The heat of ablation provides a measure of the ability of a material to serve as a heat protection element in a severe thermal environment. The property is a function of both the material and the environment to which it is subjected. It is therefore required that laboratory measurements of heat of ablation simulate the service environment as closely as possible. Some of the parameters affecting the property are pressure, gas composition, heat transfer rate, mode of heat transfer, and gas enthalpy. As laboratory duplication of all parameters is usually difficult, the user of the data should consider the differences between the service and the test environments. Screening tests of various materials under simulated use conditions may be quite valuable even if all the service environmental parameters are not available. These tests are useful in material selection studies, materials development work, and many other areas.

1.1 This test method covers determination of the heat of ablation of materials subjected to thermal environments requiring the use of ablation as an energy dissipation process. Three concepts of the property are described and defined: cold wall, effective, and thermochemical heat of ablation.

1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.