The second-generation domestic snowmobile jointly developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Group and China FAW Group. Courtesy of 703
The R&D team took a group photo with the first generation of domestic snowmobiles. Courtesy of 703
Compiled by Qin Ying, Zhang Chenlin and He Changshan (Xinhua News Agency)
The bobsleigh program originated in Switzerland and was officially listed as a Winter Olympic event as early as 1924. It wasn't until 2016 that China established its own snowmobile national team. However, for a long time, China could not build a snowmobile for racing, the national team could only find a venue to train abroad, and the snowmobile equipment was dependent on foreign leasing or imports.
In order to independently design and manufacture snowmobiles, the R & D personnel have come up with the determination and courage to build rockets. How did a snowmobile known as the "Ice and Snow F1" with a speed of up to 150 kilometers per hour go from drawings to reality? The reporter came to the 703th Research Institute of the First Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Group Co., Ltd. to understand the research and development experience of domestic snowmobiles.
"Rocket Man" unveiled
Some people will ask, China can even build satellite rockets, is it so difficult to snowmobile?
In 2019, seeing the research and development needs of the State General Administration of Sport and the Ministry of Science and Technology, Li Zhongping, director of the 703 Institute of the First Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Group Co., Ltd. and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, did not hesitate to "unveil the list" and organize a team to manufacture domestic snowmobiles. The question is, can a person who is flying in the sky, one who is running on the ground, and who is engaged in rocket research suddenly switch to snowmobile?
Zhou Yu, a senior engineer at the 703 Institute, told reporters that rockets and snowmobiles seem to be out of line, but in fact, there are many commonalities: "Like rockets, snowmobiles are also the pursuit of resistance reduction, weight reduction and safety. Judging at the time, we could do it. Therefore, with reference to the "two general systems" of aerospace engineering and the elite strength of China's aerospace equipment development and production, the 703 Institute quickly set up a special research team.
It's hard at first. Domestic related information is almost blank, and no one in the team has even seen the snowmobile. The national team has limited equipment, and all train abroad, can not be transferred back for a time, the only reference is a copy of the technical standards of the International Snow Federation.
"The standard will mention some shape, size, weight and other requirements, as for other aspects, we will search for the race video from the Internet, we probably know what the snowmobile looks like, but there are some that cannot be seen, such as the internal structure, we will speculate and propose our own plans." Zhou Yu said that for a long time, everyone could only "build a car behind closed doors" against the drawings, and as a project manager, he was anxious.
It wasn't until May 2020 that the team finally had the opportunity to bring in a foreign snowmobile that was about to be decommissioned. After completing the customs clearance procedures, the snowmobile was directly pulled to the 703. That night, the heads of the various groups came from all directions to "dissect the sparrows".
Racing against the clock, everyone began to have a bottom in their hearts. Zhou Yu found that the team's original technical path was correct, and some half-push and half-guess ideas were not only verified by the real car, but also found optimization space in the aerodynamic shape of the snowmobile and process materials. "We can fully integrate some advanced aerospace materials and technologies to create a better snowmobile!"
"Autobots" joined
In January 2021, the first generation of domestic snowmobiles was developed and formed. Wind tunnel test data shows that under the premise of meeting the competition specifications of the Winter Olympic Games, the wind resistance coefficient of domestic snowmobiles is reduced by 8% compared with similar international products.
The theoretical test data was eye-catching, but when the athletes were invited to test the car, problems were found. For example, the space in the car is small, the athletes can't sit in and stretch; the chassis structure is not advanced enough, and the handling performance needs to be improved.
Chassis, control, man-machine space, a sound is the strength of the automotive company. At the critical moment, FAW Group was also invited to participate in the research and development of domestic snowmobiles, and China's "rocket national team" and "automobile national team" began to join hands. The two sides have a clear division of labor: the 703 Institute is mainly responsible for composite parts such as autonomous low wind resistance and high reliability carbon fiber body; FAW Group is mainly responsible for metal parts such as snowmobile chassis, frame, and ice knife.
"We're doing snowmobiles for the first time." Yang Wenli, senior director of the project management department of China FAW R&D Institute, introduced that FAW engineers conducted as many as 11 special interviews with more than 20 national team coaches and athletes, and finally decomposed 46 functional requirements and 26 performance requirements, and every detail had to be repeatedly considered.
"For example, in the production of a snowmobile ice knife, a difference of 1 millimeter will affect the speed." Guo Huawei, a senior technician at the China FAW Research and Development Institute, said that for this reason, they did 16 tests in 2 months, only the samples.
Kung Fu pays off. On September 10, 2021, the first batch of second-generation domestic snowmobiles were officially delivered to the Winter Sports Management Center of the State General Administration of Sport. Compared with the first generation, the second generation of snowmobiles has been upgraded in an all-round way, and the materials, processes, weight and dimensions of the snowmobiles meet the standard requirements of the International Bobsleigh Federation.
