An advanced three-dimensional thermoregulation model of the human body: Development and validation

Abstract

An advanced three-dimensional (3D) human thermoregulation model was developed to depict the temperature distribution throughout the skin surface and inside the body. In this model, the human body was divided into 15 segments and the geometries of limbs were modeled as truncated circular cones to mimic physical geometries of upper arms, forearms, thighs, and lower legs. In the present model, heat conduction through the interfaces between the adjacent segments was considered, and the thermal conductivity of each segment was considered as a function of segmental temperature. Moreover, the boundary condition all over the human skin surface varied with respect to the local position, and the heat exchange between skin and its surrounding environment depended on the local skin temperature and the corresponding segment temperature. This 3D model was later validated against the documented experimental data where a good agreement was found. Therefore, the present 3D thermoregulatory model could be used to predict skin and core temperatures in various settings (different environments, clothing & activities) with a good accuracy. This 3D model could visualize the detailed temperature distributions over the whole skin and inside the human body, which could contribute to the study of local thermal comfort and smart clothing design.