Why Don’t Jet Engines Melt?

Derek Muller breaks down how jet engines turn air and fuel into relentless thrust without turning into molten metal. You’ll get the lowdown on compressors, turbines and why these beasts are so massive, then head into Rolls-Royce’s precision casting facility to see how nickel-based superalloys, single-crystal blades and intricate cooling channels handle temperatures north of 1,000 °C.

Along the way, you’ll geek out over gamma-prime strengthening, edge dislocations and the first jet engine, plus what happens when you fling sand into a running turbine. It’s a high-octane dive into materials science and engineering tricks that keep jet engines from literally going up in flames.

Watch on YouTube