Yasuhiro Shimazaki

Effect of gait on formation of thermal environment inside footwear

In this study, the relationship between the gait condition and foot temperature distributions inside footwear was investigated using subject experiments. Mechanical, physical, and physiological variables such as the foot contact force, landing speed, and metabolic heat generation were also measured. Gait motion measurements showed that a large contact force was concentrated in the small area of the heel at the initial contact and later at the forefoot. A faster gait produced a larger contact force, higher landing velocity, higher skin temperature, and larger metabolism during gait. The temperature at the bottom of the foot increased, and the temperature on the upper side decreased. The metabolic heat generation had a basic impact on the temperature profile, and skin temperatures tended to increase gradually. In addition, high-temperature-elevation regions such as the big toe and heel coincided with regions with high-contact loads, which suggested a relationship between the temperature elevation and contact load.

Thermal responses and perceptions under distinct ambient temperature and wind conditions.

Wind conditions are widely recognized to influence the thermal states of humans. In this study, we investigated the relationship between wind conditions and thermal perception and energy balance in humans. The study participants were exposed for 20 min to 3 distinct ambient temperatures, wind speeds, and wind angles. During the exposure, the skin temperatures as a physiological reaction and mental reactions of the human body were measured and the energy balance was calculated based on the human thermal-load method. The results indicate that the human thermal load is an accurate indicator of human thermal states under all wind conditions. Furthermore, wind speed and direction by themselves do not account for the human thermal experience. Because of the thermoregulation that occurs to prevent heat loss and protect the core of the body, a low skin temperature was maintained and regional differences in skin temperature were detected under cool ambient conditions. Thus, the human thermal load, which represents physiological parameters such as skin-temperature change, adequately describes the mixed sensation of the human thermal experience.

Evaluation of thermal formation and air ventilation inside footwear during gait: The role of gait and fitting

Comfort is an important concept in footwear design. The microclimate inside footwear contributes to the perception of thermal comfort. To investigate the effect of ventilation on microclimate formation inside footwear, experiments with subjects were conducted at four gait speeds with three different footwear sizes. Skin temperature, metabolism, and body mass were measured at approximately 25xa0°C and 50% relative humidity, with no solar radiation and a calm wind. The footwear occupancy and ventilation rate were also estimated, with the latter determined using the tracer gas method. The experimental results revealed that foot movement, metabolism, evaporation, radiation, convection, and ventilation were the main factors influencing the energy balance for temperature formation on the surface of the foot. The cooling effect of ventilation on the arch temperature was observed during gait. The significance of the amount of air space and ventilation on the improvement in the thermal comfort of footwear was clarified.

A Human Energy Balance Model With Clothing Effects for Estimating Human Thermal Comfort

There is an increased world attention on environmental issues with the global trend of environmental degradation. Especially thermal environment was highly concerned as human safety. We have been focused on creation of amenity environment with energy-saving way. This study is uncommonly dealing with human feeling for human thermal comfort, that is to say quantification of environment has been done. The feeling of comfort is mixed sense and can be totally easier to improve compared with straightforward way, and this may lead to energy and cost saving way of improvement. Moreover, this is human-oriented and can reflect humans’ wishes. Since thermal comfort index is useful tool for understanding the present state and evaluating the impact of countermeasures, effectiveness of human thermal load which is thermal comfort index based on energy balance of human body was examined. The human thermal comfort around the human body in outdoor is influenced by six dominant factors; air temperature, humidity, solar radiation, wind speed, metabolism and clothing. The difference between indoor and outdoor is expressed mainly as non-uniform and unsteady. Therefore, the unsteady responses of each dominant factors were examined and clarified human thermal load is quite good estimation of human thermal comfort. In steady state and even in unsteady state, thermal comfort can be obtained by using human thermal load on the whole. The reason is human thermal load consider the amount of physiology and also weather parameters. In the process of creating energy balance model of human, clothing material was deeply considered. For establishing better thermal environment, clothing material is of great use, because clothing material has an impact on thermal exchange between exterior environment and human body and more easy way to improve in 6 factors. The traditional treatment of clothing in human science was only resistance of heat transfer and this was not enough for all clothing effects. In daily life, effect of humidity exists and moisture property is required. Moreover color of material has impact on energy balance in clothing material. In order to show a way of better thermal environment, the heat and the moisture transfer coefficients on clothing material, radiative properties, and additional properties such as convection heat transfer coefficient were measured, and energy flow of clothing material was totally investigated. Finally, the effects of clothing material for human thermal comfort were predicted and this energy balance human model has become much better model.Copyright