I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 178

Chapter 178: The Primitive Suspension

Charles met both Estigny and Matthew at the R&D department.

To be precise, it wasn’t a “meeting,” but rather an encounter in the R&D department.

The R&D department was a warehouse of over two hundred square meters. In the center, a "Mark I" tank was positioned, surrounded by tools used for production or machining, with workers on standby to assist at any time.

Whenever designers had an idea, they could immediately have workers produce parts to improve or assemble the tank.

Charles believed this arrangement would better tap into the potential of the designers.

Of course, everyone allowed into the R&D department—whether designers or workers—had been carefully vetted and cleared.

This time, Charles came to the R&D department alone. Djoka did not accompany him.

Djoka thought that since he didn’t understand tanks and was an outsider in both military and mechanical matters, he would be of no use. He preferred staying in the office to look over reports.

Estigny was lost in thought, staring at the "Mark I" tank, as if pondering something deeply.

Meanwhile, Matthew was fiddling with a small model of something alongside Joseph.

When they saw Charles enter, they both stood up almost simultaneously and greeted him:

"Hey, Charles, great to see you!"

"I have an idea, Charles!"

The two were momentarily surprised, then Colonel Estigny elegantly raised his hand toward Matthew: "My problem is a bit lengthy. You go ahead, sir!"

"Thank you, Colonel!" Matthew graciously accepted, his attitude unaffected by the rank of others—whether a colonel or a simple worker, he treated everyone equally.

Matthew leaned on his cane, shifted to the side, and moved the model behind him to let Charles see. "Although the engine has already seen breakthroughs, I think you should take a look at this first!"

"What is it?" Charles approached.

Before him was a small track, clearly designed to simulate the "Mark I" tank. Between the tracks, mechanical springs or levers were holding everything in place.

"Here’s the thing," Matthew explained. "Tracks have always been a major issue for mechanics. It’s become a burden for everyone. Every ten kilometers, the tank needs maintenance. Mechanics have to replace any cracked or deformed track plates, and after thirty kilometers, they need to replace the entire track. The workload is a nightmare, and it’s one of the main reasons tanks can't move for extended periods!"

Colonel Estigny suddenly became excited. "You... You have a solution, sir?"

"I would say so!" Matthew replied, giving Estigny an odd look, as though questioning, "Isn’t this your department? Don’t you train the tank crews?"

Charles bent down to take a closer look at Matthew's model and soon understood. "You plan to use a spring structure to reduce the track's tension?"

"Yes!" Matthew stepped forward and, with his dirty-gloved hand, patted the track on the model. "I realized that the tracks break easily, not just because of the tank’s weight, but because of the pull on the track itself. It’s like a taut rope: if you pull it, it snaps. But a flexible rope? It won’t snap, no matter how hard you pull!"

Charles nodded. This was another flaw of the rigid suspension: the tracks were prone to breaking, making tank maintenance a major difficulty and limiting combat effectiveness.

For instance, in the last battle of Lafox, after victory, the tank units were unable to exploit their success by continuing their deep encirclement of the enemy's rear.

To do so, they would have to consider replacing the tracks, which would mean transporting additional tracks and tools, and then spending several hours to replace them.

Clearly, this wasn’t practical.

"That makes sense!" Colonel Estigny naturally joined the discussion, looking at the model with great interest. "If we use a few wheels with a spring structure to support the tracks, it’s essentially giving the tracks elasticity. They won’t be as easy to snap like the taut rope."

"Exactly!" Matthew replied. "I think this can extend the lifespan of the tracks and even affect the tank's speed!"

"Speed?" Colonel Estigny's eyes lit up.

"Yes!" Matthew explained. "If the maximum impact the tracks can withstand is a fixed upper limit, by adding a spring structure, we reduce the impact from the ground..."

Colonel Estigny suddenly understood. "So, the tank will need to reach a higher speed for the tracks to hit that upper limit of impact. In other words, a higher speed will cause the tracks to snap?"

This was actually the "weak link principle." If the suspension system is inadequate, it doesn’t matter how powerful the engine is—the speed can never increase. Once the speed rises, the tracks break, and the tank will be immobile.

"Exactly!" Matthew nodded. "But since there hasn’t been any experimental proof, I’m not sure it’s feasible!"

"Definitely worth trying!" Colonel Estigny said with deep admiration, clearly impressed. "This could take tanks to a whole new level, sir. It’s creative and very meaningful!"

Then, both men turned to Charles, their eyes full of anticipation.

Charles nodded in approval. The primitive elastic suspension system was about to take form.

"Well done, Matthew!" Charles praised sincerely.

He hadn’t expected Matthew to have such potential. Despite only having a middle school education and no professional training, he had come up with and designed a suspension system.

However, Charles thought the idea could be taken even further: "But why don’t we use hydraulic shock absorbers instead of springs? I think they might work much better!"

Matthew blinked in surprise and then exclaimed, "You’re right, Charles! You’re a genius! My God, your single suggestion just surpassed everything I’ve worked on. I hate you, Charles! All my work is just trash!"

Though he said that, his face was full of excitement and enthusiasm. He didn’t actually want to compete with Charles.

Joseph, who had been silent, also agreed with Charles: "Yes, given the tank’s immense weight, the spring’s damping power is clearly insufficient. What we need are hydraulic shock absorbers—they could even be directly sourced from motorcycle factories!"

By now, motorcycles were already using hydraulic shock absorbers, and Charles' motorcycle factory had the technology to produce them.

(Note: Hydraulic shock absorbers were invented in 1908)

Colonel Estigny, who had been listening in shock, asked skeptically, "So, does that mean we could achieve higher speeds?"

"Yes, of course!" Matthew answered confidently. "The effect of hydraulic shock absorbers will be far superior to springs!"

Colonel Estigny took several deep breaths, nodding vigorously, muttering to himself, "Wonderful, amazing!"

Charles, however, was thinking to himself, "Since we’re at this point, why not..."

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