Name: Yang Yuekun
Title: Founder of Shanghai Yichong Aero Engine Co., Ltd.
Education: Alumnus of the 2014 cohort at SPEIT, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
From cars to airplanes, dreams are getting bigger
With his childhood dream of learning about machinery, Yang Yuekun entered the École des Excellence des Études et des École des Excellence (MEEM) at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, where he majored in power engineering, focusing on the cooling mechanism and design methods of engine turbine blades as an undergraduate, and as a graduate student, he began to learn whether machine learning and big data could be used to assist in engineering design. In the cradle of engineers, he not only systematically learned the theoretical knowledge of power engineering, but also found a variety of practical projects that he was interested in.
Soon after entering the school, he joined the formula racing team of Jiaotong University, the racing team has a lot of jobs, Yang Yuekun is most interested in the power plant of the racing car, he believes that this is also the most critical part of making the car galloping, where the key is he will do it, so he began to be responsible for the chassis design and engine intake system research and development. This experience gave him a deep understanding of the importance of the engine for mechanical performance, and also strengthened his determination to develop high-performance engines independently. But the engines of the racing team are all purchased, and Yang Yuekun can't show his skills here. So in his junior year, he decided to quit the racing team, and gathered his friends to join the college's science and technology incubation fund, and began to apply for the research and development of key engine components. It was also in that year that there was already a differentiation between traditional cars and new energy vehicles in the market, because the piston engines used in traditional cars have been relatively mature, Yang Yuekun felt that there was little room for progress in continuing to study the engines of traditional cars. But the plane is different, at that time, in addition to the civil large passenger aircraft, people see the most small private business jets, although the concept of the jetpack has been proposed, but there are almost no companies that really do single-person aircraft and low-altitude logistics transport aircraft, Yang Yuekun's heart sprouted a bigger idea - why not let my engine fly into the sky?
Transcript
of the interview
At that time, you didn't think that no one was going to do this field because it couldn't be done?
I didn't think that this thing would not be able to be done, because I am a little crazy personally, and I think that talking about small engines does not mean that there is none, but that there is no domestic engine for the time being. Abroad, even in the fifties and sixties of the last century, they have already experienced the rapid development of small aero engines. There is no such thing in China, just because the domestic general aviation industry or the low-altitude economy is now called, it developed relatively late. As for small aircraft are now very common abroad, why is it not common in China, part of the reason is that the domestic helicopter industry is not developed, but if we have so many helicopters in the future, we are more anxious or high-value logistics and transportation, we can use small aircraft as widely as abroad. So at that time, I thought that this market must exist. We didn't start with a single machine, but we developed some of the key components in the engine, for example, I wanted to make the whole compressor more efficient, so that it would be more fuel-efficient, and then it would also allow the aircraft to fly higher.
Is this going to heaven?
What if you can?
It may not sound unusual for a team of college students to build an engine, but to build an aircraft engine sounds a little impractical. From the beginning of the research and development of engine parts, Yang Yuekun and his partners continue to accumulate experience. In 2020, he and his team had the idea of building a complete machine, so he went to the school's entrepreneurship competition with the engine project proposal to see if the teachers would support this bold plan. What Yang Yuekun didn't expect was that they "this is a team to go to heaven" actually won the unanimous approval of the judges and teachers, the domestic market lacks the power unit of small manned aerial vehicles, this field does have market space, but the unfavorable factors are also obvious, that is, the cycle is too long, the demand for funds is too large, and of course, there is a general concern that a student team can do this.
Transcript
of the interview
You were super confident at the time, and I heard that you even gave your team a very bomby name.
"This is a team to God", our team members took it at the time.
As a fledgling student team, why do you think you can do it?
We feel that the current processing technology, including metal 3D printing technology, is very mature, so we can use the new process to save our costs, including the current computer-aided design technology is also very mature, to make an engine, no longer like the previous need for a studio hundreds of engineers to draw together, we actually only need a few key components of personnel, and then the entire engine assembly is enough.
After participating in the competition and receiving initial recognition, Yang Yuekun and his team began to explore the technology of aero engines in full swing. At the end of 2020, a customer's request pushed them again. The customer needed to find the right power source for the aircraft under development. This aircraft not only needs to cope with the harsh environment of the plateau, but also has to carry heavy cargo, and the suitable engine in the domestic market is almost blank, foreign high-performance engines are not only expensive and have a long supply cycle, therefore, the customer very much hopes to have a domestic engine suitable for the aircraft. In Yang Yuekun's view, this is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity to show the team's technical strength and fill the gap in the domestic market. After countless tests and improvements, a modular, long-life, cost-effective small aero engine was finally born in their hands.
The whole idea turned to the company's landing, but it actually went through a long process. At that time, everyone raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, and then thought that let's try it first, if we make the first machine and make it run stably, we will set up a company, and we will push this thing forward. Later, we really made it, and it was after the successful ignition of this machine that we registered the company. Therefore, Shanghai Yichong was also registered in February 2023.
Can you tell us about this engine?
