The engine is known as the "heart" of modern industry. At Weichai Product Testing Center, there is a group of people who are not directly involved in engine design, but they have installed a "thermometer" on this "heart" with their hands, allowing engineers to real-time monitor the temperature, pressure, and stress-strain of every high-temperature moving part during high-speed operation.

Weichai Chief Technician Tang Haiwei is one of them. He has been with the engine for 27 years, graduating from a technical school as an apprentice and growing into a "great country craftsman" who has mastered the dynamic measurement technology of high-temperature moving parts in internal combustion engines.

From the 'airplane dream' to the 'engine' field

When I was a child, like many other children, I also had a dream of flying a plane, "said Tang Haiwei. The book 'Aviation Knowledge' that his mother bought for him was his most cherished childhood reading. Later, due to myopia, he missed out on his dream of becoming a pilot. I can't fly a plane, I can also build and repair planes

At Weichai Technical School, Tang Haiwei found that the machinery was interconnected. He studied engine and automotive maintenance, and when he saw the structure of the engine and the teaching aids for the entire vehicle, he had an impulse to learn about it. From dreaming about airplanes in the field of engines, my interest shifted towards the mechanical world. In 1999, Tang Haiwei joined Weichai as a testing worker. This is 27 years.

A person who likes to find faults

When Tang Haiwei first started working, he never thought about inventing. At that time, the company encouraged us to make small changes and innovations, discover small problems in our work, and use the wisdom of frontline employees to solve them, "he said." In the process of solving small problems, we gradually gained recognition and also stimulated our enthusiasm for innovation

What truly helped Tang Haiwei develop a habit of research is what his colleagues call 'liking to find faults'. Colleagues say that when Tang Haiwei encounters problems, he always needs to dig deep and understand even the most basic principles. I like to ponder over these things in my work and find faults, "he admitted with a smile." Actually, finding faults is also a habit of research

This habit was truly tested in 2016. That year, Tang Haiwei Innovation Studio was established. In the same year, Weichai launched the independent research and development task of dynamic measurement technology for high-temperature moving parts of internal combustion engines.

Eight years of hard work, installing a 'thermometer' on the engine

The piston is the 'heart' of the engine. During thousands of high-speed runs per minute, the surface temperature directly affects the lifespan and efficiency of the engine. The traditional "hardness plug method" can only measure the highest temperature experienced by the component and cannot capture dynamic changes in real time.

At that time, there was only one institution in the world that mastered dynamic temperature measurement technology, with a single testing cost of 420000 yuan and a cycle of up to six months. Weichai has nearly a hundred testing requirements every year.

We cannot always be controlled by others, "said Tang Haiwei.

He chose to break through with wired temperature measurement first. It is as difficult as threading a needle on a high-speed roller coaster to extract signal lines from the interior of a high-speed rotating engine. After hundreds of experimental simulations and overcoming over 30 technical difficulties, the Tang Haiwei team finally achieved dynamic measurement.

After winning the first battle, he challenged wireless temperature measurement again. How to ensure stable operation of the system under high temperature and pressure when the piston is subjected to 50 impacts per second? In the past six months, he led his team to conduct hundreds of experiments and ultimately developed a wireless temperature measurement system that achieved uninterrupted monitoring for 200 hours, once again breaking the foreign monopoly.

Technological iteration has no end. Weichai's high thermal efficiency engine development requires several months of calibration, and battery power can only last for 8 to 10 days. Tang Haiwei has started his third round of research and development, developing a self powered device. He uses the swinging motion of the piston and connecting rod to install coils on the measuring end and permanent magnets on the corresponding components. As long as the engine is running, the measurement system can continue to be powered.

From wired to wireless, and then to self generating, Tang Haiwei took eight years. This technology, which has been rated as an "international advanced level", saves Weichai more than 32 million yuan in costs every year. Now, this data acquisition system has been updated to version 5.0.

When the results were determined, we couldn't have imagined it at all, "Tang Haiwei said." Our goal was to solve the problems encountered in production and research and development, and make our best efforts to produce useful things

From 'one person doing it' to 'a group of people doing it'

Now their technical level and work ability are not a problem, what they most want to cultivate is their innovation ability. After discovering problems, they need to have a thought process, which method to use to deal with them, or develop new structures and processes to solve problems. "From apprentice to master, Tang Haiwei's role is changing. Many of the apprentices he brought out have won provincial-level or above skill awards.

In his work, Tang Haiwei always maintains an open attitude and is both a colleague and a friend with his team. Anyone with good ideas can come up with them at any time, and we will discuss and verify them together

This kind of inheritance has deeper roots. When Tang Haiwei first entered the factory, he was accustomed to wearing gloves when cleaning parts, but was stopped by his master. The master said that wearing gloves with a layer of cloth between them, one cannot feel whether there are burrs, pits, or protrusions on the surface. When cleaning, one should also touch it and check it during the process of caressing. This detail has been remembered for more than 20 years and has also been passed down to his disciple.

In September 2025, Tang Haiwei was awarded the title of "Great Nation Craftsman". Now, his gaze has shifted from the engine to farther places. Last year, he completed the expansion from engine dynamic measurement to vehicle powertrain dynamic measurement on the vehicle hub test bench. Next, he plans to expand his technology to dynamic measurement of new energy motor spindles.

My career and my interests are aligned, and my entire career has been a very happy feeling, "said Tang Haiwei. On this line, he will keep moving forward.Editor/Cheng Liting