Chapter 36: The Matter of Hem Length

The conversation between the two inspectors did not escape Zhao Guoyang’s ears. Since his rebirth, his eyesight, hearing, and even his physical strength had all improved significantly compared to his previous life. Perhaps this was heaven’s reward for surviving a great catastrophe.

After listening to their complaints for a while, Zhao Guoyang couldn’t help but laugh. “Gentlemen, do you think it’s impossible for me to repair these leaking fuel tanks?”

“Ah, well…” Old Ma, one of the inspectors, looked a bit embarrassed upon hearing this.

Old Wang, on the other hand, was more forthright. He replied directly, “Chief Zhao, it’s not that we’re trying to show off our seniority, but we’ve been inspecting these fuel tanks for years.”

“In my experience, leaks of the kind we just saw are beyond saving. Even if you locate the source, the process of patching it up will likely create a host of issues—like uneven welding—that will severely compromise the tank’s structural integrity.”

There was a hint of confidence in Old Wang’s tone. Clearly, despite not being a technician himself, years of inspection work had given him a professional understanding no less than many engineers.

After Old Wang finished, Zhao Guoyang nodded and said, “You’re right, Master Wang. Normally, gasoline tanks aren’t suitable for this kind of repair.”

“Because it can easily damage the tank’s internal structure and affect its strength. However, the Mingke Tractor Factory needs diesel tanks for tractors. In this case, I’m reasonably confident.”

Upon hearing this, Old Wang’s expression changed as he looked at Zhao Guoyang. As a seasoned inspector, he had deep insight into the performance and repair of various fuel tanks. Zhao Guoyang’s remarks made it clear that he too knew the industry well—he was no novice.

But there was still a point Old Wang couldn’t agree with. Even if these were diesel tanks, the same issues would arise during welding repairs. So why was Zhao Guoyang so confident?

Thinking of this, Old Wang shook his head. “Chief Zhao, I can’t agree. If it were just one or two leaks, maybe it’d be possible to redo them.”

“But the failure rate in this batch is too high. In my view, full restoration is impossible. If we don’t want to delay delivery, the only solution is to prepare new materials and remake the tanks from scratch.”

Zhao Guoyang didn’t argue. He simply smiled and said, “In that case, Master Wang, why don’t we make a wager?”

“If I can’t repair these tanks within two days, I’ll admit defeat and buy you two packs of Hongtashan cigarettes. But if I do manage to fix them and they pass inspection…”

“Then I, Old Wang, will buy you two packs of cigarettes! It’s settled! Old Ma, you’re the witness!” Old Wang pumped his fist as he spoke.

In his view, this bet was as good as won. Even if this young Chief Zhao had exceptional welding skills and could keep the seams up to standard, the time needed to repair each tank would be considerable—perhaps one or two hours per tank. With 120 tanks and a 30% pass rate, that meant 84 tanks needed repair in 48 hours—an impossible feat.

As the two finalized the wager, Old Ma gave Old Wang a secret thumbs-up. Clearly, in his mind, his old friend was sure to win.

Before long, Hua Guosheng returned with Xu Dongfeng, carrying two large blueprints. Zhao Guoyang took the plans and studied them carefully—not the length, width, or height, but the tank thickness, flange dimensions, and corner radii.

After this careful examination, Zhao Guoyang quickly spotted the problem. In the previous batch, the tanks were about 1.2 millimeters thick, with a flange length of about 15 millimeters and a corner radius of 10 millimeters.

These dimensions were appropriate; tanks made according to them should have been fine. But what needed attention was that the new tanks were larger, with the corner radius increased by at least 2-3 millimeters.

However, since Hua Guosheng hadn’t issued updated blueprints to the production department, they continued using a 15-millimeter flange length. When the corner radius reached 12-13 millimeters, 15 millimeters for the flange was not enough. Combined with the 1.2-millimeter wall thickness, any slight welding deviation would easily cause issues.

Having identified the problem, Zhao Guoyang sighed inwardly. He nodded at Hua Guosheng, pointing at the technical requirement for “flange length 15mm.” “Master Hua, when you spoke to the production department, you didn’t specifically mention the flange length, did you?”

Hua Guosheng was briefly stunned, then immediately understood. As an experienced technician, Zhao Guoyang’s prompt made him instantly aware of his oversight. With the tank’s increased size, the flange length absolutely needed adjustment; keeping it at 15 millimeters would not suffice. How could he have forgotten such a crucial detail? Flustered, his legs grew weak.

Xu Dongfeng, still puzzled, scratched his head and muttered, “Why does the flange length matter so much? Isn’t 15 millimeters enough?”

“You rascal, you never pay attention! Stop talking nonsense!” Hua Guosheng snapped.

Seeing Hua Guosheng’s exasperation, Zhao Guoyang patted him on the shoulder in consolation. “Master Hua, don’t worry. Now that we’ve found the root of the problem, we just need to fix it properly.”

Zhao Guoyang’s reassurance didn’t seem to help—Hua Guosheng still wore a troubled expression.

“Guoyang, there’s no need to comfort me. This was clearly my oversight. I’ll go to Director Wang and take responsibility.”

“You may not realize, but repairing these tanks is extremely difficult and time-consuming—especially with a batch-wide issue like this. Fixing them one by one could take even longer than making new tanks…”

After pondering a moment, Hua Guosheng raised his head and continued, “Guoyang, I’ll go ask Director Wang’s permission to order more materials. No matter what, we have to get this batch done within two days! If all else fails, we’ll just have the workers work overtime.”

With his mind made up, Hua Guosheng hurried toward the inspection station exit as he spoke.

“Hey, Master Hua, I haven’t finished yet!” Zhao Guoyang was about to explain that he had a solution, but Hua Guosheng had already rushed off to find Director Wang.