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

What happens if you throw sand into a jet engine?

This video dives into the inner workings of jet engines—covering everything from basic operation and why they’re so massive to the history of the first engines. You get a backstage pass at the Rolls-Royce Precision Casting Facility, learn how nickel-based superalloys and carefully controlled crystal structures make turbine blades tough enough to handle extreme heat, and discover the science of edge dislocations that keep these engines running.

In the grand finisher, sand is actually hurled into a jet engine to show you just how much punishment those blades can take (and where it all starts to go wrong). It’s an entertaining, informal tour of materials science, engineering marvels, and a little experimental chaos—all wrapped up in under 40 minutes.

Watch on YouTube