The effect of turbulent fluctuation of air on thermal sensation

The palm of right hand was alternately exposed to turbulent and laminar flows of air with the same velocity, to investigate the effect of turbulent velocity fluctuation on thermal sensation. It could be quantitatively shown for the first time, by measuring subjective sensations, that the turbulent velocity fluctuation had the effect of causing the air temperature to be felt lower than that of the laminar flow. The results of heat transfer experiments using an aluminum disk as a model of the palm suggested that the difference in thermal sensation for the two air flows was generally ascribable to the difference in heat transfer coefficient from the skin of the palm caused by the turbulent velocity fluctuation. The hypothesis that the temperatures of the turbulent and laminar flows of air with the same velocity would be felt the same when heat losses from the skin to the two air flows were equal, was supported by the results of these experiments.