YouTuber builds 'transparent' jet engine to show how it works

YouTuber Warped Perception loves his jet engines. He modifies them all the time and uses them in different scenarios.

Since he is such a fan of the machines, he decided it was time to show his viewers how they work. To do that, he decided to build a see-through engine.

Extreme engines

"I use jet engines like this in most my projects, mostly because I like extreme," said the YouTuber in his new video. "And jet engines are pretty extreme!"

"I figured it would only be appropriate to show everyone what’s going on inside of a jet engine," he added. He explained that he was going to put together a transparent engine, start it up and film it in slow motion.

The YouTuber had some trouble at first with his model as it was 0.005 grams out of balance. That may seem like a small amount but everything counts in jet engines.

He proceeded to correct this error and continue building his powerful machine. He finally managed to balance it out by 0.001 grams.

"That’s good enough for me," said the ingenious YouTuber.

In the next step, he explained how a Brayton cycle works, a necessary process for engines to function.

"A Brayton cycle is simply compression, combustion, and expansion equals volume," he said, pointing at each of the engine’s parts responsible for each activity.

The way an engine works, he explained, is that air enters it from one side, gets compressed by the compressor, then moves into the combustor where it gets mixed with fuel and gets ignited creating heat and expanding gases that come out of the back of the engine to push the turbine wheel. This powers the compressor to complete the cycle and produce thrust.

The YouTuber then went on to complete his see-through jet engine.

A strong and steady engine

"It feels strong," he said, "And it needs to be able to handle all that compression, heat, and power."

He then got it mounted and showcased how it worked. Mostly, we can see the middle of the engine lighting up and flickering. The back of the engine produces a bright blue light of fire, as if it’s ready to fly away.

However, the engine is strongly bolted to the table so it stays in place even after producing what we think is a powerful thrust.

The YouTuber then produced a slow motion version of the same process that shows more clearly the forces at play. It is an interesting experiment that clearly and succinctly illustrates how these powerful machines work. We would, however, suggest you do not try this at home! 

For more on how a jet engine works, read this article here.