Numerical simulation of the transport phenomena in tilted clothing microclimates

Paper in proceeding, 2015

Humans depend on clothing protection to minimize the thermal burden imposed on the body by the surrounding environments to which they may be exposed ([1]). The ability of clothing to offer protection depends on multiple factors, from properties of its materials to geometrical aspects influencing the shape of the clothing elements and the way they fit the body. The latter is particularly relevant for the case of loose garments (e.g. CBRN), where relatively thick microclimates exist between the skin and the clothing, which may originate internal buoyancy-driven flows (i.e. natural convection) and substantially alter the way heat is transported to/from the body. Recent literature ([2-4]) report relevant changes in the local heat transport along the skin, in horizontal clothing microclimates, stressing the need for analyses of other geometrical arrangements occurring within clothing.