Yue-Ping Guo

Impact of Fabric Moisture Transport Properties on Physiological Responses when Wearing Protective Clothing

This purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of fabric moisture transport properties (MTP) on physiological responses when wearing protective clothing. Ten healthy subjects wore two kinds of personal protective equipment (PPE) ensembles and exercised on a treadmill, worked on a computer, and moved a mannequin in an environment that simulated where health carers work. PPE1 consisted of cotton underwear and 100% polyethylene outerwear. PPE2 consisted of cotton underwear with moisture management function and outerwear made of waterproof breathable fabric. The results showed that there were significantly higher cumulative one-way transport capacity, liquid moisture management capacity, and wetting time in PPE2 than in PPE1 underwear. There was significantly higher water vapor permeability (WVP) in PPE2 than in PPE1 outerwear. Deep ear canal temperature, mean skin temperature, and chest wall skin and clothing microclimates (temperature and humidity) were significantly lower with PPE2 than PPE1. The level of plasma oxygen saturation was significantly higher with PPE 2 than PPE1. In the present study, due to the MTP of the fabrics, liquid sweat transferred from the skin surface to the opposite surface quickly and speeded up the processes of evaporation and heat dissipation. It was concluded that the fabrics MTP, when incorporated into protective clothing, is the main physiological mechanism for reduced heat stress.

Evaluating the physiological and perceptual responses of wearing a newly designed construction work uniform

Properly selected fabrics and smartly designed uniform are essential to improve thermal and moisture performance of summer clothes. As compared to a commercial uniform (CON) that was commonly worn by construction workers, a newly designed work uniform (NEW) consists of a smartly designed short-sleeved shirt with superior air permeability and a pair of full-length pants with excellent overall moisture management capacity. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of NEW on combating body physiological and perceptual strain through conducting human wear trials in the laboratory experiment. Twelve participants took part in two trials (one with wearing NEW and another with wearing CON) on two experimental days. Each trial included a rest–intermittent running–recovery cycle inside a climatic chamber controlled at 34.5℃ and 75% relative humidity. The major findings manifested that the mean skin temperature ( T sk ¯ ) of participants with NEW was significantly lower than that with CON toward a high running speed (8.5 km/h, 4% slope). During passive recovery, thermo-physiological strain (intestinal temperature (Tin), T sk ¯ , and mean body temperature T b ¯ ) of participants with NEW was significantly lower than that with CON. The perceptual strain of participants with NEW was significantly alleviated during exercise and post-exercise recovery periods as the participants felt cooler, drier, and more comfortable than those with CON. It was concluded that the newly designed work uniform is effective in alleviating thermo-physiological and perceptual strain during intermittent exercise and post-exercise recovery in hot and humid environment.

The development of anti-heat stress clothing for construction workers in hot and humid weather

Abstract The purpose of this study was to develop anti-heat stress clothing for construction workers in hot and humid weather. Following DeJonge’s functional clothing design process, the design situation was explored, including clothing fabric heat/moisture transporting properties and UV protection and the aspects of clothing ergonomic design (mobility, convenience, and safety). The problem structure was derived from the results of the surveys in three local construction sites, which agreed well with the task requirements and observations. Specifications were consequently described and 30 commercially available fabrics were identified and tested. Fabric testing data and design considerations were inputted in S-smart system to predict the thermal functional performance of the clothing. A new uniform prototype was developed and evaluated. The results of all measurements suggest that the new uniform which incorporated fabrics with superior heat/moisture transporting properties and loose-fitting design could reduce the workers’ heat stress and improve their comfort and work performance. Practitioner Summary: The construction workers’ uniform currently used in Hong Kong during summer was unsatisfactory. Following DeJonge’s functional clothing design process, an anti-heat stress uniform was developed by testing 30 fabrics and predicting clothing thermal functional performance using S-smart system. The new uniform could reduce the workers’ heat stress and improve their comfort and work performance.

Engineering design of thermal quality clothing on a simulation-based and lifestyle-oriented CAD system

Engineering design of thermal quality clothing is a promising solution by applying multi-disciplinary knowledge to achieve the design and production of clothing with desirable thermal functions. In this paper, a special simulation-based and lifestyle-oriented CAD system is introduced to help the user in engineering design of thermal quality clothing. The engineering-oriented simulation models endowed with explicit data availability arose from the material parameters that are the key issue for engineering application. To offer an easy-to-use tool, this system is implemented with a lifestyle-oriented design procedure. It can facilitate the designers to quickly implement design and simulate on the wearing scenario, and evaluate and optimize their design. Due to the design of thermal quality clothing can be achieved without making physical prototypes, it is able to speed up the design cycle and reduce the design and development cost.

