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

TL;DR: Veritasium takes you on a tour of jet engines—from basic thermodynamics and compressor stages to the giant turbines that turn exhaust into thrust. You’ll get a peek inside Rolls-Royce’s precision casting facility, learn how nickel-based superalloys and single-crystal blades are engineered at the microscopic level, and discover the clever internal cooling tricks that keep these engines from melting in flight.

In the final act, Derek Muller tests what really happens when you chuck sand into a running jet engine—spoiler: it’s tough, but not indestructible. Along the way, you’ll pick up neat material-science nuggets about edge dislocations, gamma-prime strengtheners and why those fancy turbine blades look the way they do.

Watch on YouTube