| From a recent issue of internal magazine published by China's space and defense conglomeration, somebody placed it in internet.
Here is my translation:
Report on The Development of New ICBM Solid Fuel Engine by Factory 7103
Among six subsystems of a solid fuel ICBM, power system is the key and most basic one. Early in 2003, the high ranking officials and officers from defense industry and military were not sure its performance when a new type ICBM launched at the low angle for the first time - is it reliable? But 3000 employees of the Factory 7103 were quite confident, since they manufactured the solid fuel engine of this new ICBM. And near 20 minutes later, excited news came in - multiple warheads hit different targets in great accuracy.
Although the new type ICBM's solid fuel engine borrows many technologies from DF-31/DF-31A's engines, with very stable record and long time production continuity, to meet its new low angle fast launch, high reliability and safety requiremnets, this factory took great effort in production, quality control, management and work force allocation from very beginning of the development.
1. Careful and perfect preparation
On May 16, 2003, an honorable task fell on the shoulders of employees of Factory 7103 - development of the solid fuel engine for a new type ICBM officially started. The factory had full confidence but took careful and everything-well-planed altitude from the beginning.
Based on muture technologies and production process, 17 new processing technologies were proposed, such as ...(too technical, hard to translate them for me, not this major). After a few years of test and improvement, all the new technologies were developed successfully by 2002, thus ensured the high quality and reliability of new ICBM. More strict quality control and part screening procedures were applied to the Auroral Engine used in orbit manoeuving of the new ICBM, with flight test and real working condition simulation test conducted. Through the other successful launch tests performed later in 2003, the reliability and quality of the new solid fuel engine, and especially the Auroral Engine were verified and accepted excellent comments from high level military officers.
2. Realiable quality control
To meet the requiremnets on new ICBM's reliability and safety, the factory made strict quality control procedures, detailed the production tolerence margins and processing methodes for all key and important parts, documented every aspect of the production process for the first time and set up the database to track all the welding activilities. Again more strict procedures were applied to the Auroral Engine production. The factory released the "Quality Control Manual for New ICBM's Orbit Manoeuving Auroral Engine Production", organized the production in the way to perfectize it, with strict control methods for raw material screening, process and assembly, to make every aspect meet the requirement of drawing, technical condition and process regulation. Part producer's names tracking, worker's double cross checking, and triple quality verification system were implemented, every production step of a part could be traced.
3 Efficient production management
The new ICBM is a huge system with many parts. Its development involved almost every group of employees and every department of the factory, with every employee trying his best. From very beginning to the end, the factory conducted the new ICBM's development and manufacture as top priority, with special political meanings and special treatment. In recent years, this facotry received large amount of orders for different products, including maned spaceship rocket engine CZ-2F, and were extreamely busy. Over time never stopped for the employees. But for this new ICBM's production, no over-time was allowed to ensure workers's physical and mental health condition.
To ensure the quality and progress, assembly department chosen the best experienced technicians to lead each group. Everyone tried their best. And its production achieved 100% pass in all parts' acceptance test, 99.8% pass in digital lazer welding quality verification(higher than required), and 100% pass in sealing test.
The successful launch of the new ICBM and the flight of the CZ-2F carrying maned spaceship sz-5 did not surprize the employees of Factory 7103, but a reward and stimulus for them. These sucesses only make them carry over the effort for China's space and defense industry.
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