Abstract
Aircrew need to wear an immersion suit to protect against hypothermia in the unlikely event of crashing into cold water. These clothing configurations provide insulation and water tight seals to reduce body heat loss in water; however, heat loss will also be impaired during normal flying activities in a warm cockpit. Therefore, this study evaluated the heat exchange properties of the Aircrew Protective Clothing Configuration (APCC) to determine the limitations it may impose to work in warm environments.
Highlights
Aircrew need to wear an immersion suit to protect against hypothermia in the unlikely event of crashing into cold water
Work duration in the Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) range of 24-30 °C was much shorter for the Constant Wear Immersion Suit (CWIS) compared to the flying suit (FLY) ensembles (Figure 1)
Protecting aircrew from hypothermia will elevate heat strain and restrict work duration in the WBGT range of 24-30 °C compared to wearing standard flight suits
Summary
Aircrew need to wear an immersion suit to protect against hypothermia in the unlikely event of crashing into cold water. The CWIS configurations had a distinctly higher evaporative resistance than the FLY configurations, which increased with additional undergarments (FLY-1: 0.039; FLY-2: 0.043; FLY-3: 0.051; CWIS-1: 0.062; CWIS-2: 0.070; CWIS-3: 0.073 kPa.m2.W-1). Work duration in the WBGT range of 24-30 °C was much shorter for the CWIS compared to the FLY ensembles (Figure 1).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
