Veritasium: What happens if you throw sand into a jet engine?

Derek Muller takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour of how jet engines work and why they don’t turn into molten goo—starting with airflow basics and fan size, then zooming in on edge dislocations, crystal structures and gamma-prime nickel superalloys. Along the way he visits Rolls-Royce’s precision-casting plant, chats with Cambridge and industry experts, and shows how single-crystal turbine blades and advanced cooling tricks keep the whole contraption intact at ridiculously high temperatures.

Then comes the ultimate stress test: he tosses sand into a running jet engine. The abrasive grit chews up and clogs the turbine, but thanks to smart materials science and engineering the blades survive without literally melting down—though the engine might never be the same again.

Watch on YouTube