Assessment of Evaporative Heat Flux Through Wicking Fabrics Using a Sweating Guarded Hot Plate
Abstract
This study details a technique for comparing the evaporative capacity of fabrics. A Sweating Guarded Hot Plate (SGHP) was used to measure peak evaporative heat flux. In addition to the method we introduce, two commonly-used moisture transfer tests were performed for comparison, a longitudinal wicking strip test, and ASTM F1868-17 SGHP analysis of evaporative resistance. Thermal resistance was also measured on the SGHP. Results: The evaporative heat flux test was able to distinguish heat transfer differences between the six fabrics tested with peak rates ranging from 75 and 143 W/m2. The mean absolute error between observed and expected results was 3.4 5.9% with a coefficient of variation of 4.5% across all tests. The peak heat flux rate was moderately correlated to the evaporative potential, (im/clo) of each fabric (R = 0.63) but was not correlated with longitudinal wickability as determined by wicking strip test (R = -0.06). While more research is needed to establish best practices for the evaporative heat flux test, it appears useful for distinguishing unique heat transfer properties of fabrics.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1096019
Entities
People
- Adam W Potter
- Alexander P. Welles
- David P. Looney
- Gabrielle A Biby
- Julio A. Gonzalez
- Larry G. Berglund
- Timothy P. Rioux
- Xiaojiang Xu
Organizations
- United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine