It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 47｜Another Idle Move

"Thick steel plates are naturally more troublesome, and heat treatment and other things are more difficult. Thin or medium plates are the most commonly used in daily civilian use." The engineer replied.

"What about the armored steel used to manufacture tanks?" Shang Ke asked again.

"Well, it requires a special silicon-manganese-nickel steel, and after rolling it into shape, the surface needs to be hardened."

"It's all pretty thin right now, but it'll be thicker in the future."

The engineer asked in confusion, "Forty millimeters? That would be even more troublesome."

At present, the armor thickness of tanks equipped by major powers is very thin. For example, Ivan Ross's BT-7 is 22 mm, while Varland's Type III Tank B/C is only 15 mm.

Therefore, in the engineer's opinion, thicker armor is at most twice as thick as the current mainstream.

It seems that everyone's imagination is still insufficient.

Shang Ke smiled helplessly and said, "More than that, maybe eighty, or even a hundred, can you make it?"

The engineer was confused and felt that Shang was talking nonsense. You know, the main armor belt of a heavy cruiser is only more than 100 mm thick.

"Of course it can be built, but it will be more troublesome," he said.

Generally speaking, steel plates with a thickness of 5 to 25 mm are classified as medium plates, those with a thickness of 25 to 100 mm are classified as thick plates, and those with a thickness of more than 100 mm are classified as extra thick plates.

As the thickness increases, a larger rolling mill must be used, but many factories do not have this capacity, so production is limited.

Of course, rolled armor steel is only one route; another development route is cast armor steel.

The advantages of rolled steel are obvious - because it is rolled under heavy pressure, it has a denser texture, higher strength and better elastic resistance.

Cast steel is easier to manufacture – just pour molten steel into a mould – but it is less bulletproof and harder to control, with holes and voids more likely to form.

Mr. Shang would definitely prefer the former. After all, given the country's industrial scale, there is nothing to worry about.

After a quick look, he told a manager who was accompanying him the purpose of his visit.

"What is the performance of the armor steel used in the tanks currently equipped by the Army? Can I see the specific indicators?"

"Okay." The latter agreed without hesitation.

"Don't need approval?"

"The indicators aren't that strict. You're a school officer now, so you're allowed to see them according to the regulations. The formula is a big secret, so that's what requires approval."

So, Shang saw what he wanted to know in the archives.

The No. 5 cold-rolled high-hardness special steel currently used in the Wehrmacht's active tanks has a hardenability of 50 mm and a hardness of approximately 410 Brinell hardness, but its impact toughness is ridiculously high.

After seeing this data, Shang Ke thought he was seeing things - it was so hard, yet not brittle, and had good toughness.

Heaven-shattering! Is this enchanted? A blessing from the Supreme Lord?

This type of steel rolling can be said to be outrageous. It is hard to imagine how Republic Steel Group came up with this thing.

However, No. 5 cold-rolled special steel also has a fatal flaw, which is that its hardenability is very poor, only 50 mm, which means it cannot be used to manufacture large-thickness steel plates, and generally should not exceed 40 mm.

It is obvious that the people who developed this type of steel rolling did not anticipate the rapid development of armor-piercing countermeasures.

Afterwards, Shang Ke expressed that he was satisfied and left with Cai Qiqian.

In the car, he took out a notebook, wrote a few words, and handed it to Cai Qiqian.

"Do me a favor. Find a way to repackage the business files of your group's R&D department and add this indicator for steel rolling. Keep it secret."

"Why should I help you?" Cai Qiqian felt puzzled.

"If you don't agree, then forget it. We'll have nothing to do with each other from now on," Shang Ke said nonchalantly. For the next minute and twenty seconds, Cai Qiqian was torn.

Finally, he agreed and said hesitantly, "Okay, but you have to do me a favor."

"What help? You're not still thinking about that girl from yesterday, are you?" Shang Ke stared at him with a smile.

"Well... almost. She hit me so hard yesterday, I have to talk to her about it anyway." Cai Qiqian seemed very unconfident when he said this with a wandering gaze.

"Oh?" Shang smiled but said nothing.

After a while, he spoke leisurely, "Xiao Sheng only graduated from high school not long ago. She's just the daughter of an ordinary family. As for you, you idle fellow, you'd better stop thinking about her."

This obviously touched a sore spot for Cai Qiqian, who said angrily, "I never mistreat anyone, and I never hesitate to spend money."

"Oh, not everyone wants the money in your pocket."

"Then I'm sincere, so it's okay?"

Shang Ke was speechless and waved his hands, saying, "Who would believe you're sincere? You're just idle, why don't you do something serious first?"

Despite all this, Cai Qiqian remained undeterred and persevered.

Now it was Shang Ke's turn to be puzzled - no, buddy, have you been kicked into love?

Finally, Cai Qiqian even expressed his desire to join the National Defense Forces.

Shang Ke, with a frown on his face, said calmly, "I advise you to give up this idea. The army looks down on incompetent dudes. You should at least have a skill."

Cai Qiqian suddenly thought of something and whispered shyly, "I actually have a little skill."

"what?"

"Well, I can tell if there's something wrong with the engine."

Shang Ke responded with interest: "You're not lying, are you? This is really a useful skill."

"I'm not lying to you, Brother Shang. I started driving when I was sixteen. I've driven Everbright, Hozon, Hengsheng, Fiat, Lancia, Mercedes-Benz, Citroën, and Cadillac. There's no car I haven't driven," Cai Qiqian said firmly.

"Then think carefully when you get back. The army is not a place for leisure."

"it is good."

If it is true, then the second son of the Cai family can be considered a talent.

Some experienced old sergeants in the supply corps have this ability. They can tell whether the engines of trucks and tanks are working properly just by listening.

As for the note that Shang handed to Cai Qiqian, it actually contained a relatively ideal indicator for rolled armor steel.

The basic requirement is chromium-nickel-molybdenum alloy steel with a hardenability of at least 140 mm to facilitate the manufacture of thick steel plates; the hardness does not need to be too high, between 250 and 280 Brinell hardness is sufficient; as for impact toughness, it naturally has to be as good as possible.

If successfully developed, this type of armor steel will not be outdated even after 30 years.

These days, armor-piercing missile confrontation is still in the exploratory stage. All countries are wading through the river, with no stones to touch, and they can easily take a detour if they are not careful.

Mr. Shang directly gave the optimal solution, which was equivalent to erecting a benchmark directly across the river.

As the far-reaching exercises come to a close, the crucial direction for the development of military thought should also be finalized smoothly.

The year is drawing to a close, and the Grand Federation is about to usher in the most eye-catching event.

Election! Who will be the final winner?
Personally speaking, Shang Ke agrees more with the policies advocated by the right-wing Renhe, but Shang Yuxiu is a centrist who supports people's livelihood, which is really embarrassing.

(End of this chapter)