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This paper gives a bibliographical review of the finite element methods (FEMs) applied to the analysis of ceramics and glass materials. The bibliography at the end of the paper contains references to papers, conference proceedings and theses/dissertations on the subject that were published between 1977‐1998. The following topics are included: ceramics – material and mechanical properties in general, ceramic coatings and joining problems, ceramic composites, ferrites, piezoceramics, ceramic tools and machining, material processing simulations, fracture mechanics and damage, applications of ceramic/composites in engineering; glass – material and mechanical properties in general, glass fiber composites, material processing simulations, fracture mechanics and damage, and applications of glasses in engineering.

Examines the fifthteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

Examines the fourteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

Firefighters are exposed to high outdoor temperature and heat stress caused by metabolic activities during firefighting and should wear protective clothing to ensure their safety and health. Traditional firefighter protective suits are bulky and heavy garments with reduced thermal comfort properties since the fabric thickness and moisture barrier layers prevent heat transfer of the garment and cause additional heat stress. The aim of this study is to reduce heat stress by creating a new fabric design with silica aerogel membrane as a moisture barrier for three-layer fabric system.

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers were produced with three different silica aerogel contents and used for three-layered clothing system as a moisture barrier for giving desired protectiveness and thermal comfort to firefighters. Different fabric combinations were designed using two types of outer shell fabrics, two types of moisture barrier fabrics, two types of thermal barrier fabrics and PAN/silica aerogel membranes.

The results show that a lighter fabric system with improved wearer’s mobility and thermal comfort properties (thermal resistance and moisture permeability) is achieved with the use of PAN/silica aerogel membrane as an intermediate layer compared to commercial thermal protective fabric systems.

Differently from traditional thermal protective clothing, which may not provide adequate protection in long-term heat conditions or when exposed to flash fire, a new thermal protective clothing has been developed to be used in extremely hot environments, providing desired technical and performance properties, ease to wear comfort.

In the present work, the thermal insulation characteristics of multilayered mittens were studied in different airflow conditions.

In this study, the thermal behavior of four groups of mittens consisting of one two-layer and three three-layer mittens containing nonwoven wadding materials with various weights and thicknesses was investigated during the exposure to airflows with different speeds. In order to evaluate the correlation between the heat transfer rates of different mittens with the human perception of cold, a set of pair-comparison tests was performed using Thurstone's law of comparative judgment.

The analysis of the results revealed that by an increment in the weight and the thickness of the wadding material, the thermal protection performance of mittens improves. Moreover, in the presence of airflow and by increasing its speed, due to the forced convective heat loss, the outer surface temperature of the mittens decreases and therefore the conductive heat transfer rate rises. This fact leads to the transfer of higher quantity of body warmth to the environment and thus feeling of coldness. According to the results, there was a proper correlation between the subjective perception of cold and the heat transfer rate of mittens. The statistical analysis of the results clarified that the effect of mitten's structural parameters and the airflow speed on the thermal protection behavior of mittens are significant at the confidence range of 95%.

Mitten is one of the important personal protective clothing, especially in cold environments. Thus, the thermal resistance of them has a prominent role in the protection of the hands and fingers from cold and frostbiting.

Examines the thirteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the heat transfer on an alpine‐climbing mitt featuring an electrical heating multilayer, in order to provide information for the optimization of its thermal performance.

A numerical model was developed to simulate the heat transfer across an electrical‐heated alpine mitt. The model was used to study the heat losses as a function of the environmental conditions, to optimise the positioning of the heating elements, to determine the optimal power input to the heating system, to estimate the battery capacity requirements and to assess the effect of low‐emissivity surfaces.

The results show that: the heating elements assure approximately constant temperatures across the skin provided they are not more than 6‐7 mm apart; the use of low‐emissivity surfaces facing the skin can reduce the total heat loss by 8‐36 per cent (for air layer thicknesses in the range 10⁻³ to 10⁻² m) and to increase the skin temperature during the transient operation of the heating multilayer; the heat losses from the mitt are practically independent of the chosen heating power; and a battery capacity of 4 A h assures active temperature regulation for more than 18‐23 h.

By enhancing the thermal performance of an electrical heating mitt, the use of low‐emissivity surfaces (facing the skin) can favour the thermal comfort perception of its user.

The influence of several parameters on the thermal performance of an electrical‐heated mitt is analysed and discussed. The findings are relevant for improving the performance of existing electrical heating garments.

Examines the fifteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

Examines the sixteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

Examines the seventeenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.