Physiological Evaluation of a Prototype Air-Vest Microclimate Cooling System.

摘要

These experiments were conducted to answer three specific research questions about the effectiveness of a prototype air-cooled vest with design changes that make it useful for helicopter crews as well as armored vehicle crews. The results of these experiments show that: (1) Under matching cooling conditions, the NATICK prototype air-cooled vest (PAV) is as effective as the NATICK microclimate air-cooled vest (MAV) at reducing heat strain and increasing exercise performance time; (2) With the diffuse airflow provided by the PAV, subjects experience no sensation of contact burning from air delivered at 45 deg C; (3) In a trade-off between flow rate and inlet temperature, subjects showed improved performance with air provided at 30 Low compared to 40 Hi even though 40 Hi provided greater calculated cooling potential. It is concluded from these results that: (1) The PAV would provide a suitable replacement for the MAV; (2) The PAV could be used at higher ambient temperatures than the MAV; (3) If design changes in vehicle cooling equipment necessitates a trade-off between flow rate and cooling, they should favor providing lower temperatures over higher flow rates.... MOPP 4, Thermoregulation, Heat Stress, Exercise.