Why don’t jet engines melt? In this deep-dive Veritasium video (backed by KiwiCo), Derek Muller and Henry Van Dyck break down how jet engines withstand temperatures well above the melting point of their components. From the basics of how turbines generate thrust to the nitty-gritty of edge dislocations and nickel-based gamma prime superalloys, you’ll tour Rolls-Royce’s precision casting facility, see single-crystal blade casting, and learn about internal cooling channels and thermal barrier coatings that keep those blades alive at 1,500 °C+.
The video is neatly timestamped (0:00 engine intro, 32:22 blade manufacturing, 35:30 sand test!), features insights from Rolls-Royce engineers and Cambridge professors, and even tosses in fun sponsor plugs (KiwiCo crates, Science Alert sweepstakes). It’s a slick blend of history, metallurgy, and real-world engineering that makes you appreciate the insane science inside every jet engine.
Watch on YouTube
Top comments (0)