Question

What would you be concerned with if you specified products that were intumescent, endothermic, or ablative? What do these mean?

Answer

You are concerned with fire protection.

Intumescent: Expands when heated — forms a fire barrier or seal.

Endothermic: Releases chemically bound water to cool exposed surfaces.

Ablative: Energy-absorbing coatings creating a heat shield as the surface melts or evaporates, thus using up heat energy.