Evaluation of thermal performance of suits with different outer-fabric air permeability using a thermal manikin

Abstract

Thermal resistance assessments of clothing are typically performed under still-air conditions; however, actual wearing environments require consideration of airflow effects. This study investigated women's suits of identical design differing solely in the air permeability of the outer-fabric, to evaluate thermal performance under still-air and airflow conditions using a thermal manikin. Under still-air conditions, minimal differences in mean manikin skin surface temperature were observed among the samples. In contrast, under airflow conditions, samples with higher outer-fabric air permeability exhibited greater decreases in mean manikin skin surface temperature. This tendency was particularly pronounced under the posterior airflow condition, whereas differences among samples were relatively small under the anterior airflow condition. These findings indicate that the influence of outer-fabric air permeability is difficult to detect under still-air conditions but becomes evident as differences in thermal performance under airflow conditions. These results suggest that evaluations conducted solely under still-air conditions may not fully characterize the thermal performance of garments under actual wearing conditions.