THE EFFECT OF AMBIENT VAPOR PRESSURE ON CLOTHING MICROCLIMATE AND SUBJECTIVE RESPONSE

A WEARING TEST OF THE COMBINATION CLOTHING OF COTTON, POLYESTER AND MODIFIED POLYESTER

Abstract

The influence of clothing material on the clothing microclimate and sensation was investigated when subjects wore shirts and trousers made of cotton, polyester or modified polyester knitted fabric at the left and right half bodies simultaneously. Ambient vapor pressure was changed in warm environment. Temperatures and humidities on the clothing and on the skin at back, oral temperature, weight loss, and subjective response were measured throughout 2 hours experiment.
Results showed that each subject had a specific pattern for physiological responses. The rate of temperature change in the clothing microclimate inside the cotton clothing was faster than that inside the polyester clothing both at the increasing and decreasing period of ambient humidity for the cotton/polyester system. The microclimate difference could be observed between two different kinds of polyesters at the decreasing period of the humidity. The rate of temperature descent for the modified polyester colthing was faster than that for the conventional polyester clothing. The difference of wearing sensation caused by clothing material characteristics was especially observed in the sense of soaking for clothing. A paired comparison with different material clothings on the left and right half bodies is available to evaluate clothing microclimate or subjective response caused by a little change in environment.