Chapter 48: How Could I Forget the Torsion Bar Spring?

In the direction Chen Geng was looking, three Type 63 armored personnel carriers were parked, their four pairs of road wheels looking particularly "cute."

The opportunity to see military equipment like armored vehicles at the Third Ordnance Repair Factory was extremely rare. As a comprehensive large-scale ordnance repair factory under the East China Military Region, the Third Ordnance Repair Factory had the capability to repair Type 63 armored personnel carriers, but such good jobs usually didn't fall to the Third Ordnance Repair Factory. Typically, such good opportunities were immediately snatched up by the First and Second Ordnance Repair Factories. In Chen Geng's memory, from his earliest recollections to the present, the number of times the Third Ordnance Repair Factory had repaired high-tech military armored vehicles like tanks and armored personnel carriers could be counted on one hand. Seeing an armored vehicle at the Third Ordnance Repair Factory could be considered a rare honor.

Some might not believe that our military has few such armored personnel carriers, thinking that our country has developed several types of tanks and armored vehicles. Developing several models of tanks and armored vehicles is one thing, but equipping the military with them is another. Not only does procurement cost money, but maintaining the army's training each year also requires funds.

Our country's industrial foundation is weak, and our economic foundation is even weaker. To be realistic, our current military still cannot be called a modern mechanized force. Mules and horses play a significant role, and the proportion of mules and horses in the military is much larger than that of military vehicles. One of the important goals of the recent large-scale military downsizing is to promote the transformation of our military from a mule and horse-based force to a mechanized one.

"That's the three armored vehicles you're talking about," Chen Hongjun raised his head and glanced indifferently, "Isn't the factory about to become a company?"

Chen Geng responded with an "Oh..." and immediately understood: the military region was starting to sprinkle resources around. The Type 63 armored personnel carrier was a high-end piece of equipment for our military at this stage. Chen Geng had never seen one before, nor had he ever gotten close to one in his previous life. Out of curiosity, he wanted to take a closer look. After all, he was the deputy director of the Third Ordnance Repair Factory, and it wasn't illegal to get a close look at such equipment.

Cao Jun, who came with Chen Geng, watched as Chen Geng examined the armored vehicle. He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it. Chen Geng was the deputy director, and no one could say anything about him looking at the vehicle.

Evaluating the military armored vehicle as if it were a civilian vehicle, Chen Geng commented, "Not even a central locking system, thumbs down!"

Although the design with four pairs of road wheels looked "cute," that was relative. With his years of design experience, Chen Geng had a keen eye. Even without knowing the detailed dimensions of the Type 63 armored personnel carrier, he could roughly estimate the vehicle's size at a glance: about 5.5 meters long, about 3 meters wide, and between 2.55 and 2.6 meters high. To compare it with a familiar civilian vehicle, it was the size of an Iveco bus, but its lethal and fierce appearance was something an Iveco could never match.

"What did you say?" Chen Hongjun, who came with Chen Geng, didn't hear clearly and asked.

"Nothing," Chen Geng shook his head. It would be strange for a military combat vehicle to have a central locking system. He was just venting, "Just a bit curious about seeing an armored vehicle up close for the first time."

"Oh..." Chen Hongjun was relieved. As a young man, it was understandable: "These three armored vehicles will need some time to repair; the engines have cylinder scoring."

Since returning to the Third Ordnance Repair Factory, Chen Geng had taken every opportunity to go to the shooting range and fire a few rounds, from the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle to the heavy machine gun. He had played with all the light weapons in service and those that had been retired but could still be found. No one cared; who would pay attention to a full lieutenant firing a few rounds? Chen Hongjun naturally assumed his son was just interested in military equipment... and Chen Geng was indeed just interested.

However, when Chen Geng saw the suspension structure of the Type 63 armored personnel carrier, he was no longer calm: What the hell... a torsion bar spring?!

"Damn! How could I forget this?" He slapped his forehead in frustration, wanting to slap himself. As a car designer, he shouldn't have forgotten such a classic combination.

"What did you say?" Seeing his son's expression of bewilderment, Chen Hongjun asked in confusion.

"Oh, nothing... Dad, I just remembered something. I need to go back to the office. Tell Mom I might not be home for dinner tonight..."

Before he finished speaking, he had already run off.

Cao Jun, who had planned to use this opportunity to discuss the factory's contracting with Chen Geng, was stunned: "Old Chen, what's going on with Chen Geng?"

