TL;DR

Veritasium dives into how jet engines survive temperatures far above the melting point of their metal parts. You get a whirlwind tour of engine basics (from compressors to turbines), a peek inside Rolls-Royce’s precision-casting plant, and a breakdown of next-gen nickel superalloys (think super-strong gamma-prime crystals and single-crystal turbine blades) plus clever internal cooling channels and thermal coatings that keep everything from turning into molten goo.

Along the way we travel back to the first jet engine, watch what happens when you chuck sand into a running turbine, and learn how material scientists and engineers (shout-outs to Cambridge, Bochum and loads of industry experts) teamed up to make blades that sit comfortably in 2,000 °F heat. It’s a nuts-and-bolts look at why these engines don’t just survive—they thrive.

Watch on YouTube