At the National Bobsleigh Center in the Yanqing Area of the Beijing Winter Olympics, China's first bobsleigh track, when the athletes drove down the domestic 4-person snowmobile, the "stone" hanging in Zhou Yu's heart fell to the ground, and "the domestic snowmobile finally took a leap forward step".
As many netizens said, this is China's "rocket man" and "auto man", who have worked together to create China's "ice and snow car". At present, China already has the industrialization capacity of 60 to 100 snowmobiles per year.
Why a snowmobile?
The research and development process of domestic snowmobiles is exciting, so what is the significance of using so much manpower and material resources to build a snowmobile?
At present, the main thing is to help Chinese athletes achieve good results in the Winter Olympics. Compared to other winter sports, snowmobile racing tests both the skills of athletes and the requirements for equipment. The manufacturing level of the participating snowmobiles has a direct impact on the performance of athletes. China has a domestic snowmobile tailored for athletes, so that it can not fall behind in the same stage competition.
Scientific and technological innovation is also related to the right to speak. Previously, after the snowmobiles of some European and American teams were carried to the scene, they were not even allowed to watch at close range. Nowadays, if the performance of domestic snowmobiles is verified in the competition, it will not only play a "signboard" made by China's wisdom, but also make a major contribution to the world's snowmobile projects and snowmobile manufacturing processes.
Why choose "niche" snowmobiles instead of popular equipment such as sleds and snowboards?
Because snowmobiles are harder. Snowmobile is a multi-disciplinary, high degree of technical integration and integration, challenging equipment, after successful development, the future can more effectively promote the localization process of high-end ice and snow equipment. It is proud that in the 109 winter Olympic events, China has spent only a few years to achieve full project development, project team building and project training from about 1/3 of the blank.
"From scratch", it is easy to say, but it is difficult to do. Zhou Yu said that a blank research and development condition made him want to give up at one time. But in the hardest moment, he remembered the predecessors of China's aerospace industry. Didn't China's "two bombs and one satellite" and nuclear submarines and other national heavy weapons start from "a textbook" and "a toy model" and do it step by step?
"China's aerospace industry has always adhered to the self-reliance and self-improvement of science and technology, independent innovation and development, always anxious for the needs of the country, what the country needs, we will do, and will go all out to do things well." Zhou Yu said.
News links
Explore the domestic snowmobile "battle armor":
TG800 aerospace-grade carbon fiber composite
This material is only 1/5 of the density of steel, the strength is twice that of steel, and is heavily used on rockets and Boeing 787 aircraft.
The use of carbon fiber composite materials can greatly reduce the weight of the snowmobile body under the premise of ensuring the safety of athletes, reduce the center of gravity of the snowmobile, make the snowmobile slide very smoothly, and the weight of the double snowmobile body is only about 50 kg. The material's high strength and unique destructive energy absorption properties also protect athletes from injury in crashes.
(Compiled by reporter Gong Wenjing)
Read more
Snowmobiles: "F1" in the Snow World
Snowmobiling, also known as "luge", is a winter sport that glides on snow or ice tracks primarily in a seated position on a steerable sled.
Snowmobile is one of the fastest races in the Winter Olympic Games, known as the "F1" on the ice and snow track, with fast speed, difficulty of the game, strong professionalism and other characteristics, is one of the most ornamental competitions in the Winter Olympic Games.
As early as the first Winter Olympics in 1924, snowmobiles were included in the competition, and since then they have been one of the compulsory events in every edition (except 1960).
The average speed of competitive bobshoes is around 100 km/h, with a maximum of 160 km/h. Its speed is mainly determined by three factors, one is weight, the other is air resistance, the third is friction, if these three factors are equal, then the combination of runners and snowmobiles, heavier will run faster.
The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics bobsleigh event will be held at the National Bobsleigh Center in Yanqing, producing a total of four gold medals, using the same track as the bobsleigh and steel frame bobsleigh, 1200 to 1650 meters long, in a series of designed deceleration or growth tracks, the difference between the starting point and the finish line is between 100 and 150 meters.
The snowmobile is fitted with handlebars and two separate sets of glide steel blades at the bottom. The helmsman drives the snowmobile through a two-handle-controlled pulley system inside the snowmobile. The brakes are mounted at the rear of the snowmobile and are controlled by the brakeman. The rules of the race have requirements for both the body and the weight of the athletes, and insufficient weight can be used to counterweight the body.
Before departure, embed the bobsleigh's blade into the groove to ensure that the body does not slip sideways. Within 60 seconds of the start signal, the athlete can run about 50 meters by pushing the bobsleigh to obtain initial speed. After that, the athletes jumped into the body one by one, and the four-person car jumped into the car in the order of the helmsman, the middle team member, and the brakeman; the tandem jumped into the car body in the order of the helmsman and the brakeman, and quickly put away the handlebars and slid in a sitting posture.
According to the rules, each time there are 4 taxis, the results are calculated based on the cumulative time of the 4 races, and the one with less time is ranked first. In the event of a situation where the sum of the two teams is equal, the team with the least amount of time at any one time wins.
(Compiled by Han Weizheng, a reporter of this newspaper)