Abstract:

In the design of innovative, protective clothing, thermal comfort is of great importance. One of the key factors affecting thermal comfort is the thermal conductivity of clothing. This study aims to show through theoretical estimations that the effective thermal conductivity of moist clothing could expedite the development process. In this study, we present two theoretical models: a linear model and upgraded model. The upgraded model considers the thermal conductivity of air within the clothing and its volume porosity. For verification of the models presented, the impact of moisture on the thermal conductivity of cotton knit fabric was examined experimentally using the contact hot plate method. Correlation analysis shows that the upgraded model has an important advantage as it can predict the stabilisation of effective thermal conductivity.