Standard test methods for measuring thermal resistance (Rt) are intended for items in a dry state. Water is introduced to clothing by perspiration, condensation, precipitation, or immersion, which significantly reduces insulation. This study determined clothing dry times using a whole-body thermal manikin to examine the length of time and the transient nature of reduced insulation of wet clothing. Two methods were used to wet the clothing: method E submerged clothing in water before dressing on the manikin and method I used the thermal manikin sweating mechanism to wet the clothing. In conjunction with the wetting methods, two methods were used to determine clothing dry time: in method S, the clothing was considered to be “dry” based on steady-state heat flux values, and in method N, the clothing was considered to be “dry” when the Rt measurement of wet clothing reached 90% of the dry baseline Rt. The environmental conditions were specific to the wetting methods and set to air temperature (Ta) 10°C, relative humidity (RH) 50%, and air velocity (va) 0.4 m/s for method E, and Ta 35°C, 40 %RH, and va 0.4 m/s for method I. Drying times for method I-N were 195 ± 12, 114 ± 17, and 171 ± 34 min (mean ± SD) for cotton blend, lightweight synthetic, and midweight synthetic ensembles, respectively. Method E-S produced drying times of 267 ± 19, 353 ± 75, and 268 ± 4 min (mean ± SD), and method E-N produced drying times of 218 ± 7, 216 ± 7, and 104 ± 7 min (mean ± SD) for cotton, synthetic, and wool ensembles, respectively. Method E-N provided the most consistent results based on a low standard deviation for repeated trials of ensembles and therefore would be the recommended approach for determining clothing dry time on a thermal manikin.
Author Information
Rioux, Timothy, P.
Biophysics and Biomedical Modeling Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA, US
Santee, William, R.
Biophysics and Biomedical Modeling Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA, USOak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, TN, US
Xu, Xiaojiang
Biophysics and Biomedical Modeling Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA, US
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