Why don’t jet engines melt?

Derek Muller breaks down how jet engines survive insanely high temperatures by combining clever airflow, massive heat-sinking size and cutting-edge metallurgy. From the big, multi-stage compressor that pre-cools and pressurizes air to the hollow, air-cooled turbine blades, every component is designed to stay just below its melting point in a roaring combustion chamber.

The real secret sauce is in the materials: nickel-based superalloys strengthened by gamma-prime precipitates, precision single-crystal casting that eliminates weak grain boundaries, advanced coatings and internal cooling channels. Along the way you get a backstage tour of Rolls-Royce’s foundry, crash courses in dislocations and crystal structure, even a sand-injection demo to prove just how tough these marvels really are.

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