How It's Made Jet Compressor Blades

Discovery / Science Channel's "How It's Made" Jet Compressor Blades episode

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• discovery
• science
• channel
• how
• it's
• it
• its
• made
• tv
• television
• Jet
• Compressor
• Blades
• blade
• engine

[lexichronicle2]

"You would think this would be a no-holds-barred, no-expense-spared manufacturing process..."

The blades at the front of a turbojet cost about as much as a car, each.

The smaller blades being made here are often made from monocrystalline super alloys.

Similarly, when the SR71 was being made, the structural members (being specific titanium alloys and requiring specific heat treatments) had to be forged from one piece.

[douro20]

You would think this would be a no-holds-barred, no-expense-spared manufacturing process...

[theNRmuffinman]

@lexichronicle2 1 Bucket costs $30,000 and they are made of Inconel (the nickel alloy he mentioned) They are one of the most innovatively designed parts ever made. If you could see a cross section of the blades you would realize they are hollow. (the ones in the video aren't as the compressor blades don't need cooling like the downstream does.) That's why robots do everything.

[lexichronicle2]

@normanmj You're right. I was trying to say they're not cheap, but they're not the fan blades no.

[normanmj]

@lexichronicle2

Sorry, these were compressor blades, and they are not $25k each. I work with this stuff everyday and a simple compressor blade for a F108 engine ranges from $250-$2k. The large fan blades at the front of the motor are the expensive ones.

[ATERIFA]

@diehlben they also keep people alive by applying strict regulation

[MrJKCampione]

What's with the music at 3:18?

[diehlben]

The only reason parts r so exspensive is bc the faa has to appove them thru a pma parts manufacturing appoval given to the company if it doesn't have a pma its an illegal part even if its the same quality the faa has to get there cut of the money

[lexichronicle2]

How is spending $25k on each turbofan blade doing it on the cheap? And how is crashing a plane due to defective parts more cost effective than spending slightly more on those parts? Blade failure is not a leading cause of plane crashes, so it is backwards to spend yet more on the blades when other systems would better benefit from the money. Anyone who questions the design integrity, do a search for "How to Build A Jumbo Jet Engine - 1/4 (Full Version)".

[misterMusicify]

@lexichronicle2 we currently live in a world where money is more important to utmost safety, so even all of the facts you are stating, though true, do not keep one as safe as possible. Each blade should be made with the strongest, yet lightest materiel available, not the cheapest and most cost effective.

[ItsMisterRed]

@douro20 Welcome to capitalism.

[SkISl0pE]

"The blade doesn't make the cut." That's clever.