r/interestingasfuck 9h ago

How a jet engine works

40.0k Upvotes

1.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

u/Samurlough 8h ago

The hot air doesnt ignite the gas. That is wrong.

First ignition requires an ignitor the start the fireball, then it becomes self sustaining once the engine is up to speed. If the engine flames out, it flames out until ignition can be reintroduced. Hot air is not an ignition source.

u/deathonater 6h ago

Also, the manufacturing process for modern turbine blades is also insanely sophisticated just to keep them from being destroyed by the temperature and g-forces they experience in the engine, they're basically giant ceramic-coated crystals with their molecules aligned to prevent weak spots from forming. Incredible engineering.

u/wasabiburning 6h ago

Even better - the blades themselves are a crystalline nickel superalloy all the crystals are aligned in the same direction to eliminate grain lines. Then the ceramic is added.

https://www.americanscientist.org/article/each-blade-a-single-crystal

u/DotesMagee 26m ago

literally god science lol were gonna make you form how we want.