From University Lecturer to Chief Academician

The joint research and development project of Wuhan Iron and Steel led by Peng Hui is to reduce the oxygen content of special steel by improving the manufacturing process and process.

Their research and development goal is to reduce the oxygen content of special steel to about 4ppm.

This is just an ideal goal. In fact, WISCO, including Peng Hui's team, did not have much hope.

So they also have a secondary goal, which is to stably reduce the oxygen content of special steel to below 5ppm.

The most critical of these is the word 'stability'.

Now Wuhan Iron and Steel Research Institute also has the means to manufacture special steel with an oxygen content below 5 ppm, but the manufacturing process involved is extremely complicated and the requirements are very high, and the corresponding cost will increase greatly.

If it is possible to produce special steel and bearing steel with an oxygen content below 5 ppm by conventional means, it will also have a certain degree of competitiveness in the international market.

The most high-end technology in the world can only produce steel with an oxygen content of about 4 ppm.

It is still very difficult to achieve even a sub-level goal. Peng Hui's team has spent more than 40 million yuan, but so far nothing has been achieved.

Of course, it cannot be said that nothing has been obtained. Some of their experimental data are also very valuable.

However, there is no research progress. They don't know which method can help reduce the oxygen content of steel.

One data can be used to know the concept of reducing the oxygen content of steel to 4 ppm.

For example, the oxygen content of ordinary steel products in the international market is between 100ppm and 500ppm.

If the oxygen content can be reduced to less than 100ppm, it is already a very good steel. Below 50ppm, it is generally a special steel.

Bearing steel is a special steel among special steels, so the requirements for oxygen content are so high.

This top-level research in the world must implement some new methods instead of doing research with conventional means.

Peng Hui's team has experimented with several new methods, such as vacuum plastic steel, rapid cooling, cooling and pressurization. In order to further reduce the oxygen content of steel, many steps are carried out under vacuum, but the results are not satisfactory.

Although their research has not progressed, the experimental data are still very valuable because of the use of many new methods.

These experimental data are now in Wang Hao's computer.

He looked at the information carefully, and then set up a research task to reduce the oxygen content of steel—

【Task 4】

【Research Project Name: Analyzing Experimental Data to Improve Manufacturing Process to Reduce Oxygen Content in Bearing Steel (Difficulty: A). 】

[Inspiration value: 0. 】

After setting up the task, Wang Hao was not surprised by the difficulty. For similar data analysis and research, if the difficulty can be at the A-level level, it is already very good.

A few years ago, Wang Hao participated in Peng Hui's team's research on the strength of titanium alloys, and also did data analysis. He had experience in similar work, so he naturally knew how to solve the problem.

After categorizing and summarizing the information, Wang Hao already had a general direction in his mind, and he immediately found Chen Mengmeng and Xu Jie.

Chen Mengmeng officially graduated this year, and was appointed as an associate professor by Xihai University, and served as Wang Hao's daily work assistant.

Xu Jie has not yet graduated with a Ph.D. He is studying for a Ph.D. under Zhang Zhiqiang, which belongs to the research direction of mathematical computers.

Now Wang Hao likes to ask Xu Jie to help solve some of the mathematics and computer-oriented work in Wang Hao's hands.

Xu Jie's mathematics level can't keep up with Chen Mengmeng, Helen and others, but the most important thing is that he can do better than others in the direction of combining mathematics and computers.

Wang Hao found two people and explained the work.

Simply put, write code.

Because it involves invalid and irrelevant input and unscreening, plus a lot of high-difficulty mathematical computer transformations, the code cannot be written by just one person, and you must have a deep understanding of discrete mathematics and probability.

So it was just right to hand over the work to Chen Mengmeng and Xu Jie.

...

The level of Chen Mengmeng and Xu Jie is indeed not bad. It took the two of them a total of three days to complete all the coding work.

At the same time, Wang Hao also established a mathematical model.

In combination with the written code, the data in the data is analyzed, and a series of results are obtained.

Then comes the mathematical analysis.

The follow-up work is relatively easier, because with similar experience, a graph is finally made, and the deviation value is analyzed according to the derived function.

"This deviation is still too low!"

Wang Hao looked at the data in the chart and pressed his forehead with some headaches.

Xu Jie looked at the chart data and couldn't help asking, "Mr. Wang, what does this deviation index represent?"

"The representative relies on our analysis results to improve the process, and the improvement is very small." Wang Hao said briefly, "You also know that we are analyzing the research data of a special steel."

"We need to improve the manufacturing process and process based on the analysis results, that is, to determine which steps are effective, which steps are ineffective, which steps are effective, and which steps are not effective..."

