Numerical Investigation of the Air Gap Distribution of Jackets with Different Fits and its Influence on Human Temperature

The air gaps underneath clothing have a great influence on the thermal regulation of the human body. The distribution of the air gaps depends on the shape of the human body as well as on clothing style, fit, and deformation properties. This paper reports on the influence of clothing fit on thermophysiological parameters of the human body through thermal simulation. Four different fits of jacket and a test person were considered for the investigation and for simulation purposes. The results of the simulation concluded that different thermal regulations of the human body were exhibited for different fits of the jacket, which is due to distinct air gaps between the human body and clothing for each fit of the jacket. This research work presents a fast method to predict the influence of clothing fit on thermal comfort, which is usually studied by a time-consuming, laborious method – the wear trial.