Effect of Compression on Contact Heat Transfer in Thermal Protective Clothing Under Different Moisture Contents

Contact burns pose a serious threat on firefighters’ health, safety, and job performance. The objective of the study was to analyze the effects of compression and moisture content on thermal protective performance of clothing. Skin-simulant sensor and Pennes bio-heat transfer model were used to predict time to cause skin contact burn. A new index (heat transfer efficiency) was proposed to examine the effects of applied pressure and moisture level on the contact heat transfer in the thermal protective clothing. It was demonstrated that the addition of moisture nonlinearly decreased the thermal protective level of clothing. The fabric thickness was greatly decreased by the compression, but the thermal protective level presented no significant difference between two kinds of pressures. The heat transfer efficiency was an effective index for evaluating the contact heat transfer, which was determined by the basic properties of fabric, the moisture content, and the pressure level. The conclusions from this study could contribute to understanding the effects of compression and moisture on the contact heat transfer, thus providing the principle of thermal protection against skin contact burns.