Clothing insulation

Clothing insulation is the thermal insulation provided by clothing. Clothing insulation is the thermal insulation provided by clothing. Even if the main role of clothing is to protect from the cold, protective clothing also exists to protect from heat, such as for metallurgical workers or firemen. As regards thermal comfort, only the first case is considered. There are three kinds of heat transfer: conduction (exchange of heat through contact), convection (movement of fluids), and radiation. Air has a low thermal conductivity but is very mobile. There are thus two elements that are important in protecting from the cold: Another important factor is humidity. Water is a better conductor of heat than air, thus if clothes are damp — because of sweat, rain, or immersion — water replaces some or all of the air between the fibres of the clothing, causing thermal loss through conduction and/or evaporation.