Effectiveness of an Air-Cooled Vest Using Selected Air Temperature and Humidity Combinations,
Abstract
We evaluated the effectiveness of an air-cooled vest in reducing thermal strain when supplied with five different dry bulb (db) and dew point (dp) temperature combinations. The combinations were selected to determine minimal air conditioning requirements for various military vehicles. Four male soldiers attempted twelve, 300-min heat exposures (49 C db, 20 C dp) at metabolic rates of 175 and 315 W. They wore chemical protective clothing over the combat vehicle crewman uniform; on ten of the test days, they also wore the air-cooled vest. Air supplied to the vest ranged from 20-27 C db, 7-18 C dp. Without the vest, endurance times were 118 min (175 W) and 73 min (315 W). Endurance times with the vest were 300 min (175 W) and 242-300 min (315 W). Rectal temperatures, heart rates and sweating rates were reduced dramatically with the air at the lower dry bulb temperature. We conclude that effective combinations of cooled and dehumidified air can be provided on military vehicles to reduce the crewmen's thermal strain, with minimized size and weight penalties.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA162026
Entities
People
- C. B. Wenger
- Henry M. Cosimini
- Michael N. Sawka
- Nanvy A. Primental
Organizations
- United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine