The picture shows the torch of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Tao
The opening day of the Beijing Winter Olympics is getting closer and closer! In the workshop of the Shanghai Petrochemical Plant, workers are busy assembling the torches of the Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. According to the plan, 1,200 torches must be shipped to Beijing by mid-January.
On February 4, 2021, the torch of the Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games - "Flying" was officially launched. Photo by Ju Huanzong, Xinhua News Agency
On February 4, 2021, at the first anniversary of the countdown to the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, the torch "flying" was unveiled. On the surface, the "flying" shape of the torch is extremely dynamic and dynamic. In terms of design, in order to set off beijing's imminent becoming the first "double Olympic city" in the history of the Olympic Games, the appearance of "Flying" echoes the form of the main torch tower at the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. It is "bottomed" with a auspicious cloud pattern, from bottom to top, gradually transitioning from the auspicious cloud pattern to the snowflake pattern, and finally transforming into a flying flame at the top.
Not only does it have a beautiful appearance, but the "flying" shell also contains "black technology". Huang Xiangyu, deputy general manager of Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company, said that the ignition system of the torch is all wrapped in the inside of the shell and cannot be seen from the outside. The shell of the torch is made of carbon fiber material, which is very light in the hand.
Lin Shengbing, general manager of Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Innovation Research Institute, said that the quality of carbon fiber is only about 1/4 of steel, but the strength is 7 to 9 times that of steel. This time, the R&D team used carbon fiber and resin composite materials to make the Olympic torch, which is the world's first.
"The first evaluation given to it by the Winter Olympic Organizing Committee is that it is light and very strong, and it cannot be broken no matter how it is dropped. Another is that the weather is very cold when the winter torch is passed, and the traditional metal materials do not feel very good, and the composite material can solve this problem and avoid this very cold feeling. Huang Xiangyu said.
Since the Beijing Winter Olympic Torch Relay will be carried out in the winter low temperature environment, "Feiyang" uses hydrogen as fuel, in addition to hydrogen has the characteristics of environmental protection, but also because of the characteristics of hydrogen fuel to ensure that the torch can be used in extremely cold weather. But hydrogen as fuel, the combustion temperature will be higher than 800 ° C. Therefore, the development of the "flying" torch shell took a full three months and overcome a number of technical problems.
Huang Xiangyu said: "The fire of the torch is burned from the inside, and the general composite materials cannot be burned in the fire, until 500 ° C, and then burned in the fire and then gone." It just so happens that a company in Jinshan District, Shanghai, has developed a resin that is refractory and has been tested and analyzed by us. Finally, through the process adjustment, it meets the requirements of both temperature resistance and fire resistance, 800 °C, 900 °C can be. ”
Liu Zhangyou, the person in charge of the enterprise responsible for the production of resin, said that as a third-generation resin material, polysilica nitrogen resin has the characteristics of strong adhesion of machine and inorganic matter, and at the same time integrates the advantages of corrosion resistance, wear and anti-fouling and waterproofing, ultra-thin film, etc., which can just solve the various requirements required for the torch.
In the production workshop, the black tows processed by petroleum products, each bundle contains 12,000 carbon fiber filaments, and then after three-dimensional weaving, the final torch shell is made, and no seams and pores can be seen, and the whole shape is integrated.
"It's a bit like we knit sweaters, except that it is knitted in three different directions, and the next step is that we take it to the downstream manufacturers for laser carving, coloring, spraying high-temperature paint, and finally there is such a bright torch shell." Lin Shengbing said.
(Source: Xinhua News Agency, reporters Zhao Yihe, Wang Moling, Zhu Hong)
【Editor: Jin Xin】
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