Current Approaches for the Biophysical and Physiological Evaluation of Combat Clothing for Environmental Extremes

摘要

Concerned with studying the soldier, his clothing and equipment, the environment and the interactions which determine thermal stress in hot or cold environments, research studies are designed to provide a basis for predicting the soldier's physiological responses, performance decrements and tolerance times under a given combination of physical activity level, clothing and the environment. The current computerized prediction model considers the interaction of various multidisciplinary factors such as: (a) the theoretical physics of heat transfer, (b) the biophysics of clothing, (c) the physiology of metabolic heat production, distribution and elimination; and, (d) related meteorological parameters.