Pilot Study to Determine the Thermal Protective Capability of Electrically HeatedClothing and Boot Inserts

摘要

The Human Research and Engineering Directorate of the U.S. Army ResearchLaboratory conducted a pilot study to determine if the addition of electrically heated clothing components would enhance the thermal protectiveness of the extended cold weather clothing (ECWCS) ensemble. This study consisted of two separate sets of exposure trials. The first was a series of trials lasting 2 hours, and the second was a series of trials lasting 4 hours. Male soldiers were exposed to ambient air at -40 deg F (-40 deg C) at a sedentary activity level in a controlled cold chamber during all trials. The soldiers wore three different cold weather ensembles during the 2-hour exposure trials: the ECWCS ensemble alone, the ECWCS with electrically heated glove and boot inserts (Ensemble A), and the ECWCS with electrically heated glove liner and sock (Ensemble B). Only Ensembles A and B were evaluated during the 4-hour exposure trials. During these trials, an electrically heated vest was used to supplement body heating in Ensemble A, and electrically heated underwear (shirt and pants) was used to supplement body heating in Ensemble B. The soldiers' temperatures were monitored with thermistors placed on the tip of the middle finger, inside the large toes, and on the back below the scapula; a rectal thermistor was inserted to a depth of 10 cm. These thermistors were hardwired to a data logger, and the temperatures were recorded at 5-minute intervals during each trial.