Evaluation of the Properties and Clothing Comfort of the Scandinavian Ski Dress in Wear Trials

Abstract

Wear trials of a woven and a knitted Scandinavian cross-country ski dress with identical underwear and other garments were performed in a climatic chamber on 5 subjects who walked at -9°C on a treadmill with a 5% grade for a total of 2 hr, changing the velocity of the walk every 20 mins from 4.1 to 6.7 km/hr. The energy output corresponded to 200, and 350 kcal/m²hr, respectively.

One-half of the produced sweat did not evaporate during the experiments and remained trapped in the clolh ing. Though the dress proper and its underwear covered two-thirds of the body surface area (trunk, arms, thighs), more than one-half of the not evaporated sweat was found in the garments of the peripheral area (head, hands, legs, feet). The vest contained a high amount of water, and the same partial pressure of water vapor was recorded in the spaces on either side of it, indicating that the beginning of the effective diffusion gradient through the clothing was shifted from the skin to the outer side of the vest. In the absence of wind in the trials, the clinging knitted dress assembly had a higher thermal resistance than the loosely cut woven one. But, subjectively, the woven assembly was felt to be warmer than the knitted which contained more trapped sweat.

The rectal and skin temperature, the temperature and humidity in the spaces between the clothing, and the subjective thermal and humidity sensations reflected well, by regular oscillations, the cyclic changes in the intensity of metabolism. The general thermal sensations correlated better with the weighted average of the rectal and mean skin temperature than with either temperature alone. However, in the quick walking periods, the general thermal sensations were the same as the sensations in the peripheral body area, while the rating of the sensations in the central area under the dress proper was distinctly lower. Special attention should be paid to the role of the peripheral parts of the body in the evalua tion of clothing comfort.

Keywords

Wear trials human subjects Scandinavian cross-country ski dress peripheral area garments. Low temperature climatic chamber treadmill exercise intermittent (cyclic) work. Skin temperature rectal temperature thermal sensa tion thermal sensation rating thermal resistance (clothing)thermal comfort. Sweating evaporation humidity measurement humidity sensation humidity sensation rating water vapor resistance (clothing). Clothing comfort.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Brebbia, D.R. , Goldman, R.F. , and Buskirk, E.R. , Water Vapor Loss from the Respiratory Tract During Outdoor Exercise in the Cold, J. Appl. Physiol. 11, 219-222 (1957).

Clulow, E. and Rees, H.W. , The Transmission of Heat through Textile Fabrics, J. Textile Inst. 59, 285-294 (1968).

Durnin, J.V.G.A. , Brockway, J.M. , and Whitcher , H.W. , Effects of a Short Period of Training of Varying Severity on Some Measurements of Physical Fitness , J. Appl. Physiol. 15, 161-165 (1960).

Fanger, P.O. , Calculation of Thermal Comfort: Introduction of a Basic Comfort Equation, ASHRAE Trans. 73, II, 1-16 (1967).

Fourt, L. and Hollies, N.R.S. , The Comfort and Function of Clothing; Techn. Rep. 69-74-CE, U. S. Army, Natick, Mass. (1969).

Gagge, A.P. , Stolwijk, J.A.J. , and Hardy, J.D. , Comfort and Thermal Sensations and Associated Physiological Responses at Various Ambient Temperatures, Environ. Res. 1, 1-20 (1967)

Gagge, A.P. , Stolwijk, J.A.J. , and Saltin, B. , Comfort and Thermal Sensationsand Associated Physiological Responses during Exercise at Various Ambient Temperatures, Environ. Res. 2, 209-229 (1969).

Hermansen, L. and Andersen, K.L. , Aerobic Work Capacity in Young Norwegian Men and Women, J. Appl. Physiol. 20, 425-431 (1965).

Hermansen, L. and Saltin, B. , Oxygen Uptake during Maximal Treadmill and Bicycle Exercise, J. Appl. Physiol. 26, 31-37 (1969).

10.

Jelliffe, D.B. , The Assessment of the Nutritional Status of the Community, World Health Organization, Geneva (1966).

11.

Newburgh, L.H. , Physiology of Heat Regulation and the Science of Clothing, Saunders, Philadelphia , 1949.

12.

Scholander, P.F. , Analyzer for Accurate Estimation of Respiratory Gases in one-half Cubic Centimeter Sample, J. Binl. Chem. 167, 234-250 (1947).

13.

Snellen, J.W. , Mean Body Temperature and the Control of Thermal Sweating, Acta Physiol. Pliarmacol. Neerl. 14, 99-174 (1966).

14.

Vokac, Z. , Køpke, V. , and Keül, P. , Effect of Cooling of Peripheral Parts of the Body on General Thermal Comfort , Textile Res. J. 41, 827-833 (1971).

15.

Weiner, J.S. , The Regional Distribution of Sweating, J. Physiol. 104, 32-40 (1945).

16.

Whelan, M.E. , MacHattie, L.E. , Goodings, A.C. , and Turl, L.H. , The Diffusion of Water Vapor through Laminae with Particular Reference to Textile Fabrics, Textile Res. J. 25, 197-223 (1955).