Effectiveness of Five Water-Cooled Undergarments in Reducing Heat Stress of Vehicle Crewmen Operating in a Hot Wet or Hot Dry Environment
Abstract
The auxiliary cooling provided by five water-cooled undergarments was directly measured on a life-size, sectional manikin. Each water-cooled undergarment was worn with a combat vehicle crewman (CVC) ensemble, with or without a complete chemical protective (CB) suit. Cooling rates (watts) were determined for both dry (non-sweating) and completely wet (maximal sweating) skin conditions. The watts of heat removed from either the dry or the completely wet skin surface were found to be almost directly proportional to the temperature difference between the manikin skin temperature and the cooling water inlet temperature; the cooling represents the absorption of heat directly from the body, plus any heat that is received by the body from a hot environment. The cooling density, expressed in watts of cooling per square meter of cooling tube array, differed with the size of the array and with the location of the skin surface it covered. Comparison between the dry skin and the completely wet skin surface and the completely wet skin cooling rates showed a synergistic effect over those areas covered by a water-cooled undergarment; i.e. the total watts of cooling over a completely wet skin area (head, torso, etc.) minus the expected evaporative heat loss from the same skin area to the environment, were considerably greater than the watts of cooling when the skin was dry.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA107105
Entities
People
- George F. Fonseca
Organizations
- United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine