Abstract
In order to confirm the validity of qmax, the maximum heat flux when a heat plate with constant heat touches fabrics, as an objective measure of warm/cool feeling, some sensory tests were carried out. Following two types of tests were adopted.
(1) Sensory tests using a metal heat plate to examine the basic characteristics of warm/cool feeling as sensory phenomena.
(2) Sensory tests on fabric warm/cool feeling to examine the relation between qmaxand warm/cool feeling ratings, influence of environmental temperature and effect of fabric surface structure. Following results were obtained.
(1) From the sensory tests using a metal plate, it is concluded that an imperceptible temperature of skin of hand (Tn) is determined by skin temperature (Ts) and Tn is 3-4°C lower than Tsand that difference threshold is 1-2°C at controll temperature 20-35°C. and it is recognized that difference threshold become worse when controll temperature become high near body temperature.
(2) From the sensory tests on fabric warm/cool feeling, following results were obtained.
(a) Correlation between gmaX and warm/cool feeling ratings is high.
(b) Perception of fabric warm/cool feeling become dull when an environmental temperature is near a body temperature.
(c) The critical thickness that fabric shows its own warm/cool feeling is about 1mm, and when thickness is lower than 1mm, judgement does not become so consistent.
These results support the validity of gmax, the maximum initial heat flux, as an objective measure of warm/cool feeling.
