does not require forging and pouring. The molten steel comes out of the furnace and directly enters the mold, and it can be cooled and formed."

What he said was an understatement, but to the ears of everyone in the blacksmith workshop, it was tantamount to thunder on a sunny day.

For thousands of years, it has been a matter of course for blacksmiths to strike iron. I have never heard of a good thing that can be formed without forging!Burning iron materials into molten iron is also a blast furnace for them to open their eyes, but what is fired is molten pig iron, which is hard and brittle, which is not suitable for forging at all!

Before, Jizi emphasized in every possible way that everyone now knows that the mixing of raw and wrought iron is to control the carbon content.But in this way, the carbon content is ignored by direct sintering of pig iron for casting?

Ning Fei naturally saw that everyone had a lot of problems, but he didn't have time to elaborate now.It is also the first time for him to do the crucible steelmaking method, and he doesn't know how many hours it will take to complete the carburization, so he can only test it again and again.

About the sixth time, a crucible cracked due to repeated use, and the flowing molten iron burned the entire smelting furnace. Fortunately, everyone escaped in time and no one was hurt.

"Juzi, go back and rest first, I'll do the rest."

Liu Tie said from the side.

Ning Fei shook his head.

"I'm here, and I have a bottom in my heart, otherwise I won't be able to rest well when I go back."

"In addition, I think our craft can still be changed."

Liu Tie nodded, but didn't try to persuade him any more.

Having been with Juzi for a long time, Liu Tie could understand his thoughts very well.

Jizi doesn't have to do it himself, but he will record some details in the process and save it for comparison and correction in the future.

For example, for this crucible, Liu Tie saw that Juzi marked a "four" on his small notebook, indicating that it can only be reused up to the fourth time, otherwise it may be damaged.

The quality of the steel ingots produced in the first batch was average, almost no different from those made by the pouring method, and the toughness and ductility had not been improved, which disappointed everyone present.

They have become accustomed to the craft diagrams that Jizi can throw out at will. Every time they are improved by leaps and bounds, they are astonishing beyond imagination. Today's level can almost be called a big failure.

But Ning Fei didn't care.

After the experiment started, he quickly entered the working state.Changes in the outside world can hardly interfere with his train of thought. His sight is always fixed on the crucible furnace, speculating that the steel quality may not pass the test.

Is it phosphorus?Or sulfur?Too many impurities can easily form extremely brittle compounds, resulting in a decrease in plasticity and toughness.

Just add more slagging agent.In addition to lime, soda ash, silica, dolomite, etc. can also be used.

Sure enough, the steel quality improved significantly afterwards.

Liu Tie and others accompanied him all the way, seeing all of Ning Zaozi's exploration process.

It turns out that the steel pouring method they used before is such a little bit of accumulation, a little bit of correction, and finally formed a nearly perfect process.From the operation of the first blast furnace for iron smelting in Niubei Mountain to the reopening of the furnace in Jiuling Lake, there has not been a single accident in the Mozong blacksmith workshop.

Is this the power of... science? !

Ning Fei didn't care about the thoughts of the people behind him. He burned all ten crucibles and found that under the condition of stable temperature control, the carburizing time of one hour and one quarter was the most suitable.

Rubbing his neck with sore eyes, Ning Fei wrote down the last stroke in a small notebook, then raised his head, and said to all the staff in the blacksmith workshop where no one had left.

"Let's stop here today, everyone go back to rest first. Tomorrow the mining team will send new graphite materials, and work will start on time at noon. Everyone will learn from firing crucibles and recast coastal defense guns according to the new steelmaking method."

The crowd clapped.

Technology is always an irresistible temptation for craftsmen.Ever since seeing the new crucible for steel making, many blacksmiths have stayed up all night, thinking about the dark and completely inconspicuous crucible over and over again.

Mu Donglai tossed and turned, couldn't fall asleep, and baked big pancakes by his bedside, and the mother-in-law who disturbed her couldn't live in peace.

"What are you fussing about, old man, if you don't want to sleep, go to the outside room. I have to go to work tomorrow morning."

His mother-in-law turned over and sat up, kicking him straight.

Mu Donglai was kicked so hard that he almost fell off the kang, so he sat up too.

"How rare! I have important things to do tomorrow, why is it still not bright?"

He knew a lot of things today, and saw Juzi steelmaking with his own eyes, and his vision suddenly became clear.

It turns out that the black stone sent by the mining team is the "carbon" that Jizi has been talking about. It turns out that using the black stone as a container can make the "carbon" penetrate into the pig iron water. It turns out that adding lime and soda ash can turn the impurities in the molten iron into slag!

Crucible steelmaking is strictly confidential, so the specific details cannot be disclosed, but Mu Donglai feels honored and honored.

In just a few years, Mo Zong already possessed two secret methods of making steel and iron!He, Mu Donglai, did not miss any of the great opportunities that generations of craftsmen could not have met in the past. Isn't that the greatest blessing in life? !

"My brain is broken!"

His mother-in-law gave him a blank look.

"There was a noise outside the city today, but you succeeded?"

Mu Donglai shook his head and smiled.

"It didn't work."

"You're still so happy if it didn't work?!"

His mother-in-law didn't believe it.

"It really didn't work? I saw that Juzi has gone, can it work?"

"It's normal to fail, and Juzi is not a fairy."

Mu Donglai said righteously.

"Then do you want to do it again?"

His mother-in-law asked again.

"It sounded like thunder today, but it scared everyone. It would be a pity if it didn't work."

"There's nothing to be afraid of."

Mu Donglai smiled contemptuously.

"There will be a lot of noise like this in the future. Science, it's all science, and science needs to be studied. Only by actually doing it can you know whether it works or not. You just need to get used to it."

"Scared! Still want to get used to it?"

His mother-in-law opened her eyes wide.

"It's such a loud noise, who can get used to it!"

"When the young master of the Feng family came back today, his little face was so scared that his face turned pale. He walked swaying and lacked energy. He also bumped into an old pine tree and knocked a big red envelope on his head. It's a pity."

"Young Master Feng has seen the world, so he was so frightened. If you come here twice, I'm afraid you will scare the children out of their wits. I'll see how you explain to the Feng family!"