Here we develop vasculatures for smart materials with volumetric cooling capability under time-varying conditions. The objective is for the vascularized composite to survive without coolant flow such that its peak temperature does not overshoot the maximum allowable level. The transient performance of four vasculatures is reported: grids (G) and radial channels (R), and two flow directions, inlet in the center (I) and outlet in the center (O). Designs with outlet in the center offer short response times when the Be number is smaller than 10(9). Configurations with outlet in the center offer short heat removal times and small hot volume fractions. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.