A potential wearable solution for preventing heat strain in workplaces: The cooling effect and the total evaporative resistance of a ventilation jacket

• Published in: Environmental research Vol. 212; p. 113475
• Main Authors: Del Ferraro, Simona, Falcone, Tiziana, Morabito, Marco, Messeri, Alessandro, Bonafede, Michela, Marinaccio, Alessandro, Gao, Chuansi, Molinaro, Vincenzo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Inc 01-09-2022
• Subjects: Adaptation measure; Cooling garments; Engineering and Technology; Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi; Health Sciences; Hot environment; Hälsovetenskap; Maskinteknik; Mechanical Engineering; Medical and Health Sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Occupational heat stress; Production Engineering, Human Work Science and Ergonomics; Produktionsteknik, arbetsvetenskap och ergonomi; Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology; Sweating manikin; Teknik; Ventilation fans; Ventilation fans; Sweating manikin; Hot environment; Adaptation measure; Cooling garments; Occupational heat stress
• ISSN: 0013-9351; 1096-0953; 1096-0953
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113475

The increase in average seasonal temperatures has an impact in the occupational field, especially for those sectors whose work activities are performed outdoors (agricultural, road and construction sectors). Among the adaptation measures and solutions developed to counteract occupational heat strain, personal cooling garments represent a wearable technology designed to remove heat from the human body, enhancing human performance. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness and the cooling power of a specific cooling garment, i.e. a ventilation jacket, by quantifying the evaporative heat losses and the total evaporative resistance both when worn alone and in combination with a work ensemble, at three adjustments of air ventilation speed.
Standardised “wet” tests in a climatic chamber were performed on a sweating manikin in isothermal conditions considering three clothing ensembles (single jacket, work ensemble and a combination of both) and three adjustments of fan velocity.
Results showed a significant increase (p < 0.001) in evaporative heat loss values when the fan velocity increased, particularly within the trunk zones for all the considered clothing ensembles, showing that fans enhanced the dissipation by evaporation. The cooling power, quantified in terms of percent changes of evaporative heat loss, showed values exceeding 100% when fans were on, in respect to the condition of fans-off, for the trunk zones except for the Chest. A significant (p < 0.01) decrease (up to 42.3%) in the total evaporative resistance values of the jacket, coupled with the work ensemble, was found compared to the fans-off condition.
Results confirmed and quantified the cooling effect of the ventilation jacket which enhanced the evaporative heat losses of the trunk zones, helping the body to dissipate heat and showing the potential for a heat adaptation measure to be developed.
•Cooling garments: wearable effective solution counteracting occupational heat strain.•Tests on a sweating manikin to evaluate the cooling power of a ventilation jacket.•Increasing fan velocities significantly increases evaporative heat loss in trunk zone.•Increasing fan velocities significantly decreases the total evaporative resistance.•Ventilation jacket helped the body enhancing the evaporative heat loss.