Abstract
Today's three-dimensional (3-D) whole body digitizers provide accurate representations of the surface of the human body relatively quickly and easily. These 3-D data provide a novel means for visualizing and quantifying the interface between the user and their clothing or equipment. In this paper we discuss how images from a Cyberware 3-D whole body digitizer are used to determine local and global distributions of air gaps in single and multilayer clothing systems. Quantifying air gap sizes and distributions and their effects on clothing thermal insulation is one aspect of a multidisciplinary research effort directed toward improving flame/thermal protective clothing. We begin with our method for collecting and editing the scan data. We then describe how we identify and quantify air gaps in the clothing systems. Examples are given that show concordance between air gap distribution and burn patterns obtained from full-scale manikin fire tests. We finish with a discussion of the role 3-D digitizing will play in the development of burn test simulation software. The simulation software will incorporate scan data, lab-and full-scale burn test results.
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