"Who knows what this brat is up to, always making a fuss," Chen Hongjun didn't understand his son's sudden behavior either, but he had a good trait: if he didn't understand, he wouldn't ask. "Forget about him. Right, Old Cao, did you need something?"

"Nothing... nothing..." Cao Jun, with a bitter face, didn't mention what he wanted to discuss with Chen Geng. With Old Chen's stubborn personality, could he even talk to him?

...

Leaving Chen Hongjun and Cao Jun aside, Chen Geng rushed back to the Huacheng Industrial territory as if chased by a dog. He didn't even catch his breath, ordered that no one should disturb him unless the sky fell, and threatened to dock half a month's salary for anyone who disobeyed. Then he dove into his office and didn't come out.

When everyone thought Manager Cheng might have been scolded at the factory leadership meeting, Chen Geng's office suddenly echoed with his triumphant laughter: "Only I can design a four-link suspension for the 212 jeep! Only I can design a torsion bar spring with hydraulic shock absorbers for the 212 jeep! I am indeed a genius!"

What was going on? What had stimulated the manager? The young employees of Huacheng Industrial, who were listening intently, looked at each other in confusion.

Before they could speculate, Chen Geng opened the office door and ordered, "Go, bring Zhang Xiangyang to me."

Someone immediately ran off.

Zhang Xiangyang, who was dragged in, looked at the blueprint in front of him, his eyes full of question marks. It seemed to be a 212 jeep modified with a four-link suspension, but why were there extra parts? What were these parts for? Where were the coil springs?

Seeing Zhang Xiangyang's confusion, Chen Geng pointed at the blueprint proudly, "You were worried that without the shock absorbers from Wolfsburg, we'd be at a loss, right? Now the problem is solved."

"Is this your new design for the shock absorber?" Zhang Xiangyang asked tentatively.

"Of course." The person was so proud that his nose almost pointed to the sky.

Staring at the blueprint for a long time, Zhang Xiangyang asked cautiously, "But... where are the springs?"

Zhang Xiangyang could swear that there was not a single spring on this blueprint. Without coil springs or leaf springs, how would the vehicle absorb shocks and vibrations? If it weren't for their long friendship, which assured him that his brother would never joke about such matters, he would have turned and left.

Chen Geng pointed to a rod connecting the vehicle's chassis and the wheel, "Spring? This is it."

"This is a spring?" Zhang Xiangyang's face said, "I may not be well-educated, but I'm not stupid. Don't try to fool me!" He said with a grin, "I know what a spring looks like. This is clearly just a metal rod."

"That's right, it is a metal rod," Chen Geng nodded, "but it's also a spring. It's called a torsion bar spring, a type of spring, just like coil springs and leaf springs."

"Torsion bar spring?" The poor Zhang Xiangyang was completely baffled. Although he grew up in a vehicle repair company, he had never heard of a torsion bar spring. After a long hesitation, he asked, "Are you sure... this thing can really work as a spring?"

"There are three Type 63 armored personnel carriers at the factory, and they use torsion bar springs. What do you think?"

Zhang Xiangyang immediately believed him: If Old Three said it, it must be true. Although he still didn't understand how a metal rod... which to Zhang Xiangyang looked no different from a 12mm rebar used in construction... could function as a spring, he trusted that Old Three wouldn't joke about such matters.

"Let me explain it to you. A torsion bar spring is a rod-shaped spring. It looks like a metal rod... and it is indeed a metal rod... but it is made of chromium-vanadium alloy spring steel and is manufactured through quenching and pre-twisting processes. One end is fixed to the chassis, and the other end is connected to the wheel. When the wheel moves up and down, the torsion bar connected to the wheel and chassis will deform. During this deformation, the torsion bar spring absorbs the energy of the wheel's vibrations through its torsional elasticity, just like coil springs and leaf springs. Moreover, compared to leaf springs and coil springs, torsion bar springs have a higher energy storage capacity..."

As Chen Geng explained, he drew and wrote on the paper, making sure Zhang Xiangyang understood the working principle of the torsion bar spring. It was essential to explain it clearly because Zhang Xiangyang would need to convince customers to pay for it. If he couldn't explain it, how could he expect customers to open their wallets?

Chen Geng explained in simple terms, and Zhang Xiangyang quickly understood, nodding repeatedly, "Now I get it. In short, even without the coil springs from Wolfsburg, with this torsion bar spring, we can still make the 212 jeep comfortable. And this torsion bar spring can be produced in our country, right?"

Chen Geng: "Exactly."

PS: Second update.

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