ABSTRACT

Protect users from burn injuries by shielding or isolating users from heat and by warning about thermal hazards. Every astronaut who has returned safely to earth owes his or her life to an ablative heat shield. To protect users, heat shields should be solidly constructed to stay put during a product's service life, as opposed to tearing away at some point. Ideally, heat shields will remain relatively cool to the touch even when shielding an extremely hot component. Such charts indicate that water heated to 148 F can cause a third-degree burn in just about 2 seconds. Many products have been improved to protect users from the dangers of heat. Audible indications, such as alarms, can also be used to notify users that a particular temperature has been reached or warn users that a surface is hot and requires time to cool down.