"If the deviation of the experimental data analysis results is too small, it means that the results we obtained may not be satisfactory..."

He sighed again.

Xu Jie nodded after thinking, and asked with some doubts, "It must be effective, after all, we have already analyzed the deviation."

"That's why I said the effect is not ideal."

Wang Hao said with a sigh, but knew that there was no way to continue the research, because the task had been completed, and the inspiration value would no longer increase.

In other words, based on the analysis of the data sent by Peng Hui's team, what they can do is already the limit.

"If you want to further reduce the oxygen content of steel, you have to add new processes, or make it in some new way."

"I guess Peng Hui hasn't used this method..."

...

Although he was not satisfied with the analysis results, Wang Hao still sent the final results to Wan Yiming, and said a few words in particular, "The deviation of this result is very small. If you improve the manufacturing process based on the results, the effect may not be very good. good."

"If you want to further reduce the oxygen content just now, you must add new means."

"How about this!"

"You tell Professor Peng to send a special team over and let's discuss it together."

This is the method Wang Hao thought of.

There are many methods for material manufacturing, and he can discuss with professional researchers to determine which methods are effective for reducing oxygen content.

In this way, the manufacturing steps can be added in a targeted manner to further reduce the oxygen content of the steel.

After Wan Yiming answered the phone, he checked the content sent by Wang Hao, and then he found Peng Hui, and talked about what Wang Hao explained and the analysis results.

"Academician Wang said that the deviation of the results is too small, and even if this is used to improve the process, it will not have much effect."

"In addition, Academician Wang also said that we should send a special team to discuss the manufacturing problem with him." Wan Yiming said seriously.

After hearing this, Peng Hui felt a little regretful, "I was expecting Academician Wang to help, but it seems that this research is indeed too difficult."

"Since it was requested by Academician Wang, you can let Guifang go, and Lou Jianping, let the two of them lead the team there."

"Let's take a look at the results given by Academician Wang. He said that the effect is not great, but it is not ineffective. It must be good to improve."

He said and shook his head.

It's not that Peng Hui doesn't believe in Wang Hao's ability, on the contrary, he believes very much, which is why he made such a statement.

Since Wang Hao said that the deviation value is too small, it is estimated that there is not much effect, and the "estimation" can be ignored, and it must not have much effect.

But in any case, as long as there is a little effect, it is progress.

Still, he decided to experiment right away.

Their research is not to create a new steel, but to use some methods to reduce the oxygen content of special steel with an oxygen content of about 20ppm.

Generally, the minimum can be reduced to about 5ppm, because there are errors and deviations in the experimental process, and sometimes it will be higher, reaching 6ppm or 7ppm.

Even though the experimental manufacturing process is very rigorous, they have never reduced the oxygen content of the steel to less than 5ppm.

The laboratory here is preparing to conduct new experiments, while Peng Hui also sent Shi Guifang and Lou Jianping to lead the team to Xihai University.

The new experiment took a total of two days. They strictly followed the data listed by Wang Hao to improve the process and flow. After the new steel was cooled, it was sent to the testing room.

Peng Hui, Wan Yiming and others did not report much hope.

After being sent to the testing room just now, they returned to the office to wait for the results. They also cared about Shi Guifang and the others, asking if they had seen Wang Hao.

At this time, Shi Guifang and others were already waiting in the small conference room of the Mason Number Laboratory, and they received a call from Peng Hui and simply reported it.

Then I heard an exclamation from the opposite side, "Director Peng! Professor Wan! There is a result!"

"The result is out!"

Peng Hui was on the phone and was trembling with fright. He put down the phone after explaining a sentence, and hurried out of the office.

When I got to the door, I saw that Professor Zeng in the testing room was saying excitedly, "4ppm! 4ppm!"

"We contacted and did three tests and confirmed the results. The oxygen content is around 4ppm!"

"I can't believe the data, it's 4ppm all of a sudden."

"Our research results!"

Others said excitedly after hearing this, "Really? There is 4ppm?"

"So low?"

"Really? The research is completed? The pre-ordered goal has been directly reached..."

"This is so awesome!"

Peng Hui froze in place. Like the others, he grabbed Professor Zeng and asked repeatedly, "Are you sure it's 4ppm?"

"Of course!"

Professor Zeng was very excited, "I didn't quite believe it at first, but after two more tests, the data was confirmed."

"To be precise, it is 4.1ppm, and the deviation value does not exceed 0.2ppm."

"This has achieved the desired goal!"

