SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1997
STP19909S

Protection and Comfort — A Sweating Torso for the Simultaneous Measurement of Protective and Comfort Properties of PPE

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The aspects of protection and comfort are both very important for the performance of personal protective equipment. For a realistic testing of protective clothing it is essential to have the possibility to assess the protective and the comfort properties simultaneously, because they are influenced by each other. The design and construction of a sweating torso are described which allows this simultaneous assessment. The thermal properties of the torso are chosen in such a way that the correspondence to a human body is as close as possible. Measurements of the protection against cold and the comfort properties of different sleeping bags are presented. They show that the cold protection, i.e. the thermal insulation, is strongly influenced by the evaporation of sweat. Further measurements are planned with the sweating torso covered with heat protective clothing and exposed to a source of radiant heat.

Author Information

Zimmerli, T
EMPA Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research, St.Gallen, Switzerland
Weder, MS
EMPA Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research, St.Gallen, Switzerland
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Details
Developed by Committee: F23
Pages: 271–280
DOI: 10.1520/STP19909S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-5350-9
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-2402-8