Local thermal discomfort in low temperature environments

Abstract

Human local parts have different thermal responses to low temperature environment. The objective of this paper is to find out the most sensitive parts which are extremely discomforting in low temperature environments. Based on previous experimental data, the relationship among skin temperature, air temperature, and clothing insulation was fitted, and the neutral skin temperatures were obtained. The local skin temperatures at different parts of the human body were compared with neutral skin temperatures in different air temperatures and clothes. The results showed that the local parts of foot, hand, upper arm, and calf deviated far from the neutral condition and were selected as the principal parts to be warmed. The findings are significant to improve human local thermal discomfort.