This year, the torch relay of the Beijing Winter Olympics was praised as a "Chinese romance".
More than 20 kinds of peripheral equipment such as propane torches, Olympic flame lantern and tinder tables used in the Beijing Winter Olympics are from enterprises in Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province.
Olympic flame lantern of Beijing Winter Olympics(Photo: Xinhua)
As we all know, the Olympic flame has to be delivered from Athens to Beijing, which is 8,000 kilometers away. The flight time is as long as seven hours. During the transportation, it is also faced with the high pressure of the plane, violent storms, glaciers and snowfields, etc., but the Olympic flame still has to keep burning. In order to maintain the purity of the Olympic flame, the torch cannot be mixed with other flames during the torch relay process, which means that it is very difficult to pass the Olympic flame.
About half a year ago, Hesheng Metal Co., Ltd. in Zhongshan undertook the task of Olympic flame transportation. From receiving the task to delivering the order, the R&D team only had four months.
"The Olympic flame lantern has very high requirements, because it has to last longer than the torch. From Athens to Beijing, it needs to run for at least 15 hours to ensure that the Olympic flame does not go out." Yi Hongbin, the president of Hesheng Metal Research Institute said, "We also need to ensure the safety and convenience of the Olympic flame on the plane."
The launching ceremony of the torch relay for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics was held in Beijing. (Photo: Xinhua)
It is understood that the size of the Olympic flame is about the size of the flame of a small lighter. When the wind blows lightly, it may be extinguished.
"The power of Olympic flame lantern should be maintained at about 30 watts, which is similar to that of household lighting. However, the process of R&D and production is not easy," Yi said. They needed to design a lantern that ensured that the Olympic flame would not shake or go out even in extreme weather such as a gale force wind of level 7, heavy rain, and down to as low as minus 40℃. They also needed to make sure that the lantern would not leak oil or propane if it is tipped over.
In order to ensure that the Olympic flame will not be extinguished under high wind speeds, the interior of the lantern adopts a double-layer structure design. A diversion channel is also set between the double-layer lamp shades, which can effectively relieve pressure. Even in the strong wind experiment, the fire remained motionless. A fire window is also designed on the side of the Olympic flame lantern as a gas supplement channel. This not only keeps the flame burning all the time, but also keeps the Olympic flame lantern clean and translucent without producing black smoke and odors.
Photo: Xinhua
In addition, Yi Hongbin participated in the design of a series of products such as torches, flame lanterns and tinder sets for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the Hong Kong East Asian Games and the Singapore Asian Youth Games. "This was the torch series equipment project with the most difficult manufacturing, the shortest cycle and the best effect I have ever participated in." Yi Hongbin said when recalling the design of torch equipment for the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Author | Alice
Editor | Monica, Will, Jerry
