Heat release and wear comfort characteristics of the ceramic imbedded fabrics for cold weather protective clothing

Abstract

This paper examined the heat release and wear comfort characteristics of clothing made of aluminium oxide (Al2O3)/graphite imbedded yarn fabrics for cold weather protective clothing. The wear comfort of the clothing was compared and discussed in terms of the moisture vapor resistance of the fabric, which was verified by far-infrared and light heat emission experiments. The maximum surface temperature of the Al2O3/graphite-imbedded sheath/core yarn fabric was 3.4°C higher than that of the regular one, which was attributed to heat release by the far-infrared radiation emitted from the Al2O3/graphite imbedded in the yarns. The moisture vapor resistance of the Al2O3/graphite-imbedded sheath/core yarn clothing, as measured by a sweating thermal manikin test, was 3.6% lower than that of the regular PET one. In addition, the clothing microclimate temperature of the Al2O3/graphite sheath/core yarn fabric measured by wearer trials was approximately 1°C higher than that of the regular PET fabric, which revealed the superior thermal insulation of the Al2O3/graphite sheath/core yarn clothing compared to the regular PET one. Finally, the superior breathability with thermal insulation of the Al2O3/graphite-imbedded sheath/core yarn fabric were revealed due to its good heat release and storage properties, which support the possible applications for cold weather protective clothing.