The correction of clothing insulation and ergonomic design through 3D CAD reverse engineering

Three-dimensional (3D) scanning and computer-aided design (CAD) technology has been used in engineering and ergonomics practice for several years, due to their admissibility in producing accurate 3D object representation, scan data restoration and modification. Lately, application was extended for reconstructing and modelling 3D scan data of the human body, since this enables tracing the geometry information and precise measurement analysis. In this study, this technology was applied to analyse scanned models of a dressed human body. The changes in microclimatic air distribution and clothing area due to changing upper limb positions, simulating functional reaching movements for aircrew personnel, were calculated using 3D scanning and CAD technology. The results prove the posture representing the overall lateral limit of reach to be the best for the volume and area identification by means of 3D scanning. The study will further serve as a basis to modify clothing prototypes for improved thermal protection.