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Tolerable range of abdomen and waist skin temperature for heating-capable smart garments

Soyoung Kim (Research Institute of Human Ecology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea )
Kyunghi Hong (Department of Clothing and Textiles, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea)
Heeran Lee (Department of Material Design Engineering, Kumoh National Institute of Technology, Gumi, Republic of Korea )

International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology

ISSN: 0955-6222

Article publication date: 6 December 2021

Issue publication date: 14 December 2021

109

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to provide information on how to monitor the temperature setting of a heating device in order to implement a heating unit successfully in the smart clothing by observing voluntary heating behavior of wearers.

Design/methodology/approach

Subjects wearing base layers and additional clothing were asked to turn on and off the switch when wanted in the cold environmental chamber. Tolerable range of skin temperature (TST) depending on the location of body was obtained by observing the temperature at the time when the heating device was turned on and off during a rest–running–rest protocol.

Findings

The TST was 32.8–49.4 °C and decreased to 31.3–37.6 °C around abdomen and back waist, respectively. Changes in the wearers' voluntary control behavior were observed depending on the individual's level of cold-sensitivity and activity level of rest and running. TST was 35.8–49.4 °C (Rest 1: rest before exercise), 40.0–42.0 °C (Running) and 35.3–43.2 °C (Rest 2: rest after exercise) for cold-sensitive group, whereas it was 32.8–36.2 °C (Running) and 34.4–45.7 °C (Rest 2: rest after exercise) for cold-insensitive group.

Originality/value

In this study, results with detailed body locations and wearer's thermal sensitivity provide practical references for the implementation of a heating device to the comfortable multilayered smart clothing.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr. Okkyung Lee of CNU for her assistance in this article.

Citation

Kim, S., Hong, K. and Lee, H. (2021), "Tolerable range of abdomen and waist skin temperature for heating-capable smart garments", International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, Vol. 33 No. 6, pp. 929-941. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCST-02-2020-0012

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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