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A thermal manikin with human thermoregulatory control: implementation and validation
1Department of Energy Technology, School of Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland. ehab.foda@aalto.fi
International Journal of Biometeorology
|November 16, 2011
Summary
A new multi-segmental Pierce (MSP) control mode was developed for thermal manikins. This advanced mode more accurately estimates segmental equivalent temperature (t(eq)) compared to traditional methods.
Area of Science:
- Thermal comfort research
- Human-computer interaction in thermal environments
- Apparel science and engineering
Background:
- Thermal manikins are crucial for evaluating clothing thermal insulation and environments.
- Current manikins use simplified thermoregulatory control modes.
- A need exists for more accurate and validated control strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To implement and validate a novel thermoregulatory control mode for thermal manikins.
- To compare the new multi-segmental Pierce (MSP) model with existing methods.
- To assess the accuracy of segmental equivalent temperature (t(eq)) estimation.
Main Methods:
- Implementation of the MSP control mode on the 'Therminator' thermal manikin using LabVIEW.
- Estimation of segmental t(eq) using MSP and Constant Surface Temperature (CST) modes.
- Conducting subjective tests with 17 human participants under asymmetric thermal conditions.
Main Results:
- The MSP mode provided t(eq) estimates closer to subjective human assessments for most body segments.
- MSP mode performance favorably compared to the CST mode under tested conditions.
- Validation of the MSP mode for accurate segmental t(eq) estimation.
Conclusions:
- The multi-segmental Pierce (MSP) control mode offers improved accuracy in estimating thermal conditions using manikins.
- This new mode enhances the reliability of thermal manikin testing for clothing and environmental evaluations.
- The findings support the adoption of MSP for more precise thermal comfort research.
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