AN INVESTIGATION ON THE EFFECTS OF BODY MOTION, CLOTHING DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ON THE CLOTHING THERMAL INSULATION BY USING A FABRIC MANIKIN

Abstract

The effects of body motion, clothing design and environmental conditions on the thermal insulation of clothing systems were investigated by using a newly developed fabric manikin. The manikin was covered with four typical clothing systems, and the changes of thermal insulation of these clothing systems and the heat lost from the clothed manikin were examined under various walking speeds (0–1.2 km/hr), wind velocities (0–2.2 m/s), and ambient temperature (—20°C–20°C) inside an environmental chamber. Out of this work, better understanding of the reduction of thermal insulation, owing to the combined effects of body motion and wind, are achieved. Also, the work showed the significant effect of ambient temperature on the effective clothing thermal insulation and the advantage of using aluminium foil in the construction of clothing for use in cold environments. Finally, the work revealed the fact that body motion can have a very significant effect on the clothing thermal insulation even though body activity is low. This explains why people, when they feel cold, like to increase their activity level in order to increase heat production rather than reduce their activity level to reduce the heat lost.

Citation

Fan, J. and Keighley, J.H. (1991), "AN INVESTIGATION ON THE EFFECTS OF BODY MOTION, CLOTHING DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ON THE CLOTHING THERMAL INSULATION BY USING A FABRIC MANIKIN", International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, Vol. 3 No. 5, pp. 6-13. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb002981