Thermal comfort analysis of auto-racing suits using a dynamic thermal manikin

Abstract

Motorsports athletes compete at high speeds for, on average, three to four hours in a cockpit that can reach temperatures of 50°C. While engineers have worked to create a faster car and safer conditions, the comfort of the driver is often sacrificed. Motorsports governing bodies require that a driver’s racing suit meet at least one of several certification levels for thermal protection. While much research and testing go into certification, there continues to be a lack of information in the body of research regarding the impact of the racing suit on thermal comfort and heat stress. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to determine the impact of auto-racing personal protective clothing on the thermal comfort of race car drivers by utilizing a thermal manikin to observe the thermal insulation, evaporative resistance, and total heat loss (THL) of standard racing suits. Racing suit systems of varying SFI Foundation, Inc. (SFI) certification levels were purchased and analyzed using an ANDI sweating thermal manikin in an environmental chamber. Results from this research demonstrate that the average predicted THL for an SFI compliant racing ensemble is 172 W/m2. Findings indicate it is more beneficial for thermal comfort to wear a lower rated suit with base layers as opposed to a higher rated suit without undergarments. More research must be done to better understand how the predicted THL for racing ensembles effects the human body when performing under race day conditions, and to determine a minimum THL benchmark for racing ensembles.