【Introduction】
Once upon a time, if we wanted to use shield machines, the only way was to import them from Western countries at sky-high prices, and we had to be subject to their technological monopoly.
This heart-wrenching situation, and the subsequent setbacks and difficulties, forced us to make up our minds to build our own shield machine.
After decades of efforts, China has completely broken the monopoly of the West, not only achieved the dominance of the shield machine in the international market, but also reduced the price by 90% in one fell swoop, hitting the interests of European and American countries. With such a huge price gap, it can almost be considered a "cheap sale".
Why do we sell so cheaply? The story behind this is crucial and deserves to be explored in depth.
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【The starting point of China's shield machine】
Speaking of shield machines, it is an important piece of equipment that Western countries have had more than 200 years ago.
At the same time, China is still in the late Qing Dynasty of the feudal dynasty, facing internal and external difficulties, and scientific and technological research and development are naturally in the middle of a busy schedule.
And the shield machine we care about started in France, so they became a power company in the manufacture of shield machines during that period.
The story of the discovery of the EPB is dramatic.
In 1806, a French engineer observed that the saliva secreted by a small borer could smoothly dig a hole in the wall of a hole.
This discovery inspired him, and through this principle, he forced the machine to have the function of digging tunnels.
By the beginning of the 19th century, shield machines were built by Western scientists.
The mainland only applied the shield machine for the first time more than 100 years later, and the shield machine at that time could only rely on foreign imports.
In the early days, there were three major manufacturers in the world, the United States was good at hard rock excavation, Japan was exquisite, and Germany was widely applicable.
In addition to the fact that they have always dominated the international shield machine market, other countries will also be subject to technical limitations if they want to develop their own shield machines.
In 1996, when we built the Xikang Railway, we could only buy shield machines from these three to solve the problem of how to cross the dangerous Qinling Mountains.
At that time, we paid 700 million yuan to buy two German shield machines, which was almost a sky-high price in those days.
However, these are not the things that bother us the most.
When there was a problem with the EPB during use, we had to seek technical support from Germany for repair.
And the relevant Chinese technicians could not even participate in this process, because the German side was afraid that we would plagiarize the technology, let alone master the repair technology independently.
In the face of all this, we deeply feel that the national interests have been damaged, and the independent research and development of the shield machine has been put on the agenda.
[The process of China's shield machine counterattack]
The three words shield machine seem simple, but the scientific and technological content behind it is known as the treasure of modern construction machinery.
Charging and defending, this is where the name comes from – using powerful thrust and blades to chisel out the gravel from the mountains and transport it to the ground via a conveyor belt, so that the excavation process does not delay the work of the workers, but also creates a safe working environment on the construction site.
"Structure" means to build.
While digging the tunnel, the shield machine can also apply "cement bricks" on the concrete segments through grouting in the tunnel.
This series of actions was carried out in one go, and a solid tunnel wall was built.
The EPB is impressive, and with it, the task of tunneling is a breeze.
If there is such a machine in Yugong Nuoshan, it is estimated that Wangwu Taihang is nothing.
Not to mention that in the process of work, the shield machine needs to withstand the pressure from the surrounding soil layer and groundwater, and is also responsible for the construction of the main structure of the tunnel.
It's a tough job.
However, such a complex and sophisticated machine can complete the task perfectly, whether it is in equipment control, or in photoelectric sensing and many other aspects, it has shown superb technical content.
In the manufacturing process of the EPBM, the number of parts alone is in the tens of thousands, and the control system is up to 2,000 control points.
In view of this, the development process of the EPB is undoubtedly an extremely complex task.
However, if we do not develop our own brand, we can only accept the purchase of foreign shield machines at high prices, and even face the dire situation of various monopoly suppression.
If the shield machine is compared to the "dragon" of underground work, then, whether it is to build a subway or a mountain road, without the help of the shield machine, I am afraid that the construction process is definitely a headache.
Problems such as cumbersome and complex human resource allocation and delayed construction speed have become bottlenecks that are difficult to solve.
The emergence of the shield machine, in addition to a high degree of automation, also greatly saves manpower and material resources.
