Chapter 1129 High Speed Control Train
After listening to Brahms's speech, Chen Xiao's heart brightened and he thought of many things at once.
The rest of the material experts are not vegetarians, they are all experts. Who doesn't understand the key points?
What is silicon? What is silica? Isn’t it just molecules like stone and glass? High-strength glass is silicon mixed with some other elements to make it transparent and hard.
Don't underestimate the materials produced by living things themselves. They are biological mechanisms formed after countless years of evolution and the most severe natural elimination.
For example, no other material can match the strength and toughness of spider silk at the same diameter. At most, it's close.
Another example is hair. Throw it away casually. Lifting a car is like playing. Another example is the way a dragonfly flaps its wings in flight. No metal is so strong and will soon break due to fatigue.
So there is a subject called bionics. Human beings can only get close to these things, but cannot completely reproduce them.
Seeing that everyone was listening to what he said, Brahms continued: "The silica shell produced by diatoms is amazingly strong. Calculated, a fingernail as thin as a fingernail can hold dozens of kilograms of weight. And not broken.”
However, experts soon raised objections.
"You are talking about placing it on a flat bottom, but many times it has to withstand the force of suspension and forces from all directions. At that time, the strength of placing it on the flat ground is not enough to withstand it."
"Even if you are right, the split shell of diatom is the hardest object on the planet. But it is too small, and there is an upper limit to the speed of splitting. In this way, how much cultivation area do we need to meet the requirements? supply?"
"Diatoms also need energy, at least photosynthesis, right? Diatoms can only exist in water layers with sufficient sunlight. In this case, it seems that it is not easy to cultivate. After cultivating them, you have to find a way to build equipment to collect the shells. This job is really troublesome.”
Everyone started talking about it, and the issues they talked about were quite realistic, such as yield, cultivation location, collection method, and overall cost. Those diatom shells can't be collected and pasted directly on the tube channel.
This problem cannot be circumvented. The strength of the tube channel must be sufficient. According to model calculations, the current speed that Changtian Technology can achieve should be one thousand kilometers, but this speed is simply not enough. According to the idea, the vacuum tube train is divided into three stages. The first stage is the ordinary vacuum high-speed train, with a speed of only 500 to 600 kilometers. Today's technology is sufficient, and the lack of promotion is a cost issue.
The second stage is low vacuum magnetic levitation technology, which is what Changtian Technology is doing now, and it is more than ten years ahead of the times. But the cost of this is still quite high. The materials for the tube channel are still existing ones, and if it is further improved, it will only be 500 kilometers longer.
If this spreads out, people will definitely scold Versailles. If you are not satisfied with 1,500 kilometers per hour, do you want to go to heaven?
However, what Chen Xiao wants is the third stage, which is high vacuum magnetic levitation. A purer vacuum environment, greater electromagnetic force, and a speed of over 4,000 kilometers per hour! It's really a matter of seconds, arriving in one step!
To achieve this premise, the intensity of the control channel is unimaginable, at least it cannot be done now. If it is forced to be done, the cost is too high and it is not suitable for promotion.
That’s why Chen Xiao is so interested in the diatoms Brahms mentioned. This thing can be reproduced and cultivated. Doesn’t this just fit in with Changtian Technology’s development thinking? All materials can be cultivated, pollution-free, recyclable, sustainable development, and maximize the use of natural resources.
"Everyone, please summarize and sort out the specific strength data of the tube bundle channel. Compression resistance, bending resistance, and torsion resistance are all required. Let's start with diatoms! The materials department will contact the breeding department here to analyze the existing silicon The existing diatoms are not capable of transforming algae." Chen Xiao asked the two groups to work separately.
Biological experts from Yunxia District are also involved in cultivating new diatoms.
Experts in biology, microbiology, geneticists, geneticists and other related fields came together to try to tackle the problem.
The ideas are not complicated, they just keep filtering. Divide the diatom into many parts, and after a period of division, collect the diatom shells to test their strength.
