Multidisciplinary clothing design testing: the thermal properties of clothing related to microclimatic volume

Former studies done by other authors investigated the first - and the second - layered air gaps beneath the clothing garments. But none of those studies reported multidisciplinary clothing design testing approach linking both the objective measuring methods and subjective responses, while testing thermal properties linked to a microclimatic volume formed between layers of garments forming the ensemble. A threshold volume, after which the thermal insulation will start to decrease due to convection, wasn’t determined for outerwear garments. The aim was to evaluate the volume of the microclimatic air using accurate 3D body scanning and 3D CAD tool reverse engineering process. Later the impact of the microclimatic volume on the ensemble’s insulation, measured by means of the thermal manikin, for outerwear garments was examined. Study proved that limiting microclimatic volume is greater for three – layered clothing, than previously reported. The jacket with the smaller microclimatic volume, provided 5.2 to 13.5% less insulation than wider jackets. Generally, the ensembles with tighter jackets showed 0.74 to 1.9% less insulation in static, and 0.9 to 2.7% more insulation in dynamic conditions. The effective thermal insulation value was reduced for 20.98% to 25.34% between standing and moving manikin. The thermal manikins are designed for steady-state measurements and don’t work well under transient conditions so three human subjects were employed as evaluators of the clothing thermal quality. In cooler climatic conditions, the measured physiological parameters and subjects’ grades pointed to discomfort while wearing ensembles with tighter jackets.