Chapter 4: Blowholes and Incomplete Fusion

Seeing that another dispute was about to erupt, Zhao Guoyang quickly cleared his throat and said, “Leaders, esteemed masters, please allow me a word.”

“When I was in university, I interned at a welding factory in another province, so I have some understanding of welding issues. Just now, Master Hua mentioned the problem of ‘porosity’—this is indeed common in the industry, and I agree with that.”

“In fact, many welding shops, for the sake of convenience, don’t pay much attention to this issue. After all, one or two pores usually don’t have much impact on the performance of most welded components.”

“But with our product—because it’s a motorcycle frame, which is a crucial structural part—we cannot treat ‘porosity’ lightly,” Zhao Guoyang continued, shifting the focus.

Wang Youchang, who had always seen Zhao as reserved and quiet, looked utterly astonished to see him speak so calmly and confidently now, as if discovering him anew. Mukeijun and Ma Jian, standing nearby, also exchanged surprised glances.

Unaware of the expressions of the leaders, Zhao Guoyang pressed on. “I believe everyone here has some familiarity with motorcycles. The most critical parts, apart from the engine, are the frames.”

“If the frame has issues with porosity, it’s highly likely that the effective cross-sectional area of the weld will be reduced, which in turn impacts the frame’s density and significantly affects its load-bearing capacity and fatigue strength.”

Turning to Hua Guosheng, Zhao Guoyang said, “Therefore, Master Hua, I can only partially agree with your opinion.”

“This problem with ‘porosity’ might be acceptable for other manufacturers or products, but since we are supplying a major enterprise like Siyang Group with such an essential part as the frame, we absolutely cannot allow such issues. Otherwise, there can only be one outcome—what we’ve already seen: rejection of our goods!”

Hearing Zhao Guoyang’s words, Hua Guosheng’s face flushed, then paled. Proud and stubborn by nature, he was far from pleased at being lectured by a greenhorn straight out of university.

“Hmph, you’re quite the talker. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were from the sales department,” Hua Guosheng grumbled, tilting his head.

“Xiao Zhao, now that everyone knows the problem, do you have a solution?” Factory Director Wang asked offhandedly.

“Of course I do!” Zhao Guoyang answered with assurance.

“What? Xiao Zhao, did you just say you have a way to solve the porosity problem?” At this, Wang Youchang could no longer remain calm.

“Yes, Director Wang,” Zhao Guoyang replied with conviction.

“Not only do I have a solution for the porosity issue, but I can also address the problem of insufficient weld penetration in the frames, so that our products meet Siyang Group’s acceptance standards.”

“Ah! You must be joking!” This revelation stunned every manager and supervisor present. They all stared at the young university graduate in disbelief, unsure if he was telling the truth.

“Xiao Zhao, if you really can solve this problem, the factory will not treat you unfairly!” Mu Aijun looked at Zhao Guoyang with genuine admiration.

“That’s right! Xiao Zhao, if you can resolve the problems with this batch of frames and get Siyang Group to accept them, you’ll be the hero of the factory!” Wang Youchang echoed enthusiastically.

Without delay, Zhao Guoyang proceeded to share his solution.

“There are three ways to address the porosity issue. First, after welding, we need to add a step—remove the welding wire, and thoroughly clean the groove and the surrounding surfaces of oil, rust, moisture, and other contaminants.”

“Second, use basic electrodes and flux, make sure they are completely dried, and preheat before welding to slow down the cooling rate.”

“Third, for future welding of frames and similar products, we need to strictly enforce stronger welding specifications.”

“And finally, for the frames already returned for rework, we should uniformly use direct current reverse polarity and re-weld them with a short arc, then grind and repaint them after welding.”

After outlining the solution for porosity, the audience was already dumbfounded, but Zhao Guoyang continued with the remedy for insufficient weld penetration.

Pointing calmly to the frame beside him, he said, “I’ve just inspected this frame. Overall, the welding technique is acceptable, but there are three spots with insufficient penetration.”

“From my analysis, the groove and gap design are somewhat flawed, the electrode angle is incorrect, and the welding speed is likely too fast in those areas.”

“The fix is actually quite simple: just increase the welding current and add a cover pass. In this, our welding team leader, Liu, is an expert—he can certainly handle it.”

When Zhao Guoyang finished, he looked with a smile at a slight, gray-haired master craftsman nearby.

This man, tanned and weathered by years of labor, was Liu Linzhi, over fifty years old and the head of the welding team at Hongda Machinery Factory—a position he had held for more than twenty years.

Hearing Zhao Guoyang’s words, Liu Linzhi raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Xiao Zhao, you’ve only been with the factory a few months and haven’t spent much time with us in the welding shop. How do you know so much about welding processes? You’ve given this old fellow a real eye-opener!”

After Liu finished, Zhao Guoyang scratched his head modestly.

Indeed, the former owner of this body knew little about welding, nor could he have produced such targeted solutions. But who was Zhao Guoyang now? He was a special government stipend recipient, the youngest high-level engineer with academician credentials—if he couldn’t handle a problem like this, he might as well find a block of tofu to end it all.

“Well, Master Liu, as I said, I interned in a welding factory for quite a while, so I’m fairly knowledgeable about this field.”

“That’s also why, after joining Hongda, I didn’t focus much on welding but tried to broaden my experience in unfamiliar areas instead, so…”

“Enough, Xiao Zhao, no need to be modest. After hearing what you just said, I can assure you that your welding expertise rivals that of my team’s Grade Five welders,” Liu Linzhi chuckled, waving away any further humility.

“Director Wang, congratulations—your technical department has gained another ace!” Liu added good-naturedly.

“Old Liu, are you saying that the problem of insufficient penetration can be solved by your team according to Xiao Zhao’s method?” Mu Aijun asked in delight.

Liu Linzhi nodded confidently, holding up two fingers. “Director, rest assured. With Xiao Zhao’s clear guidance, if I, an old hand at this trade, can’t fix it, I’d be unworthy of my paycheck.”

“Two days—give our welding team two days! Even if we have to work overtime, we’ll rework every returned frame!”