After multiple measurements, it was determined which group of diatoms had better genes and produced stronger silica. Those diatoms with better genes were taken out and continued to be cultivated, and diatom shells were collected and compared.
In order to speed up the process, Changtian Technology also directly edited the genes of diatoms to determine the key genes. Then the cells can function as totipotent, allowing a single gene or cell to directly develop into a complete diatom.
Manual screening and gene editing are used to find suitable diatoms as quickly as possible. In this regard, Brahms has good experience and helped the team save a lot of time. He even contributed his conjecture to other groups to try.
Fortunately, Brahms had the right idea, which virtually improved the performance of diatoms.
Auxin, which promotes the rapid growth of diatoms, is also being researched. Naturally, the production of this product cannot be left to nature. We need a stable and efficient production model.
The physics project team is also making continuous progress. By changing the shape of the train and the starting point, the speed has once again increased to a new height, having exceeded 2,000 kilometers per hour. This is already the limit of existing materials, and it makes no sense to go any faster.
Because those tube bundle channels are already very thick and the materials are super expensive, there is no promotion value at all. Chen Xiao set the weight, thickness, and even radius of the tube bundle channel early on. All research must be conducted within the set framework. If it is developed and cannot be used, there will be no time and cost to change it later.
The construction method of the tube bundle channel was being carried out simultaneously. According to the characteristics of diatoms, the engineering experts screened the shells with specified specifications and arranged them in a honeycomb shape on the pre-built cylindrical cover. This construction did not matter, the problem immediately appeared.
These shells are dead materials. If they are directly applied, they will lose their stickiness due to the loss of moisture, and the whole piece will fall off. If glue is used to sew, the cost aside, how will the construction be done in the future? Piece it together piece by piece?
If this problem is not solved, even if diatoms can produce super strong shells, tube bundle channels will not be established.
The bosses of the engineering team immediately held a meeting.
"How about using cement as a base and incorporating diatom shells into it?"
"The sealing performance cannot be guaranteed, and the gaps that are not covered will become a breakthrough point for atmospheric pressure."
"Isn't it just one atmospheric pressure? What's there to be afraid of? Sixteen horses can pull it apart."
"You know, Tintin! Have you considered the huge energy cost generated when the train is running at high speed? According to your logic, just make glass now."
"No! We have to ask the vehicle design side for their thoughts on what kind of start and stop method it is. Otherwise, we have no concept of strength at all!"
The train project team is also exploring methods of starting and decelerating the train to minimize the pressure of the force field on the entire tube channel.
After repeated discussions, they devised the "Slingshot Method." To put it simply, the starting magnetic field is set on the guide rail, covering only the bottom of the train, and then acts like a slingshot to accelerate the train from a standstill to extremely fast speeds. The train is the projectile, and the magnetic field is the slingshot rubber band.
After that, the magnetic field will disappear, and the train will be suspended in the vacuum environment, moving forward without resistance. If it needs to accelerate, the magnetic field force will be applied somewhere.
When the train is about to stop, the magnetic field in front opens in advance, and the force increases from small to large, just like an elastic slingshot catching things that are coming quickly. When the train stops and the magnetic field disappears, the slingshot will naturally stop rebounding.
This idea is reliable, but it requires a bit of distance, but it is much better than the other method.
Someone has proposed a method, which is to rely on air resistance to slow down. The specific method is to set up gates at a certain distance before and after the station to serve as the entrance to the deceleration zone. When the train passes here, the air slowly enters and the speed of the train naturally decreases. After people get on and off the bus, the air in this distance is drained and turned into a vacuum before starting the bus.
This proposal made everyone's brains explode. Even though improvements were made later, it was said that more gates would be lowered to divide the car when getting on and off the car, and the air in front and in that section would be drained as quickly as possible before starting the train. However, with so many gates opening and closing, it is a huge challenge to the sealing of the tube bundle channel.
