Clothing insulation and temperature, layer and mass of clothing under comfortable environmental conditions

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between the microclimate temperature and clothing insulation (Icl) under comfortable environmental conditions. In total, 20 subjects (13 women, 7 men) took part in this study. Four environmental temperatures were chosen: 14°C (to represent March/April), 25°C (May/June), 29°C (July/August), and 23°C (September/October). Wind speed (0.14ms-1) and humidity (45%) were held constant. Clothing microclimate temperatures were measured at the chest (Tchest) and on the interscapular region (Tscapular). Clothing temperature of the innermost layer (Tinnermost) was measured on this layer 30 mm above the centre of the left breast. Subjects were free to choose the clothing that offered them thermal comfort under each environmental condition. We found the following results. 1) All clothing factors except the number of lower clothing layers (Llower), showed differences between the different environmental conditions (P<0.05). The ranges of Tchest were 31.6 to 33.5°C and 32.2 to 33.4°C in Tscapular. The range of Tinnermost was 28.6 to 32.0°C. The range of the upper clothing layers (Lupper) and total clothing mass (Mtotal) was 1.1 to 3.2 layers and 473 to 1659 g respectively. The range of Icl was 0.78 to 2.10 clo. 2) Post hoc analyses showed that analysis of Tinnermost produced the same results as for that of Icl. Likewise, the analysis of Lupper produced the same result as the analysis of the number of total layers (Ltotal) within an outfit. 3) Air temperature (ta) had positive relationships with Tchest and Tscapular and with Tinnermost but had inverse correlations with Icl, Mtotal, Lupper and Ltotal. Tchest, Tscapular, and Tinnermost increased as ta rose. 4) Icl had inverse relationships with Tchest and Tinnermost, but positive relationships with Mtotal, Lupper and Ltotal. Icl could be estimated by Mtotal, Lupper, and Tscapular using a multivariate linear regression model. 5) Lupper had positive relationships with Icl and Mtotal, but Llower did not. Subjects hardly changed Llower under environmental comfort conditions between March and October. This indicates that each of the Tchest, Mtotal, and Lupper was a factor in predicting Icl. Tinnermost might also be a more influential factor than the clothing microclimate temperature.

Thermo-sensitive chitosan–cellulose derivative hydrogels: swelling behaviour and morphologic studies

“…Thus, these results corroborate with the study reported by Sarkar (1979). Although the incorporation of NaCl salt in the HPMC solution reduced the LCST value, this decrease it was insufficient to reach the pretended skin-clothes microclimate temperature (28-34°C) (Kwon and Choi 2013;Parkova and Vilumsone 2011;Zhang et al 2012). …”

“…6a. In order to adjust the HPMC gel point temperature towards human skin-clothes microclimate temperature (28-34°C; Kwon and Choi 2013;Parkova and Vilumsone 2011;Zhang et al 2012), CH was added with different ratios. Nevertheless, this CH incorporation induced an increase in the LCST value instead of decrease to values similar to human skin-clothes interface temperature.…”

The Volumetric Analysis of the Human Body as Starting Point for Clothing Pattern Design

“…The air, which serves as an insulator, gets trapped inside the clothing microclimate (as well as within the fabrics and between the layers of the fabrics). The clothing microclimate generally refers to the air layer nearest to the skin when people wear clothing [9]. The geometry of the surface changes and the stacking fabrics one over another may result in the additional air being enclosed between the layers of the fabrics during formation of the garments.…”

Sunscreen Use and Sweat Production in Men and Women

“…A few studies 4,5 have shown that clothing does indeed limit convection and evaporation. With this in mind, authors [6][7][8][9] have investigated sweat-production patterns in males and females, and several manufacturers have claimed to design clothing that facilitates thermoregulation by improving sweat evaporation from the skin. The use of sunscreen lotions, however, has not received much attention in association with a potential limitation of sweat production.…”