A young man in his twenties standing in the back row, with a broad forehead, blurted out, "The outer cast-iron shell can also serve as a support frame for the gear shaft, increasing structural stability and absorbing impacts during startup and shutdown. This is a stroke of genius!"
Whitney and the others all turned to glance at him—did His Highness the Regent need a technician's assistant like him to evaluate it?
Joseph gestured to the young technician with interest. "You are quite right. I don't think I've seen you before?"
To notice the core advantage of the Gearbox within mere seconds showed that this young man possessed a very solid foundation in mechanics.
Whitney hurriedly introduced him. "Your Highness, his name is Philip-Henry de Girard. He is Mr. Rivaz's assistant."
Girard was quite the familiar sort. He stepped forward and bowed generously to Joseph. "Your Highness, I graduated only recently, but I believe you will certainly remember me in the future—for some of my inventions."
Rivaz was startled by his assistant's arrogance. He pulled him back a little, then desperately tried to salvage the Regent's impression of him. "Your Highness, Philip is actually very gifted. Some of the innovations in this stepped transmission came from him.
"Oh, and the vibration-damping pad for the cutting carriage was also his invention."
"I invented it together with Thénard," Girard poked his head out to add.
"Thénard is?"
"A technician sent by the Royal Second Chemical Factory." Whitney shot Girard a glare, telling him not to chatter any further, then gestured toward the tall young man behind them. "Thénard brought us miraculous improved rubber. This new material is now being used extensively in Steam Engine seals and Lathe vibration-damping devices, playing no small role in improving precision."
Previously, when a Steam Engine's Piston Rod