这款发动机体型非常小，它能爆发出100千瓦的动力，并且我们是采用一个模块化的设计，核心机和动力系统两个模块互相独立，并且它能够让机场的地勤人员在现场就可以检修更换，就可以大幅降低机场运营的成本和运营难度，助力我们低空经济的发展。
低空经济里面的很多飞行设备，都是可以用这样的小型发动机，但是它们好像尺寸体量都不一样，所以这款发动机是针对哪种体量的飞行器呢？
We are currently aiming for a take-off weight of more than 500 kilograms, if an aircraft is equipped with one engine, our take-off weight should be controlled at 500 kilograms to 1.5 tons, but if two engines are installed, this value can be doubled. Because more emphasis is placed on vertical take-off and landing, there are many different aircraft configurations such as multi-rotor, tiltrotor and even composite wing configurations, and their requirements for engines are also varied. The modular design we use is used to adapt to different aircraft, and what we hope to do is to make a core aircraft derive 8 different configurations of engines, and then these 8 different engines can be applied to different aircraft configurations in the low-altitude economy, so as to maximize its universal performance.
Calm down! We are engineers
As a precision mechanical equipment, aero engine has extremely high requirements for machining accuracy and material performance, and the processing of each component cannot tolerate the slightest sloppiness, even a small error may lead to a great reduction in the performance of the entire engine. In addition, the domestic technical gap in key links such as bearings and new materials has put Yang Yuekun under pressure. Today, when talking about the technical barriers and manufacturing problems encountered by the team in the research and development process, Yang Yuekun said with a smile that almost every step is difficult, and it is not the same as what he originally thought, but the engineer is the one who solves the problem, so he changed his WeChat signature to: Calm down, we are engineers. In this way, "open the road in the mountains and build bridges in the water", and survived every difficulty step by step.
Transcript
of the interview
What difficulties did you encounter when you actually started doing it?
When a machine really turns from a computer drawing into a part, and then it needs to be assembled, we always find a problem, why can't it be installed, or how can't it be disassembled. The problem that makes us most frustrated is not the problem of assembly or machining accuracy, which is easy to adjust. Maybe a part is processed, and then we find that the design is not perfect and need to be modified, at this time we have to think that the part is so expensive, we have to scrap it completely, and we will lose the old nose money. We think of all kinds of methods, and even some "crooked" ways to fix the parts. As a simple example, we made a 3D printing of a main load-bearing casing, there are a lot of pipelines embedded in the casing, and a lot of cooling fuel pipelines are buried in the casing.
And then it works?
It can't be done, it's metal sintered together, which is equivalent to the whole big metal you want to pass through, and you can't do it at all, and it was very collapsed at that time, and the whole thing has been made, and after it is made, we have to find a way to fix it, and then just like a surgical heart bypass, we cut off the pipeline from the middle, find a drill bit to drill through it, drill through it section by section, and we go to get the new pipe and weld it on it after it is done, and the whole thing is made into a usable part.
It's like a blood clot through people.
Every time I get a part, it's the same as opening a blind box. So I and my team members, everyone's usual mantra is "don't panic", and my WeChat signature is also "calm down, we are engineers".
Throughout the research and development process, "don't panic" has become Yang Yuekun's mantra. Whenever he encounters a technical bottleneck or processing problem, these two words always keep him calm and use the rational thinking of an engineer to analyze the problem and find a solution. This "don't panic" mentality not only helped the team stabilize the morale of the army, but also allowed this group of young engineers to grow rapidly.
For the future, Yang Yuekun is full of confidence and longing. He hopes to expand their engines to a wider range of aircraft, and at the same time, he plans to further reduce engine fuel consumption, improve energy efficiency, and explore the application possibilities of new energy sources. His greatest wish is to give China's small aero engines a place in the international market.
What do you want to do in your life?
In this life, I want to do a good job of engines, do a good job of these small civilian long-life engines, send them to the sky, send them to customers, and then everyone will use it. Further thoughts, I will focus on reducing its fuel consumption, making it more efficient, and allowing it to expand the use of different energy sources as much as possible, for example, we use oil now, we may use natural gas and hydrogen later, and it is a matter of time before we gradually transition to the electric era.
Yang Yuekun said that only by staying calm can we find a solution to the problem in the predicament, instead of being bothered by the problem. So, "don't panic" is the epitome of a particularly good engineer's spirit. On the way to pursue his dreams, he may encounter countless difficulties and challenges, but as long as he always remains calm, has the courage to try, and makes unremitting efforts, he will definitely be able to get things done.
The above content is reprinted from: Yicai "Science and Technology Innovation Generation Z"
Producer: Lu Yixin
Producer: Chang Yu
Director: Zhu Jiannan
Interviewer: Xin Zi
Written by: Zhu Jiannan
Editor: Qin Ni
Photography: Shen Ciyun, Cui Xiaosheng, Yang Lipei
Post-editing: Yang Xianheng
Music Editor: Jiang Sunyin
After reading the above introduction, do you admire the focus, vision and courage of senior Yang Yuekun, and do you also want to pursue the ideal of "heaven" with seniors?
The Aero Engine Science and Technology Innovation Club of the Sino-French School is recruiting new students, with senior Yang Yuekun as the guidance of science and technology innovation and associate professor Wei Guanghua as the technical consultant! Welcome students who are interested in aero engine related fields to join! I believe that you can experience the engineer spirit of "don't panic" in the project, harvest the sense of achievement of "intelligent manufacturing" of domestic civil engines, and gain growth and confidence!
Click on the link:
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/auR8zw2eFOarJIw5mJ0X0w?scene=25#wechat_redirect
Find out more about the club and how to sign up.
Source: Yicai
Learning and Innovation Center of the École des Excellence des Engineers in Paris
Editor|Li Yinglin
Responsible editor|Zhou Xiangyu
speit2013
http://speit.sjtu.edu.cn/