In the present paper, a 2D finite element model based on the heat-conduction equation and on the Hertz-Knudsen equation for vaporization was developed and used to simulate the ablation of TiC by Nd:YAG and KrF pulsed laser radiation. The calculations were performed for fluences of 8 2 and 10 J/cm(2) which according to experimental results obtained previously, correspond to large increases of the ablation rate. The calculated maximum surface temperature of the target for both lasers is higher than the estimated value of TiC critical temperature, corroborating the hypothesis that the increase of the ablation rate is explained by the explosive boiling mechanism. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.