A comparison of apparatus used to measure thermal insulation properties to determine thermal comfort

Thermal insulation properties of clothing systems can be defined through physical measurements using different methods. This article describes the two basic methods employed to evaluate fabric and cloth thermal comfort. A novel Perspiring Fabric Thermal Manikin is developed to measure the thermal insulation and moisture vapour resistance of clothing ensembles. An ordinary Guarded Hot Plate can be used to measure the thermal conductivity of various textiles. Thermal resistance of a series of shirts and their fabrics are tested on the above two apparatus. The data shows that these two apparatus all have high accuracy and reproducibility. The thermal resistance of fabrics with an air layer obtained from the Guarded Hot Plate Apparatus is less than the thermal resistance of clothes with an air layer tested with the Perspiring Fabric Thermal Manikin.