Experimental Measurement and Prediction of Thermal Resistance in Paratrooper Clothing

Combat free fall (CFF) paratrooper’s protective clothing comprising of nonwoven fabric, combinations of inherently flame retardant Nomex ® fabric, and cotton fabric are studied under simulated conditions (wind velocity) of conduction using Thermolabo-II technique. Theoretical predictions of thermal resistance using mathematical modeling have also been carried out by taking into consideration important parameters that affect the functional performance. The results showed that nonwoven insulating fabrics exhibit high thermal resistance in dry contact method under moderate wind velocity and the values predicted by modeling confirm the same.