Evaluation of the feasibility of using skin temperature to predict overall thermal sensation in non-uniform thermal environments

Abstract

Skin temperature is an important physiological parameter that reflects human thermal sensation. However, it is uncertain whether it can evaluate overall thermal sensation in non-uniform thermal environments. This study aims to explore the feasibility of using skin temperature to predict overall thermal sensation in non-uniform environments. The overall thermal sensation votes and skin temperatures were obtained in a non-uniform thermal environment with local cooling on the chest in a climate chamber. The predictive power of the representative skin temperature (RST) estimated from five different methods was examined by analysing its sensitivity and the correlation between the overall thermal sensation and the RST. The RSTs estimated from the 7-point method with the measurement site of trunk assigned on the chest and the 1-point method with a measurement site at the centre of the chest had high sensitivity and coefficients of determination. They could reflect overall thermal sensation in the non-uniform environments with local cooling on the chest. The results imply that skin temperature could be used to evaluate overall thermal sensation in non-uniform environments. The overall thermal sensation in non-uniform environments can be evaluated by the RST if, when determining the RST, the measuring site exposed to local cooling is involved and given a high weight.