Skin Heat Transfer and Thermal Sensation Coupling Model under Steady Stimulation

Thermal sensation prediction models can help to evaluate complex thermal environments and guide the environment conditioning strategy. However, most existing models are established basing on the thermal status of the entire human body or local body parts, failing to reflect thermal sensation generat...

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Main Authors: Yijia Zhou, Hang Yu, Maohui Luo, Xiang Zhou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-02-01
Series:Buildings
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/14/2/547
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author Yijia Zhou
Hang Yu
Maohui Luo
Xiang Zhou
author_facet Yijia Zhou
Hang Yu
Maohui Luo
Xiang Zhou
author_sort Yijia Zhou
collection DOAJ
description Thermal sensation prediction models can help to evaluate complex thermal environments and guide the environment conditioning strategy. However, most existing models are established basing on the thermal status of the entire human body or local body parts, failing to reflect thermal sensation generating mechanism or micro-scale (centimeter-scale) thermal sensation. This study put forward a new thermal sensation predicting approach by coupling the skin heat transfer and the thermoreceptor impulse signals. The micro-scale thermal sensitivity data under steady stimuli were applied to bridging the objective heat transfer model and the subjective sensation model. The model contains a one-dimensional skin heat transfer equation and three sensation-generating equations: the thermoreceptor impulse equation, the psychosensory intensity equation, and the thermal sensation equation. The dimension of the skin heat transfer equation was determined through a skin temperature diffusion experiment, and the coefficients of the static/dynamic impulse in the thermoreceptor impulse equation and the thermal sensation equation were obtained through polynomial fitting using thermal sensitivity data. The validated mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) was 0.08 and 0.1 under cooling and heating stimuli, respectively. This new model can predict thermal sensation on the centimeter scale and be applied under different boundary conditions. In the future, the new model can be further developed by testing dynamic stimuli and other boundary conditions so that it can be applied to more complex thermal exposures.
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spelling doaj.art-2f49e59464a54d47bb9ee58dd706074c2024-02-23T15:10:33ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092024-02-0114254710.3390/buildings14020547Skin Heat Transfer and Thermal Sensation Coupling Model under Steady StimulationYijia Zhou0Hang Yu1Maohui Luo2Xiang Zhou3School of Mechanical Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 201804, ChinaSchool of Mechanical Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 201804, ChinaSchool of Mechanical Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 201804, ChinaSchool of Mechanical Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 201804, ChinaThermal sensation prediction models can help to evaluate complex thermal environments and guide the environment conditioning strategy. However, most existing models are established basing on the thermal status of the entire human body or local body parts, failing to reflect thermal sensation generating mechanism or micro-scale (centimeter-scale) thermal sensation. This study put forward a new thermal sensation predicting approach by coupling the skin heat transfer and the thermoreceptor impulse signals. The micro-scale thermal sensitivity data under steady stimuli were applied to bridging the objective heat transfer model and the subjective sensation model. The model contains a one-dimensional skin heat transfer equation and three sensation-generating equations: the thermoreceptor impulse equation, the psychosensory intensity equation, and the thermal sensation equation. The dimension of the skin heat transfer equation was determined through a skin temperature diffusion experiment, and the coefficients of the static/dynamic impulse in the thermoreceptor impulse equation and the thermal sensation equation were obtained through polynomial fitting using thermal sensitivity data. The validated mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) was 0.08 and 0.1 under cooling and heating stimuli, respectively. This new model can predict thermal sensation on the centimeter scale and be applied under different boundary conditions. In the future, the new model can be further developed by testing dynamic stimuli and other boundary conditions so that it can be applied to more complex thermal exposures.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/14/2/547thermal sensitivitythermal sensationskin heat transferthermoreceptor
spellingShingle Yijia Zhou
Hang Yu
Maohui Luo
Xiang Zhou
Skin Heat Transfer and Thermal Sensation Coupling Model under Steady Stimulation
Buildings
thermal sensitivity
thermal sensation
skin heat transfer
thermoreceptor
title Skin Heat Transfer and Thermal Sensation Coupling Model under Steady Stimulation
title_full Skin Heat Transfer and Thermal Sensation Coupling Model under Steady Stimulation
title_fullStr Skin Heat Transfer and Thermal Sensation Coupling Model under Steady Stimulation
title_full_unstemmed Skin Heat Transfer and Thermal Sensation Coupling Model under Steady Stimulation
title_short Skin Heat Transfer and Thermal Sensation Coupling Model under Steady Stimulation
title_sort skin heat transfer and thermal sensation coupling model under steady stimulation
topic thermal sensitivity
thermal sensation
skin heat transfer
thermoreceptor
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/14/2/547
work_keys_str_mv AT yijiazhou skinheattransferandthermalsensationcouplingmodelundersteadystimulation
AT hangyu skinheattransferandthermalsensationcouplingmodelundersteadystimulation
AT maohuiluo skinheattransferandthermalsensationcouplingmodelundersteadystimulation
AT xiangzhou skinheattransferandthermalsensationcouplingmodelundersteadystimulation