Chương 144: Improvements in Iron and Steel Smelting 1

Back in his study at the Liu residence, Liu Ce closed the door and began to draw.

He leaned over the table, dipped his brush in ink, and began to draw rapidly on the newly made paper.

While drawing, he muttered to himself, "The wind from that tattered leather bellows from the Eastern Han Dynasty sounds like an old woman's panting, and the furnace never gets a proper flame. The iron they smelt is as brittle as a biscuit; it dulls after just a couple of chops. No wonder it's no wonder it's unusable in battle!"

He searched his mind for the core principles of modern smelting—to refine iron well, you must first prepare the "fire" properly!

First picture: Blast furnace.

It's wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, like an inverted gourd. The label next to it reads: "Furnace wall: refractory clay + limestone, rammed!"

Two symmetrical circular openings are drawn on the side, with the words: "Ventilation opening, for connecting the bellows".

A slanted opening was left at the bottom, with a note: "Iron outlet, sealed with mud, will be broken open after smelting."

Second picture: Piston bellows.

The box is made of wood, with a sliding piston, an air inlet valve, and an air outlet pipe. Details such as "sealing burlap" and "lever linkage" are specially marked, and a diagram is also drawn: when a person pushes or pulls the lever, the piston moves inside the box, and air is sent out when pushing or pulling.

The third picture: a steel frying furnace.

Fourth picture: Crucible.

Made of clay, with the inner walls coated with graphite. A small note beside it reads: "Graphite provides a stable carbon source, allowing for precise control of the carbon content in steel."

As Liu Ce drew, he muttered to himself, "Refractory clay mixed with limestone is heat-resistant and not easy to crack; the blast furnace is wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, which concentrates heat and allows the ore and charcoal to react fully; the two side ventilation openings, combined with the piston bellows, provide even airflow, and the temperature will soar directly to over a thousand degrees. Let's see if we can still smelt scrap iron!"

"Coal burns at a high temperature, but sulfur damages iron. A crucible can isolate the iron from the smoke, allowing the high heat of the coal to be utilized while preventing the iron from becoming brittle..."

By the time I finished drawing the four pictures, it was already dark.

Liu Ce stretched and looked at his "blueprint for the industrial revolution," nodding in satisfaction.

Tomorrow, let those craftsmen see what "dimensional reduction attack" really means.

The next day, just as dawn broke, Liu Ce, carrying the blueprints, arrived at a spacious courtyard in the west of the city.

This place was originally an abandoned warehouse, but it has now been transformed into a temporary workshop.

The yard is big enough to keep things interesting.

Before long, the carpenters and blacksmiths that Fang Xuanling had found arrived one after another.

When they saw Liu Ce, they all bowed to him.

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

Liu Ce waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities. Which one of you is the leader?"

A carpenter in his fifties, with calloused hands, stepped forward and said, "Your Excellency, my surname is Wang, and everyone calls me Old Wang. I've been a carpenter for over thirty years."

Another blacksmith, a burly man in his forties, stepped forward and said, "My lord, my surname is Li, and my name is Old Li. I've been blacksmithing for over twenty years."

Liu Ce nodded and said, "Alright, Lao Wang, Lao Li, I'm going to teach you something new. It might be completely different from what you've learned before."

There were more than twenty carpenters and more than thirty blacksmiths, all skilled craftsmen from various parts of Youzhou and among the refugees.

Liu Ce gathered everyone together and got straight to the point: "What we're about to do is very important. I hope you'll ask questions if you don't understand, but don't question. I don't want to hear things like 'Our ancestors always did it this way' or 'This won't work, that won't work.'"

He paused, then scanned the crowd: "If anyone can't do it, they can leave now."

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, and someone whispered, "What is the Marquis trying to do?"

But no one left—the Marquis of Champion's reputation was too great; to be personally summoned by him was already an immense honor.

Old Wang spoke first: "My lord, since we're here, it means we trust you. We'll do whatever you say."

