UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #855

Overall Research Project Description The development of manual model performance data for thermal comfort in a wetsuit aims to create new standards for optimal wetsuit thickness guidelines and correlating water temperature table for safer diving for leisure and prolonged underwater occupations, i.e., military, rescue, and construction, resulting in fewer cold stress incidents.

Problem/Issue and Research Questions
As a protective clothing item for water sports and underwater occupations, the wetsuit is a significant piece of gear that shields the human body during immersion in cold water, reducing total heat loss and maintaining body temperature. Wetsuits are widely applied in water sports clothing (e.g., surfing, triathlon, scuba diving) and categorized by different styles (e.g., shorty, spring, convertible, full, hooded) and with broad ranges of thickness (from 1 to 7 mm). Wetsuits are also critical pieces for some occupations, such as the military, search and rescue teams, underwater construction, and exploration. In other words, wetsuits and thermal insulation suits with a single layer made for warmth and protection play an important role in reducing the rate of heat buildup and perspiration on the skin caused by exposure to cold water and minimizing cold stress in critically dangerous, unexpected, and prolonged submersion situations.

Therefore, the key purpose of this study is to develop a manual performance model of wetsuits considering varied material thicknesses among different water temperatures and make a new wetsuit prototype.