Thermal protective garments for women: The contribution of garment design to thermal performance.

摘要

Limited research has been performed on the thermal protective garments worn by women. The purpose of this research was to determine the relative degree of thermal protection provided to women when wearing garments designed for women compared to garments designed for men. Data on air gaps between a female-form mannequin and a garment were used to investigate the effect of garment style and fit on thermal performance. Three-dimensional scanning was used to measure the size and distribution of air gaps, and simulated flash fire testing was used to determine predicted burn injury and energy absorbed by the mannequin. Findings demonstrated that garment style and fit influenced protection, as the improper fit of the women's style compared to the men's made areas of the female mannequin more susceptible to bums than others. Air gap size had a positive correlation with time to burn injury and a negative correlation with energy absorbed.