Abstract
This paper explains the effect of three different radiant heat exposures (10 kW/m2, 25 kW/m2 and 35 kW/m2) on the skin of different age-grouped fire-fighters at their different body location. A multi-layer fire-retardant garment (outer-shell, moisture barrier, and thermal-liner), an air-gap between fabric and skin, and the human-skin itself are considered in the present numerical investigation. Pennes bio heat transfer model which includes varied skin thickness, blood perfusion rate, metabolism rate, and other thermo physical properties of the skin based on their age and body-locations have been included in this study. Skin temperature obtained from the present numerical model is validated with the experimental result. The influence of different age and body segments of the firefighters on the temperature distribution as well as the thermal damage in the tissue is analyzed. The results demonstrate that the age of the firefighters adversely affects the performance of the protective gear since the protection time is comparatively alleviated for elderly firefighters. Source temperature significantly affects the burn times. For firefighters in the middle and older age groups, the time required for a first-degree burn is reduced by up to 68.89% and 73.59%, respectively, when the source temperature is increased from 780 K to 980 K. Torso is the least affected body segment at high heat exposure followed by legs and arms. The outcomes of this study can be used to create firefighter protection gear that better shields different body parts and firemen of different ages.
Published Version
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