Old Li nodded and said, "We all admire Your Excellency for quelling the Yellow Turban Rebellion and speaking up for the people. Please give your orders."

Liu Ce nodded in satisfaction: "Alright, since everyone's staying, let's begin now."

He spread the blueprints on the makeshift table: "Old Wang, Old Li, look at this!"

Pointing to the blast furnace diagram: "This is a new furnace, wider at the bottom and narrower at the top. The furnace walls are made of refractory clay—that is, kaolin mixed with limestone—white stone or bluestone, compacted before use. It's dozens of times more heat-resistant than the mud furnaces you used before!"

He then pointed to the ventilation openings: "These two connect to the bellows, directing air into the furnace core for a more intense burn! The bottom taphole allows molten iron to flow directly out, saving time and effort by eliminating the need to break up the furnace!"

Old Li squatted in front of the blueprints, frowning as he asked, "My lord, can limestone mixed with refractory mortar withstand such high temperatures? And won't these two vents on the side blow the fire away?"

Old Wang stared at the piston bellows: "How do you ensure there's no air leakage when the wooden plug inside the bellows is pushed and pulled?"

"Good question!" Liu Ce picked up a stick and drew a diagram on the ground.

"Limestone mixed with refractory mortar will harden after being fired, making it stronger and more durable than pure refractory mortar."

"The two vents face the center of the furnace, so the air flows in instead of blowing out, which pushes the charcoal flames into the molten iron."

"As for the bellows seal," He pointed to the piston design, "Wrap the cork in oil-soaked linen, then smear some pine resin inside the casing. It'll be smooth to push and pull, and airtight—much more airtight than a leather bag!"

Upon hearing this, their eyes lit up.

Old Wang made the decision: "I'll get people to make the bellows right away! We'll use jujube wood for the body and oil-soaked linen to seal the piston, ensuring smooth pushing and pulling!"

Old Li was equally decisive: "I'll build the blast furnace myself! The refractory clay and limestone will be mixed in the exact proportions, and once it's compacted, it's guaranteed to withstand high temperatures!"

Liu Ce was overjoyed and immediately assigned tasks.

The carpenters were responsible for making the bellows, and the blacksmiths were responsible for building the blast furnace and preparing the ore and charcoal.

The workshop immediately became bustling with activity.

The sounds of sawing wood, chiseling holes, mixing mud, and smashing stones blended together.

Liu Ce moved among them, looking around and pointing things out.

"Old Wang, don't make the piston too loose, or it'll leak air!"

"The connecting rod needs to be sturdy, otherwise it won't move!"

"Old Li, make sure the furnace walls are firmly packed, don't leave any gaps!"

"The mud plugging at the taphole must be evenly distributed to prevent molten iron from leaking out!"

The process was not smooth sailing.

On the first day, the blast furnace collapsed halfway through construction—the limestone ratio was incorrect.

The next day, the bellows started leaking air—the linen cloth hadn't been soaked in oil.

On the third day, the fire in the stove was not burning well—the angle of the ventilation opening was incorrect.

But no one complained. The craftsmen were all experienced and knew that new things required trial and error. Liu Ce was also in no hurry and patiently provided guidance.

On the fifth day, the blast furnace was finally completed.

It was three zhang tall, wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, resembling a giant earthenware urn. The furnace walls were rammed together with a mixture of refractory mud and limestone, and felt solid to the touch.

The two piston bellows have also been installed. The bellows bodies are made of jujube wood and sealed with oil-impregnated linen. The push-pull rods are made of hardwood, making them sturdy and durable.

Old Wang tried pushing and pulling it.

"Whoosh—hiss—whoosh—hiss—" The bellows made a steady, powerful sound, and the air coming out of the side vents was both rapid and steady, stirring up the dust on the ground.

"A gentle breeze!"

Old Wang's eyes lit up, "Much better than just a pretty face!"

Old Li filled the furnace with washed iron ore and charcoal, and lit the ignition source.

"Push!" Liu Ce ordered.

Old Wang and another carpenter worked together to push and pull the bellows.

"Whoosh—whoosh—"