Rebirth of the 1980s: The Military Industry Empire

"If we want to make turning more flexible, we can also make some adjustments to the braking system to brake the inner wheels, which should be beneficial," Qin Yang thought for a moment and continued.

This is the 'tank turning' that some off-road vehicles in later generations brag about, braking one side of the wheels to obtain a smaller turning radius. In fact, even a tractor can do this.

Many tractor's brake pedals are two side-by-side, usually connected together so they can be stepped on together, which means braking together. Stepping on them separately means braking on one side. Especially the tractors in India, they like to drive with their noses in the air, and the front steering wheels don't even touch the ground, so turning relies on the different speeds of the wheels on both sides.

The current infantry fighting vehicles can also use this simple method. Of course, this is just a proposal made by Qin Yang, and it is not yet known whether it is feasible.

"When we have electronic control technology in the future, it should be more convenient," Qin Yang added with emotion.

In this era, cars still don't need electronic components. The engine is a mechanical oil pump, and the entire car is mechanically controlled. Later, the engine will need to rely on electronic systems to precisely control its operation, and there will be many electronic components on the car, such as ABS and EBD, which need to be monitored by electronic systems. Later, in the era of electric vehicles, for autonomous driving, there will be even more electronic components.

The addition of electronic systems makes cars more complex. In the past, when cars broke down, the driver could fix them himself, but in later generations, when cars break down, people don't even know the reason and must use a computer to check the fault code.

However, the addition of electronic systems also makes cars more intelligent. After all, people are getting lazier and lazier, and cars have to do a lot of things for them, from reversing into a parking space to turning and changing lanes, the car can do it all.

"President Qin, what are you talking about? We don't seem to understand."

"It doesn't matter, we don't need to understand. We just need to build the side transmission system first."

After arranging these things, Qin Yang yawned. He was indeed too tired. Old Zhu, who was next to him, said, "President Qin, let's go to my house to sleep. You don't have to go all the way home."

"Okay."

Old Zhu's house is very small, and the windows leak air everywhere. However, such a home gives people a special feeling. Every time Qin Yang comes here, he feels that his soul will be tempered, making him feel too embarrassed to pursue enjoyment. Look at the noble character of the older generation of military industrial personnel!

"President Qin, you said at the meeting today that even the Steyr engine's power is still not sufficient?" Old Zhu asked.

"Yes, the wheeled infantry fighting vehicle also needs strong power. The 500-horsepower engine on our 59 tank is enough, but the fuel consumption is too high and the lifespan is too short. We still have to find a solution from the automotive engine."

If there is a 500-horsepower engine, of course it would be more than enough. However, the tank engine cannot be used, because this engine has a very short lifespan and needs to be overhauled every five hundred hours, while the lifespan of commercial vehicle engines is often thousands or even tens of thousands of hours. The two are not comparable.

As for the other issue of fuel consumption, it goes without saying that as long as a vehicle engine is replaced, the fuel consumption can be reduced by at least half. The 960 Factory has many improvement plans, some of which involve bringing in Western engines, which can double the cruising range without changing the fuel tank, just because the engine is more fuel-efficient.

"Then do you think we can upgrade the Steyr engine?" Old Zhu continued to ask.

The Steyr engine has supported a large part of Dongfang Heavy Truck's industry. Even though Qin Yang has introduced Mercedes-Benz heavy trucks, he also plans to match them with Steyr engines to reduce prices and use them on infantry fighting vehicles. Unfortunately, the engine's power is not large enough.

Since it is not large enough, can it be improved and upgraded?

Of course!

Qin Yang felt a new door opening in front of him.

After entering Dongfang, the Steyr engine began its legend and became the most important heavy truck engine, especially after being mass-produced by Weichai, becoming the famous WP10 engine.

This engine is an in-line 6-cylinder water-cooled engine with a displacement of 9.726 liters and a horsepower range from 220 horsepower to 375 horsepower. The torque range covers from 635 Nm to 1400 Nm. When it was first introduced, it fully met Dongfang's transportation needs. However, with the development of the times, the power is becoming increasingly insufficient.

What to do if it's not enough?

Upgrade it!

Increase the cylinder bore, expand the cylinder volume, inject more fuel, pump more air, improve combustion efficiency, and use various methods to increase the engine's power by a large margin. The WP10 also became the WP11, and later there was the WP12.

Now, if this engine's power is insufficient, we can also improve the technology to increase the engine's performance by a large margin.

Relying on others is unreliable, only ourselves will do.

Anyway, there is also experience in this area in China. China has increased the 500-horsepower engine of the 59 tank to 730 horsepower, and then gradually upgraded it to 800 or even 900 horsepower. Of course, it is also possible to develop the Steyr engine.

Although importing is good, it costs money. If we can tinker with it ourselves, then we should tinker with it ourselves!

Qin Yang's eyes lit up.

"Our tank engine has also stabilized. The 1,200-horsepower target has been reached. However, for us, this is not enough. We must continue to work hard and strive to develop a 1,500-horsepower engine," Old Zhu said.

"Stabilized? That's great." Qin Yang was even more excited. This engine was a stumbling block in the development of advanced third-generation tanks. Even because the early performance was not suitable, the leaders above disliked it and simply used the 96 tank and stopped bothering with it.

Fortunately, the R\u0026D personnel persevered. When the 1,200-horsepower engine was developed, the entire road was opened up. Next, the performance of the 1,500-horsepower and 1,800-horsepower engines will continue to improve, fully meeting the needs.

Our own strength?

Qin Yang had never thought about this before. Now that Old Zhu reminded him, he finally woke up.

That's right, it's better to rely on ourselves than on others!

"Do you think that when we develop to a 1,500-horsepower engine, the tank's power will be completely sufficient?" Old Zhu asked.

Qin Yang shook his head: "Of course not."

The tank's demand for power is endless, and the higher the power, the better!

"Not only should the power continue to increase, but the displacement should also be reduced at the same time." Qin Yang remembered the 15-type tank engine of later generations.