[motorest]

> What do you mean by "metals don't actually withstand temperature"? As in the raw metal would melt were it not for the cooling vanes?

Metals don't need to melt to fail. Increasing the temperature leads to gradual reduction of yields limits. For example, the yield stress of steel drops to 50% if it reaches around 500 degrees.

[xeonmc]

> Metals don't need to melt to fail.

Another example: “jet fuel can’t melt steel.”

[thereisnospork]

but also yes, the metal would melt if it somehow managed to not fail. Often the turbine blades are operating in an environment above their melting point and only don't melt because of the internal cooling.