The expeditionary force began to dominate Southeast Asia by recruiting defeated soldiers

Chapter 487 Washing Machine, Refrigerator and Plywood Commander

Zhang Chi strolled around the factory area of ​​Yangon’s first home appliance manufacturing plant.

The huge factory hall was filled with the smell of engine oil, welding fumes and a faint smell of ammonia.

The roar of the machines rose and fell, drowning out the human voices, and only when you got close could you hear the conversation clearly.

Zhang Chi, dressed in plain khaki work clothes and a safety helmet, walked along the newly completed production line accompanied by Bai Hongsheng, factory director Zhou Guodong and several core engineers.

Zhang Chi looked around and felt that it was completely different from the clean windows and spotless, neat white appliance pipelines he saw in documentaries later.

It was noisy and busy, with the light of welding and various debris and scraps everywhere.

"General, please come this way. This is the final assembly line for the 'Nanfeng' military washing machine."

Director Zhou is in his early forties. He was originally a technical officer in the logistics department of the Anmin Army. After retiring due to injury, he was appointed by Zhang Chi to be in charge of this emerging civilian project in the future. His voice was high-pitched amid the noise.

On the assembly line, solid, even clumsy iron barrels are being hoisted into equally thick metal shells.

The shell is not painted, revealing the cold and hard original metal color, with only "Nanfeng-Type A" and the serial number deeply stamped on the side.

Several old craftsmen in oil-stained work clothes were skillfully tightening huge bolts.

"This thing looks stronger than our mortar barrel."

Looking at the washing machine drum that looked "stupid, big, black and thick", Zhang Chi thought about it and had to use a strange metaphor in order not to dampen the enthusiasm of Bai Hongsheng and Director Zhou.

As he spoke, he knocked on the outer shell of a washing machine that had just come off the production line. The outer shell of the washing machine, which was about the same size as a large upright freezer in later generations, made a dull "dong dong" sound.

An old mechanic with gray hair and oil on his face grinned, revealing his yellow teeth:

"Of course not. This is made from scraps of armor left over from repairing a tank chassis. The axle is machined piece by piece, and the motor..."

He pointed to a unit being tested nearby.

"It's made from the same kind of ventilation fans the army uses. It's tough and durable. You could even throw two grenades in it and shake it, and it wouldn't break, let alone wash clothes!"

Director Zhou quickly waved his hand, signaling the old master to stop talking nonsense.

Considering this is the first generation of products, it is enough to solve the problem. Zhang Chi also smiled:

"Okay, that's a pretty realistic analogy. How are the customers reacting?"

Director Zhou quickly handed over a stack of letter copies:

“It has been distributed to several regiments stationed in the Malay Peninsula and has received rave reviews.

Especially in the jungle area, it is humid and hot, and clothes will become moldy and hairy if they are not dried for half a day.

Our device uses nickel-chromium alloy resistance wire to make a drying heater, which not only solves the problem of washing clothes, but also can dry them."

"A sergeant wrote back to the factory..." Director Zhou searched for it. "Oh, here it is. He said, 'I washed and dried my clothes. For the first time, my crotch isn't stinky. I feel like I can kill a couple more Japanese soldiers right now!'"

Everyone around laughed.

Zhang Chi nodded, picked up a pen and quickly annotated on a small notebook he carried with him:

"Director Zhou, we're adding another 10,000 units to this batch of 'Nanfeng-A'. The production costs will be accounted for by the Logistics Department. Let them take the lead and distribute them to regimental units, prioritizing support for troops operating in jungles and high-humidity areas."

"But let me tell you, your 'Nanfeng-Type A' is still designed to produce military products. We set up this factory to serve the general public in the future. The materials you use are so thick that they are almost bulletproof. Besides, who would need such a large roller in a home?

It needs to be smaller, use less steel, and reduce costs. It also needs to work harder on the exterior. How can it sell if it's so ugly?

Thinking of the huge Nanyang market and the humid climate in the future, Zhang Chi said, "Of course, adding a drying function is a good idea. Our future commercial washing machines can focus on this function."

