Research Symposium

BIO

People-oriented Psychology student that has a broad interest in varying topics of research. Currently involved in a state-of-the-art Textile Lab with Dr. McQuerry in the College of Retail Entrepreneurship. Personal current research includes Florida public high school teachers' perceptions of Title IX and future projects include Workplace b-fubing. My academic goals are to attend a graduate school that best fits my interests in Industrial Organizational Psychology.

Relationship Between Fabric Thickness and Thermal Insulation for Upper Body Outerwear

Abstract

The garment layering and subsequent air gaps of multi-layered clothing can have a significant impact on wearer comfort (Havenith, 1999). As the number of layers and fabric thickness increases so does the body's resistance to heat transfer (Figure 1). Even in cold weather climates when enhanced thermal insulation is necessary it is still important that the wearer can adequately lose heat from the body. Clothing companies want to ensure their products perform appropriately in their intended
climates. Figure 1. Schematic representation of fabric and air layer contribution to total thermal heat transfer resistance (Havenith, 1999). The purpose of this research was to determine the thermal insulation of cold weather jackets of various fiber contents, fabric thickness, and layering configurations. Each outerwear garment was tested on an ANDI dynamic sweating thermal manikin. Three replicate dry tests were performed per garment according to ASTM F 1291 Standard Test Method for Measuring the Thermal Insulation of Clothing Using a Heated Manikin. A dry test measures heat transfer, the flow of heat from the internally heated manikin, through the ensemble into the environment. Measurements included total thermal resistance (Rt) (insulation)provided by the garment, air layers, and mankin; intrinsic thermal resistance (Rcl) supplied by the garment only, and total insulation value (It) in clo. This research discusses the thermal insulation results in relation to the fabric thickness of each jacket.

Keywords: textiles, insulative clothing, thermal insulation