Ablation

\a-^▐blā-shәn\ n (15c) Derived from the Latin ablatio, meaning “a carrying away,” this term has been used by astrophysicists to describe the erosion and disintegration of meteors entering the atmosphere, and more recently by space scientists and engineers for the layer-by-layer decomposition of a plastic surface when heated quickly to a very high temperature. Usually, the decomposition is highly endothermic and the absorption of energy at the surface slows penetration of high temperature to the interior. In other words, it is the ability of a material such as a polymer to form a protective thermal layer when carbonized by extreme heat (Kidder RC (1994) Handbook of fire retardant coatings and fire testing services. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fl; Rosato DV (ed) (1992) Rosato's plastics encyclopedia and dictionary. Hanser-Gardner, New York) {G ablative, F ablative, S ablative, I ablative}.