I feel a bit stupid for asking this, but I simply cannot wrap my head around how a jet engine directs its thrust backwards.
A piston engine opens and closes valves, such that air is alternately sucked in and compressed to create force. That makes sense and I understand how it works.
But with a jet engine there are no valves opening and closing, so why doesn’t the air that is sucked in just get pushed right back out from the thrust generated? How can an engine simultaneously suck in air from the front and force it out the back?
It makes no sense to me :-/
In: Engineering
Think of it like a desk fan or a ceiling fan. Air is cycled through a LOT of REALLY fast fans. Fuel gets shot in, which accelerates the air that gets pushed out the back. It’s the exploding jet fuel that creates the extra force!
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