The development and initial validation of a virtual dripping sweat rate and a clothing wetness ratio for use in predictive heat strain models

Abstract

This paper applies the heat balance equation (HBE) for clothed subjects as a linear function of mean skin temperature (t sk ) by a new sweating efficiency (η sw ) and an approximation for the thermoregulatory sweat rate. The equation predicting t sk in steady state conditions was derived as the solution of the HBE and used for a predictive heat strain scale. The heat loss from the wet clothing (WCL) area was identified with a new variable of 'virtual dripping sweat rate VDSR' (S wdr ). This is a subject's un-evaporated sweat rate in dry clothing from the regional sweat rate exceeding the maximum evaporative capacity, and adds the moisture to the clothing, reducing the intrinsic clothing insulation. The S wdr allowed a mass balance analysis of the wet clothing area identified as clothing wetness (w cl ). The w cl was derived by combining the HBE at the WCL surface from which the evaporation rate and skin heat loss from WCL region are given. Experimental results on eight young male subjects wearing typical summer clothing, T-shirt and trousers verified the model for predicting t sk with WCL thermal resistance (R cl,w ) identified as 25 % of dry clothing (R cl,d ).