A STUDY ON THERMAL SENSATION WHEN WEARING CLOTHES OF THE SAME CLO VALUE FOCUSING ON HEAT RETENTION IN THE LOWER LIMBS

Abstract

Our study involved 12 adult females. In the first series, we compared clothing conditions O and C, both of which have a clo value of 1.00 clo at 21.2°C. The clo values of clothes at the lower extremities were 0.27 and 0.45 under conditions O and C, respectively. In the second series, we compared clothing conditions S and L, both of which have a clo value of 0.22 clo at 28.2°C. The clo values of clothes at the lower extremities were 0.06 and 0.10 under conditions S and L, respectively. When comparing the clothing conditions between O and C, no significant difference was found in the whole-body thermal sensation. However, local thermal sensations for the lower legs and feet were considerably higher under clothing condition C than those under clothing condition O. Similarly, when comparing the clothing conditions between S and L, no significant difference was found in the whole-body thermal sensation. However, local thermal sensations for the thighs were substantially higher under clothing condition L than those under clothing condition S. In many instances across both series, a remarkable correlation between the whole-body and local thermal sensations was observed.