What's even worse is that the pressure on the control channel to stop such a high-speed beast is too great.
It is better to just use the magnetic field and just think about sealing and atmospheric pressure for the tube bundle channel.
After the people from the engineering team exchanged information with the people from the train project, they felt relieved. Those who are riding horses really don't treat those who are in construction as human beings, right? Air friction parking method? Who can create such a channel? That means the materials team didn't come, otherwise we would have to beat them up. The friction between such a fast-moving train and the air is like a rocket flying into space. What kind of material is used for the body? Originally, I only had to think about things under the car, but now I have to think about the entire car.
The members of the engineering team were relatively "satisfied" and went back to brainstorming how to build the tube bundle channel. In the end, they chose to build it by grinding the diatom shells and then reconstructing them and spraying them.
A large number of diatom shells or even diatoms are thrown into a roller mill with extremely small gaps for splitting. During this period, ultrasonic waves are used for vibration to break the diatom shells into smaller pieces.
Then spray it on the pre-built mold and spray several layers. At this time, the diatoms are still in a living state, spontaneously dividing, and then linking these fragments to ensure a tight fit without any gaps.
Several models were made, and the strength was very high. The members of the engineering team were so happy that they were finally able to hand over the work. Unexpectedly, after a while, better news came. Members of the biomaterials group cultivated new types of diatoms. The shells of these diatoms not only contain silica, but also have fibrous tube bundles. These tube bundles The silica shell is polymerized together, and even if it splits, it will slowly return to its original shape.
In this way, the entire tube channel becomes a huge whole! Countless silica crystals are linked together by numerous fibrous tube bundles.
This achievement was hard-won and was almost discarded. Fortunately, everyone had the habit of checking every specimen three times afterwards. Only then did they discover that the diatoms in a certain petri dish had formed an integrated body.
Not everyone can afford this habit. Ordinary laboratories simply do not have such a large space to place the diatom petri dishes that have been initially eliminated, nor do they have so many personnel to patiently conduct review work.
The intern researcher who discovered this mutated diatom has been determined to have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of her life, and the generous dividends will be more than she can spend in several lifetimes!
Changtian Technology has such a mechanism, whoever discovers it will benefit. In normal academic terms, students' discoveries are regarded as the teacher's achievements, and the achievements of subordinates are also regarded as the credit of superiors. Many bosses actually plunder the intellectual achievements of students and subordinates. In Chen Xiao's opinion, this was too demotivating for everyone, so he was determined not to learn the bad habits from the past.
The effect is obviously good. The scientific researchers of Changtian Technology are always on top of their game. They work hard in any position. Even the boring work of reviewing petri dishes, the intern researchers are doing it enthusiastically.
After obtaining the initial diatom species, Changtian Technology immediately analyzed its genetic structure and made every effort to cultivate a more stable next generation. After many screenings, the current diatoms have been completely tamed.
The materials, the construction method, and the starting and stopping methods of the vehicle are all figured out. The next step is to make a small model to test the idea.
In a huge warehouse, a small test venue has been set up. It looks like a four-wheel drive competition venue, with many twists and turns, and the entire length reaches five kilometers.
This is a reduced version of a controlled train transportation line, with small trains, small tracks, small pipes, and small controllers. But no one dares to underestimate this thing. Everything is based on reality and is a reflection of real-life technology. The experimental data obtained will be directly amplified and applied to real life.
"Then let's get started!"
After powering on, the model train is seen floating on the guide rail. The lower frame is separated from the guide rail. However, if the train rolls over, the two will hook together to prevent the train from overturning.
The magnetic field began to change direction, and its strength continued to increase. The car started quickly, and with a flash, it was immediately invisible. Then the train sped through the pipe without a trace of sound.
When the deceleration button was pressed, the train quickly slowed down.
The experiment was successful. We carefully checked the force in the car and inferred the feeling of the human body. It is speculated that it will not be stronger than the pushing feeling on the back of an airplane.