"Yes!" Zhou Guodong immediately wrote it down.

As the group passed through the washing machine production line area, the faint smell of ammonia in the air became noticeably stronger.

They stopped in front of a row of metallic cabinets that looked more "refined".

"General, this is a prototype machine that uses the ammonia absorption refrigeration principle."

A middle-aged man wearing thick glasses and with neatly combed hair came up to us. He was Chen Siyuan, the chief engineer in charge of refrigerator production and design.

He originally worked as a thermodynamics lecturer at a university in Baiying. He returned to Nanyang at the invitation of a friend and was recruited here by Zhang Chi.

"You know the principle. The ammonia solution is heated, releasing ammonia gas. The ammonia gas liquefies in the condenser. The liquid ammonia absorbs heat in the evaporator, creating a cooling effect. The ammonia gas is then reabsorbed by the water, and the cycle continues."

Zhang Chi was a little confused. Should I understand?

Did I give you the illusion that I know everything?

In fact, I had already returned the little chemistry knowledge I learned in high school to my teacher after the college entrance examination.

But on the surface, Zhang Chi still looked as if "no one knows better than me" and nodded frequently.

Chen Siyuan continued, "The biggest advantage of this ammonia-absorbing refrigerator is that it doesn't rely on imported Freon refrigerants. We can produce ammonia as a raw material ourselves in large quantities."

At this time, DuPont invented the industrial process of synthesizing Freon, which required the use of chlorofluorocarbons.

Tetraethyl lead, an antiknock agent added to aviation fuel, also requires chlorofluorocarbons for its production.

In order to ensure that the aircraft's fuel tanks would not explode when hit, the production of tetraethyl lead naturally could not be stopped.

Without the raw material chlorofluorocarbons, the cost of synthesizing Freon for DuPont would be higher and the output would be lower.

Therefore, during the world war, the price of imported Freon soared.

Zhang Chi walked up to a running prototype, put his hand on the outer shell to feel the temperature. It seemed to be no different from the household refrigerators of later generations?

"Is the cooling effect stable? What about safety? Ammonia leaks are no small matter."

Chen Siyuan pushed his glasses up, his tone filled with scholarly rigor:

"It is currently operating stably, with cooling efficiency reaching 95% of the preset standard.

Safety is our top priority. All pipelines are double-welded, gaskets are replaced with asbestos rubber, and key joints are equipped with ammonia detector bells.

Zhang Chi was delighted: "Then start large-scale production as soon as possible. Our Nanyang people, whether civilians or soldiers, all need refrigerators to help them survive the hot days."

No one understands the broad market prospects of refrigerators in Southeast Asia better than Zhang Chi.

"This..." Chen Siyuan's face showed a trace of helplessness. He looked at Bai Hongsheng and then the factory director Zhou Guodong. Finally, he said, "We've run into some problems with the outer shell insulation. We originally planned to use glass wool, but the cost is too high. In the climate of Nanyang, it will easily become damp and harden during storage and transportation, affecting the insulation performance."

Zhang Chi didn't say anything, walked around the refrigerator twice, and tapped the shell unconsciously with his fingers.

He recalled that when he inspected the rubber plantation before, he saw local farmers using dried coconut shell fibers to cover the chicken coops, which was both breathable and warm.

A thought flashed through me.

"Engineer Chen." Zhang Chi stopped and said, "Fiberglass is too expensive and too brittle. What do we have in abundance in Nanyang?"

Chen Siyuan was stunned for a moment: "Coconut... Coconut?"

"Yes, coconut fiber." Zhang Chi chuckled. He guessed that from today on, he could be considered an expert in the field of materials science. "It's fluffy, tough, and naturally moisture-proof and heat-insulating."

Thinking of the various kinds of plywood in the future, even the external composite armor of the Viking CV90 series infantry fighting vehicles contained these things, Zhang Chi laughed at himself.

Maybe he'll also have the nickname "Plywood Commander" in the future?

Thinking about this, he asked directly, "Have you ever tried to make composite insulation materials by soaking and bonding processed coconut fiber with natural latex produced in our rubber plantation?"