Application of Combined Micro- and Macro-Scale Models to Investigate Heat and Mass Transfer through Textile Structures with Additional Ventilation

Abstract

In this study, computational models of heat and mass exchange through textile structures with additional ventilation at the micro- and macro-scale were investigated. The finite element analysis of advanced textile materials provides a better understanding of their heat and mass transfer properties, which influence thermal comfort. The developed computational models can predict air permeability (AP), thermal resistance (Rct), and heat transfer (h) coefficients at the micro-scale. Moreover, the mesh size was taken into consideration and validated with experimental data presented in the literature. In addition, computational models were extended to micro- and macro-scale forced ventilation models. Macro-scale finite element models require input parameters such as an effective heat transfer coefficient that are usually obtained experimentally. In this research, the heat transfer coefficients (hmicrolayer = 25.603 W/(K·m2), htotal = 8.9646 W/(K·m2)) were obtained numerically from the micro-scale model and were applied to a macro-scale model. The proposed methodology and developed models facilitate the determination of average temperature and temperature distributions through different through-thickness positions along the axis Oz. The simulations were carried out using Comsol Multiphysics and Matlab software.