Definition
The airfoil-shaped vanes mounted around the rim of a turbine wheel that extract energy from the hot, high-pressure exhaust gases flowing out of the combustion section. As the gases push against the blades, they spin the turbine wheel, which drives the compressor (and, in some engines, a propeller or fan) through a connecting shaft.
Plain English
Small curved blades arranged like a fan around a spinning disc inside a jet engine. Hot gas from the burning fuel rushes past them and makes them spin, which in turn drives the rest of the engine.
Context Anchor
Seen when learning how a gas turbine engine changes hot gas flow into rotating power inside the engine.
Derivation
‘Turbine’ comes from the Latin ‘turbo,’ meaning a spinning thing or whirlwind. That captures the idea well: the blades are what the whirlwind of hot gas actually pushes against to make the engine spin.
Why Pilots Care
Turbine blades are critical to engine thrust and reliability; erosion, cracking, or failure can cause loss of power or engine shutdown in flight.
Analogy
Think of hot gas pushing turbine blades like wind pushing a pinwheel. The moving air does not just pass by; it makes the wheel turn.
Intuition Check
Turbine blades are not propeller blades outside the airplane. They are internal engine parts that are pushed by hot gas inside the engine.
Example Sentence 1
The pilot advanced the power lever smoothly to avoid overheating the turbine blades during start.
Example Sentence 2
During a borescope inspection the mechanic checked the turbine blades for signs of heat damage or foreign object debris.