"I can't believe it~~"

Peng Hui also couldn't believe it, so he dragged Wan Yiming into the office.

"Boom!"

The door was slammed shut.

Peng Hui immediately couldn't help asking, "Didn't academician Wang say the effect is not good? Why is it just 4ppm?"

"I don't know either." Wan Yiming's mind was also a little confused, "That's what Academician Wang told me."

"Could it be that Academician Wang made a wrong judgment?"

"may be……"

"never mind!"

Peng Hui didn't think much about it at all, he picked up the phone directly, found the number and called Wang Hao.

It was Chen Mengmeng who answered the phone.

Chen Mengmeng is Wang Hao's assistant. Wang Hao's private phone calls are kept confidential. Usually, the calls are first answered by the assistant, and then transferred to them.

Chen Mengmeng heard that it was Peng Hui, the metal laboratory of Xijing Jiaotong University, and she knew what the call was about, so she directly transferred the call.

At this time, Wang Hao had just entered the meeting room and met Shi Guifang and Lou Jianping.

Shi Guifang is an old acquaintance.

Lou Jianping only met him once, and he said a few words, but he was still an acquaintance. They had just exchanged a few words with each other, and they were about to get straight to the point, when the phone call came suddenly.

Wang Hao pressed the answer button, and heard Peng Hui's excited voice, "Academician Wang?"

"Yes, Professor Peng, hello."

"Academician Wang! Academician Wang! Thank you so much, we just improved the process according to your analysis, and the oxygen content of the special steel produced has been reduced to about 4.1ppm, which has reached the expected goal!"

Peng Hui thought that Wang Hao would also be very excited, but he heard a regretful tone on the other side, "Only 4.1?"

"talent?"

Wang Hao sighed, "I knew it would have no effect, but it's only 4.1...at most it can catch up to the international level." After he finished speaking, he sighed a long time, obviously not satisfied with the result.

Peng Hui was puzzled and said, "Then Academician Wang, what is your expectation?"

"I originally thought it could reach 4, or 3.9, and then carry out the next step of improvement, it is best to reduce it to about 3ppm, so that the bearing steel produced in this way can catch up with the international advanced level. Now it seems that it is still far from the expectation. !"

Wang Hao was really disappointed.

Although the most advanced bearing steel in the world has an oxygen content of about 4ppm, there is one thing to consider--

They also have the world's top level in other manufacturing processes of bearing steel and bearing technology.

Domestic is different!

Even if the manufactured bearing steel has reached the international advanced level, because there are gaps in other manufacturing processes and bearing manufacturing technology, it is naturally difficult for the manufactured bearings to reach the most advanced international level.

"If the oxygen content of steel can be reduced to less than 3ppm, first of all, bearing steel has exceeded the international advanced level."

"In this way, even if the technology of other parts is inferior, with the best material support, the bearing steel produced may not be inferior to the most advanced international level, and it can support the use of anti-gravity aircraft..."

Wang Hao thought so.

In fact, it is the same as cooking by a chef. Using fresher materials and only requiring simple cooking, the food will be delicious.

If the ingredients are the same as others, and others have superb cooking skills, naturally the food cooked by others will be more delicious.

opposite.

Peng Hui put down the phone in a daze, he finally fully understood.

No wonder Wang Hao said 'the effect is not very good'. As a result, they conducted the experiment and directly achieved the expected goal.

It turns out that the goals are different!

Wang Hao's goal is to produce steel with an oxygen content of 3ppm. Naturally, he doesn't like the data of '4ppm'. He feels that the results of data analysis are not satisfactory, and the effect of improvement is 'not great'.

Peng Hui smiled wryly at Wan Yiming, "It can only be said that our understanding is different... our structure is still too small!"

Wan Yiming also gave a wry smile.

They set "about 4ppm" as the "ultimate goal", and the result was transferred to Wang Hao, and it was directly achieved after analyzing the experimental data.

The pattern of the two sides is indeed not on the same level.

But, 3ppm?

is it possible?

This statistic feels too high to be achievable.

When the oxygen content of the steel is reduced to below 10ppm, the research difficulty increases exponentially with every increase, and the improvement of the steel is also exponential.

The high-end bearing steel produced by WISCO with an oxygen content of about 5ppm to 6ppm has no competitiveness in the international high-end bearing steel market, because the oxygen content of high-end bearing steel is below 5ppm.

The former can only manufacture high-end ordinary bearings.

The latter can manufacture the most advanced bearings.

3ppm?

What is that concept?

Peng Hui and Wan Yiming thought carefully, and found that they didn't even have a concept in their minds...