Accelerated Drying of Wet Boots
Abstract
Much has been written about materials known as 'super absorbers' with respect to their ability to keep the skin dry in the presence of moisture. One such material is sodium polyacrylate. Because recent field trials with Canadian Forces soldiers have reconfirmed that donning wet combat boots is very uncomfortable, a study was done to assess the efficacy of using sodium polyacrylate based drying pads to dry wet combat boots in a simulated field environment. The boot used in this study was non-insulated, had a water resistant full grain leather upper, and lined with a waterproof, water-vapour permeable membrane covered with a nylon inner liner. A dry boot and pad were weighed and the boot was wetted inside and out. After the boot was removed from the water and the water poured out of the boot, a drying pad was placed inside the boot and the entire system was placed on electronic scales connected to a computer. The wetting characteristics of the pad and the drying characteristics of the boot were monitored and analysed at two temperatures, 15.8 deg. C and 23.3 deg. C. The pad absorbed water very quickly, within about 30 minutes. It does not, however, pick up very much moisture, 62.9 to 78.9 grams. It is postulated that a soldier will require at least 4-6 pads for drying his/her wet weather boots in the field.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA417255
Entities
People
- Walter R. Dyck
Organizations
- Defence Research and Development Canada