Thermal Insulation of Protective Clothing Materials in Extreme Cold Conditions
Background: Thermophysiological comfort in a cold environment is mainly ensured by clothing. However, the thermal performance and protective abilities of textile fabrics may be sensitive to extreme environmental conditions. This article evaluated the thermal insulation properties of three technical...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-03-01
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Series: | Safety and Health at Work |
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Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2093791122001494 |
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author | Mohamed Zemzem Stéphane Hallé Ludwig Vinches |
author_facet | Mohamed Zemzem Stéphane Hallé Ludwig Vinches |
author_sort | Mohamed Zemzem |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Background: Thermophysiological comfort in a cold environment is mainly ensured by clothing. However, the thermal performance and protective abilities of textile fabrics may be sensitive to extreme environmental conditions. This article evaluated the thermal insulation properties of three technical textile assemblies and determined the influence of environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, and wind speed) on their insulation capacity. Methods: Thermal insulation capacity and air permeability of the assemblies were determined experimentally. A sweating-guarded hotplate apparatus, commonly called the “skin model,” based on International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 11092 standard and simulating the heat transfer from the body surface to the environment through clothing material, was adopted for the thermal resistance measurements. Results: It was found that the assemblies lost about 85% of their thermal insulation with increasing wind speed from 0 to 16 km/h. Under certain conditions, values approaching 1 clo have been measured. On the other hand, the results showed that temperature variation in the range (−40°C, 30°C), as well as humidity ratio changes (5 g/kg, 20 g/kg), had a limited influence on the thermal insulation of the studied assemblies. Conclusion: The present study showed that the most important variable impacting the thermal performance and protective abilities of textile fabrics is the wind speed, a parameter not taken into account by ISO 11092. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:53:05Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-f9fb1af7559248079ed62aa888ea908e |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2093-7911 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:53:05Z |
publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
publisher | Elsevier |
record_format | Article |
series | Safety and Health at Work |
spelling | doaj.art-f9fb1af7559248079ed62aa888ea908e2023-09-03T12:12:27ZengElsevierSafety and Health at Work2093-79112023-03-01141107117Thermal Insulation of Protective Clothing Materials in Extreme Cold ConditionsMohamed Zemzem0Stéphane Hallé1Ludwig Vinches2Dept. of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Montreal, 2375 Chem. de La Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, QC, H3T 1A8, CanadaDept. of Mechanical Engineering, École de Technologie Supérieure, 1100 Notre-Dame West, Montreal, QC, H3C 1K3, CanadaDept. of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Montreal, 2375 Chem. de La Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, QC, H3T 1A8, Canada; Corresponding author.Background: Thermophysiological comfort in a cold environment is mainly ensured by clothing. However, the thermal performance and protective abilities of textile fabrics may be sensitive to extreme environmental conditions. This article evaluated the thermal insulation properties of three technical textile assemblies and determined the influence of environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, and wind speed) on their insulation capacity. Methods: Thermal insulation capacity and air permeability of the assemblies were determined experimentally. A sweating-guarded hotplate apparatus, commonly called the “skin model,” based on International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 11092 standard and simulating the heat transfer from the body surface to the environment through clothing material, was adopted for the thermal resistance measurements. Results: It was found that the assemblies lost about 85% of their thermal insulation with increasing wind speed from 0 to 16 km/h. Under certain conditions, values approaching 1 clo have been measured. On the other hand, the results showed that temperature variation in the range (−40°C, 30°C), as well as humidity ratio changes (5 g/kg, 20 g/kg), had a limited influence on the thermal insulation of the studied assemblies. Conclusion: The present study showed that the most important variable impacting the thermal performance and protective abilities of textile fabrics is the wind speed, a parameter not taken into account by ISO 11092.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2093791122001494Sweating-guarded hotplateTextile assembliesThermal comfortThermal insulation |
spellingShingle | Mohamed Zemzem Stéphane Hallé Ludwig Vinches Thermal Insulation of Protective Clothing Materials in Extreme Cold Conditions Safety and Health at Work Sweating-guarded hotplate Textile assemblies Thermal comfort Thermal insulation |
title | Thermal Insulation of Protective Clothing Materials in Extreme Cold Conditions |
title_full | Thermal Insulation of Protective Clothing Materials in Extreme Cold Conditions |
title_fullStr | Thermal Insulation of Protective Clothing Materials in Extreme Cold Conditions |
title_full_unstemmed | Thermal Insulation of Protective Clothing Materials in Extreme Cold Conditions |
title_short | Thermal Insulation of Protective Clothing Materials in Extreme Cold Conditions |
title_sort | thermal insulation of protective clothing materials in extreme cold conditions |
topic | Sweating-guarded hotplate Textile assemblies Thermal comfort Thermal insulation |
url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2093791122001494 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT mohamedzemzem thermalinsulationofprotectiveclothingmaterialsinextremecoldconditions AT stephanehalle thermalinsulationofprotectiveclothingmaterialsinextremecoldconditions AT ludwigvinches thermalinsulationofprotectiveclothingmaterialsinextremecoldconditions |