Turbofan Cutaway

Stations 0 → 9

The whole engine

Air comes in the front and splits in two. Most of it goes around the outside, pushed by the big fan. The rest goes through the core, where it is squeezed, burned with fuel, and blown through turbines that spin the fan and the compressors. Pick a section to follow the air through.

At this thrust setting

Colors

Low-pressure spool (fan shaft)
High-pressure spool (core shaft)
Hot section
Casings and nacelle
Fuel line
Bleed air duct

Numbers are typical for a modern narrowbody airliner engine, worked out from a simple model as you move the thrust lever. They are not the specs of any one engine. Spin is shown 150 times slower than real.