Extreme COLD PROTECTIVE
CLOTHING
Introduction
Water in its liquid form at outside temperatures of –25°C can be a severe
problem for the skin
Below –35°C on it will be dangerous
At temperatures below –50°C contact with fluids is lethal for the skin tissue
Body sweats about 0.05 to 0.08 liters of water per hour
This water vapour should disappear from the skin immediately
The most important rule therefore is to stay dry
Hazards of Extreme Cold Climate
Increased incidence of Arthritis, Rheumatism and
Bronchitis
Cold metal injury
Hypothermia - one of the serious hazards of cold
exposure
Frostbite
Therefore, Protection is required against extreme cold temperature
Prevention—How to stay warm
(i) You need fuel to burn
Eat before you go out, stay hydrated, and take extra food and
water. That’s your internal furnace.
(ii) Dress in layers
(iii) Exercise is heat
The quickest way a person can warm up is by exercise. If you’re
cold, get moving.
Comfort & Survival Factors in Cold Protective Clothing
1. Physiological Factors
Metabolic heat output
Perspiration rate
2. Environmental Factors
“Wind Chill”
Relative Humidity or Dampness of the Environment
3. Fabric Factors
Thermal insulation
Air permeability
Moisture vapour permeability
4. Design of the Fabric Assembly
The Human Heat Balance Equation
Appropriate protection against cold is provided when the human body is
in heat balance at acceptable levels of body temperatures (for example
skin and core temperatures).
This implies that heat losses are equal to metabolic heat production.
The following equation describes the heat balance.
S = M – C – R – E – RES
Where,
S is the rate of change in body heat content,
M is the metabolic heat production,
C is the convective heat exchange,
R is the radiative heat exchange,
E is the evaporative heat exchange, and
RES is the respirative/airway heat loss, all in W/m2.
Measurements of clothing performance
Thermal insulation
Evaporative resistance
Wind resistance
Water resistance
Fibre Technology for Thermal Insulation
A. Heat Insulating
To entrap as much air as possible.
Low compressibility and high resilience
Conventional fibres, hollow fibres & high bulk fibres
B. Heat Absorbing
To maintain the microclimate inside the clothing
Solar radiation absorbing fibre
Fibres containing ceramic particles to absorb IR radiation
C. Heat Storing
Phase change materials
Some Commercially Available Insulating Materials
Types of Layer in Cold Weather Garment
Outer layer should provide adequate resistance to wind
penetration & should be water vapour permeable
Next-to-skin layer of the garment should wick the liquid sweat
away from the body rapidly
Middle layer(s) should provide the main insulation. Body heat
should be reflected back using a inner reflective layer.
Next-to-Skin Layer:
o Made of a non-absorbent fibre like polypropylene
o For extreme coldness Polypropylene is blended with wool which gives
warmth as well as dryness
o Cotton is not preferred for its high absorbency
o Knitted structure is preferred for body fitness
Mid Layer
The next layer is important because it serves to absorb the moisture
from first layer and transport it to the environment through evaporation.
Synthetics are best here, but wool is a good substitute.
Insulation Layer:
Thickness is warmth.
This layer is formed by micro polyester with high amount of bulkiness
Reflection Layer:
Body heat is reflected from this layer so keeps higher body temperature
From Aluminum
Shell Layer
Most important part of clothing.
Acts as wind-shell
Combination of very tight and strong woven fabric and waterproof
breathable fabric.
Structural Model of a Cold Weather
Protective Clothing
Engineered Fibres
• An unique polyester fibre such as Primaloft
• Air pockets increases the thermal resistance and
help it to resist the passage of water while
allowing body moisture in form of water vapour to
escape
Insulation through Incorporation of Integrated Heating Panels
Light weight, washable heating panels powered by batteries
are laminated in the fabric
Smart Polymeric Membranes
(i) Laminated fabrics made from monolithic breathable
membrane which react to build up of heat and moisture
(ii) As the microclimate temperature rises, the openings between
the polymer molecules in the membrane expand, thereby
increasing the fabric moisture permeability. As the
temperature drops the pores in the fabric close, thereby
trapping heat.
