History of the JANAF Thermochemical Tables

Between 1955 and 1958, severe difficulties were encountered by individuals attempting to conduct rigorous performance calculations for propellant systems that gave multiphase combustion products characterized by complex chemical and thermal equilibria. Several of these individuals approached the Armed Services requesting that a group be assembled to assess the validity of the calculation methods and thermochemical data which were being employed at that time. 

In January 1958, the Armed Services jointly instructed the Solid Propellant Information Agency to organize the Joint Army-Navy-Air Force Ad Hoc Panel on Perfor- 

On 1 September 1959, the Joint Army-Navy-Air Force Thermochemical Panel was formed under the sponsorship of the Bureau of Naval Weapons, Department of the Navy Office, Chief of Ordinance, Department of the Army Air Research and Development Command, Department of the Air Force and the Advanced Research Projects Agency, Department of Defense. The panel operated in accordance with the Rules of Operations of Solid Propellant Panels as adopted by representatives of the above offices on 1 September 1959. 

The JANAF Thermochemical Panel Membership, which consisted originally of approximately 15 individuals with special experience in the technological subject under panel purview, met at the Pentagon on 16 November 1959 at which time, plans for the thermochemical compilation project were reviewed and the project formally initiated. 

Urgency required that as large a set of consistent tables be assembled as quickly as possible. Computer programs had to be developed, and at first it was not possible to adequately assess the input information for every table. When the original data were evaluated, the table was printed on white paper otherwise the table was printed on gray paper. By the end of 1960, the first set was ready for distribution to some 1000 qualified recipients. For a number of years, at the end of each quarter a supplement was issued which contained additional tables and revised tables. Some of the gray tables were revised to white tables. 

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