Why Don’t Jet Engines Melt?

Derek Muller digs into how jet engines survive scorching temperatures by exploring everything from basic compressor stages to giant Rolls-Royce turbine blades made of nickel-based superalloys. You’ll see how precision casting and single-crystal “gamma prime” structures lock in strength, how edge dislocations get tamed, and why a few extra millimeters of cooling air make all the difference.

Along the way, we get tours of the first jet engine prototypes, the Cambridge labs and Bochum animations, plus expert insights on metallurgy and crystal growth. Packed with sand-ingestion tests, fascinating microstructural animations, and shout-outs to KiwiCo and Science Alert, it’s a high-temp, high-tech deep dive that’ll have you geeking out on aerospace engineering.

Watch on YouTube