The Prediction of Equilibrium Thermal Comfort from Physical Data on Fabrics

Abstract

The effect of clothing on thermal comfort depends mainly on three factors: the physical properties of the fabric, the air spaces between the body and the fabric, or between the fabrics themselves, and the characteristics of the environment, such as its effective radiative temperature and the temperature, velocity, and relative humidity of the air. All these factors are considered in the development of a theory which permits, in principle, the prediction of the equilibrium thermal comfort associated with any fabric under any specified set of conditions, on the basis of "thermal resistivities" which may be measured with laboratory apparatus. The step-by-step solution of a typical problem concerning the relative comfort ratings of several fabrics is pre sented as an example of the method.