Even in the harsh winters, in suffocating odors, or underwater, the EPB can work without any impact and can even excavate underwater without affecting traffic on the water.
So after we bought the German shield machine, we decided to build a shield machine that belongs to China.
Unexpectedly, China's shield machine was not only developed quickly, but also brought a heavy blow to those manufacturers who originally monopolized the national market.
【A new road for China's shield machine】
Let's go back to that critical point in time, in 2008, the first shield machine "China Railway No. 1" developed by Chinese engineers was born.
With the first, there will be a second, and there will definitely be more.
In just two years, China's shield machine technology has reached the world's advanced level, and we have successfully left the United States, Japan and Germany to become the world's leading shield machine producer.
Not only that, China's shield machine has also gone abroad and attracted the attention of many countries around the world.
For example, in 2012, Malaysia originally planned to import shield machines to Europe, and for their decision, the final bargaining chip fell on China's shield machines, which also marked the arrival of our first heavyweight customer.
However, China's shield machine is very powerful, without the slightest sloppiness or mistake, and the whole performance is amazing.
In the end, it helped Malaysia complete the tunnel breakthrough task 40 days ahead of schedule, setting a local shield construction record.
Since then, China's shield machines have captured the attention of overseas markets, accounting for an astonishing 90% of the global market.
Its market share has climbed to nearly seventy percent, standing at the peak of the international shield machine field.
What does this mean? For every 10 EPBs sold in the world, 7 are made in China.
Moreover, the reason why China's shield machine is so popular, in addition to the high quality, there is another important factor, that is, the price is very reasonable compared to other countries, and it is truly the king of cost performance.
Looking back at the early days, when we spent 700 million yuan to purchase two German-made shield machines, compared with today, the price of our self-produced shield machines is only 30 or 40 million, compared with before, a decrease of nearly 90%.
It's an amazing change that has benefited users around the world.
Compared with the cost performance, whose product is better and whose price is more reasonable, the shield machine users in all countries around the world are clear.
What is the way forward? It is gratifying that now as far as we can see, China's shield machine can go further.
China's shield machine industry has a broad space for development.
It is reported that by 2021, the unfinished demand for subway construction has increased from 167 to 563 units, and the supply is still far from meeting the market demand.
It is expected that by 2024, the global demand will exceed 700 units.
In other words, there are still bigger business opportunities waiting for China's shield machines.
This also means that with the continuous expansion of the demand for infrastructure construction in the mainland and the continuous innovation of shield machine technology, the future of China's shield machine industry will be extremely hopeful.
【Conclusion】
China's shield machine counterattack road is undoubtedly the pride of all Chinese, and the story of the shield machine can be regarded as a history of China's unremitting self-improvement and counterattack against the world.
To a certain extent, this is more like a source of self-confidence for Chinese people, and it is also a deterrent to Western countries. But on second thought, we need to break the monopoly on Western countries more forcefully.
Behind the Chinese shield machine in front of him is the hard work of countless people, condensing the light of diligence and wisdom.
For this reason, we must be proud of our motherland and rejoice in the motherland's scientific and technological progress.
It is the process of history that chooses us, facing the future, we must take the love and determination of our children to protect this great motherland, and we must always be ready to face the next problems, we will still be like the shield machine technology, move forward bravely and face fearlessly.
Looking back on the past, the glory of China's shield machine is not more than a moment.
The future is waiting for us to explore, and as for how far China's shield machine can go, perhaps only history can give the answer.
But this does not prevent us from looking at the current Chinese shield machine, and it is clear that the opportunities offered by China in this field are favored by the whole world.
China's shield machine has shown the world the power of Made in China, and also profoundly demonstrated China's determination and perseverance in handling relations with overseas enterprises and independent research and development.
Of course, for every Chinese, the achievements of China's shield machine will only make us more hopeful and determined.
Every time China's shield machine is brilliant on the international stage, it will inspire us to strive for greater success and make more efforts.
On the road ahead, let's look forward to a greater breakthrough in China's shield machine, and see how China writes a new chapter on this world stage, and express our views in the comment area.