Effects of fabrics with dynamic moisture transfer properties on skin temperature in females during exercise and recovery

Based on the physiological nature of breast movement in exercising females, a sports bra made of fabric with dynamic moisture transfer properties was developed to improve female thermal comfort. This study aimed to investigate the effects of fabrics with dynamic moisture transfer properties on breast skin temperature, and the thermal physiological and psychological response of women while wearing the sports bra during exercise and recovery. Ten healthy women exercised in random order with two types of sports bra with or without the dynamic moisture transfer properties and then performed a 20-minute short-duration high-intensity exercise and rest to recover under thermoneutral conditions. Heart rate, body core temperature, skin temperature, body mass and thermal psychological subjective sensations were investigated during exercise and recovery. The results indicated that in the running state, the local breast skin temperatures of sports bra made of fabrics with dynamic moisture transfer properties (33.427 ± 0.087℃) are significantly lower than bras without these dynamic moisture transfer properties (33.964 ± 0.055℃) (P < 0.01). During the exercise and recovery, the thermal psychological subjective sensation for the two types of fabrics were very similar, whereas the body mean skin temperature was revealed to undergo greater decreasing effects in sports bras made of fabrics with dynamic moisture transfer properties than those without the dynamic moisture transfer properties (P < 0.05). These results provide novel information that usage of fabrics with dynamic moisture properties in sports bras could improve thermoregulation to benefit exercising women’s thermal comfort in terms of decreasing local breast skin temperature.

Carbon and eco-footprints of adult incontinence products

This research article discusses the modelling and simulation results of carbon and eco-footprints of adult incontinence products. Four types of products are considered in this study: two types of diapers-commercial and new diapers and two types of pants-commercial and new type of pants. New types of diapers and pants were developed by our research team in the Institute of Textiles & Clothing of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Carbon and eco-footprints were modeled by using IPCC 2001 method (100 Years) and ecological footprint method (taken from Ecoinvent 2.0) of SIMAPRO 7.3.2 version of LCA software. Datasets from Ecoinvent database inbuilt with SIMAPRO software were used to build the life cycle scenarios. Life cycle scenarios of four types of incontinence products were built for the entire life cycle of products from cradle to grave stages. In this research study, the contribution analysis (hot-spots in the life cycle stages) of carbon and eco-footprints of each type of product under consideration are highlighted. From the modeling and simulation results, it was noticed that the new reusable pants created the lowest carbon and eco-footprints compared to its counterparts. New type of diaper created slightly higher carbon and eco-footprints compared to the commercial diaper type. From the process contribution analysis, it was found that the production and disposal of SAP, generation of electricity for polypropylene, production processes of cotton were the contributors of major impacts in the order of hierarchy. From this detailed LCA study, it was understood that if the new type of reusable pants will be used without disposable inserts, it can bring carbon and eco-footprints significantly down.

Effects of body-mapping-designed clothing on heat stress and running performance in a hot environment

Abstract To investigate clothing-induced differences in human thermal response and running performance, eight male athletes participated in a repeated-measure study by wearing three sets of clothing (CloA, CloB, and CloC). CloA and CloB were body-mapping-designed with 11% and 7% increased capacity of heat dissipation respectively than CloC, the commonly used running clothing. The experiments were conducted by using steady-state running followed by an all-out performance running in a controlled hot environment. Participants’ thermal responses such as core temperature (Tc), mean skin temperature (), heat storage (S), and the performance running time were measured. CloA resulted in shorter performance time than CloC (323.1 ± 10.4 s vs. 353.6 ± 13.2 s, p = 0.01), and induced the lowest , smallest ΔTc, and smallest S in the resting and running phases. This study indicated that clothing made with different heat dissipation capacities affects athlete thermal responses and running performance in a hot environment. Practitioner Summary: A protocol that simulated the real situation in running competitions was used to investigate the effects of body-mapping-designed clothing on athletes’ thermal responses and running performance. The findings confirmed the effects of optimised clothing with body-mapping design and advanced fabrics, and ensured the practical advantage of developed clothing on exercise performance.

Customized Body Mapping to Facilitate the Ergonomic Design of Sportswear

A successful high-performance sportswear design that considers human factors should result in a significant increase in thermal comfort and reduce energy loss. The authors describe a body-mapping approach that facilitates the effective ergonomic design of sportswear. Their general framework can be customized based on the functional requirements of various sports and sportswear, the desired combination and selection of mapping areas for the human body, and customized quantitative data distribution of target physiological indicators.

Developing a hybrid cooling vest for combating heat stress in the construction industry

Many frontline workers in the Hong Kong construction industry have to perform physically demanding work under hot working conditions, which could reduce work efficiency and time and increase the occurrence of heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. This study aimed to develop a hybrid, new cooling vest to combat heat stress in the construction industry. Following the functional clothing design process, a problem identification was conducted. Preliminary ideas were formed through the analysis of available types, research, a survey, literature review, and brainstorming. The design was refined through the use of desirable phase change material packs, fans with high wind velocity/long duration, and fabrics with thin, vapor-permeable, wind/water/abrasion-resistant properties, and UV protection, as well as clothing ergonomic design that considers fit, mobility, convenience, and safety. The desirable thermal functional performance in the new cooling vest was previewed through a computer-aided design platform S-smart system. The design criteria were established and a prototype was developed. The environmental chamber testing results showed that, in a hot environment, the mean skin temperature (35.8℃ vs. 36.59℃), heart rate (110 beats/min vs. 116 beats/min), and core temperature of the subjects with the new cooling vest were significantly lower than those with the control (without the new cooling vest ). A significantly longer exercise time was obtained with the new cooling vest compared with the control (22.08 min vs. 11.08 min). Significant improvements in levels of coolness, dryness, comfort, and physical recovery were observed with the new cooling vest. Results suggest that the new cooling vest can reduce the thermal stress of construction workers and improve their work performance and comfort.