Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

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Diss. (sammanfattning) Luleå : Univ., 2000. / Härtill 10 uppsatser.

Thesis (M.S.)--Worcester Polytechnic Institute. / Keywords: Navy Clothing and Textile Research Facility; firefighers clothing; fire protection. Includes bibliographical references (p. 105-109).

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The purpose of this research was to identify nonwoven protective fabrics designed to have improved comfort properties over a fabric currently used in limited-use chemical protective clothing by using physiological and perceptual dimensions of comfort. Fabrics that are both waterproof and breathable have potential for use in chemical protective clothing by repelling liquid while allowing the diffusion of moisture vapor from the body. Microporous laminated fabrics used in chemical protective clothing allow moisture to evaporate from the body and move through the fabric while preventing liquid chemicals from coming in contact with the skin. Five fabric types were evaluated by wear testing coveralls and measuring selected physiological and perceptual responses of five subjects performing moderate-intensity exercise in thermoneutral and hot, humid environments. Physiological responses included skin temperature, body temperature, heart rate, sweat rate, and fluid loss. Perceptual responses included moisture sensation, thermal sensation, Rating of Perceived Exertion, and overall comfort. In the thermoneutral environment, results show heart rate to be the only variable affected by the different fabric types, while time effect was significant within all dependent variables. In the hot, humid environment, skin and body temperatures were significantly affected by fabric type, while time effect was significant within all variables except skin temperature. The environment effect was significant within all dependent variables except RPE and heart rate. Based on the statistical insignificance of subjects' overall comfort responses in both environments, it can be said that the differences in the physical characteristics of the fabrics may not be great enough to affect the wearer's comfort level. However, two of the four fabrics were determined to have potential for further investigation. Further research comparing experimental fabrics with fabrics used widely in industry will continue the effort of improving the comfort of limited-use protective clothing. / Master of Science

Chemical protective clothing is designed to protect the worker by providing a barrier between the individual and the contaminated environment. Unfortunately, the same equipment that is designed to help can often cause heat stress, reduced task efficiency, and reduced range-of-motion for the worker. Teams as well as individuals suffer from these effects resulting in difficulty communicating, increased task completion time, and reduced productivity. Studies investigating the effects of protective clothing generally focus on individuals; however, the military has produced research related to the effects of Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) on team performance outcomes in an attempt to understand how protective clothing might affect military teams and squads. Previous research has indicated a degradation of team performance as shown by increased task completion time; however, a comprehensive team performance measurement system studies not only the performance outcomes, but also the processes behind the outcomes. In order to provide a more complete understanding of the performance effects of protective clothing and equipment, this investigation focused on the effects of MOPP on the behavioral processes underlying team performance to include adaptability, communication, and coordination. It also attempted to validate previous studies on performance outcomes. Ten subjects formed five, two-member teams. Subjects were certified EMT's from local rescue squads and were required to perform CPR and spinal injury management (SIM). They performed each task twice-once in their duty uniform and once in MOPP level 4. Team performance was measured using the TARGETS methodology, and event-based team process performance measurement technique. A team performance index score (TPI) was calculated for each team for all four tasks and then used as the dependent measure for the analyses to compare team performance in a duty uniform versus performance in MOPP 4. Three hypotheses were tested in this study. They were as follows: team process performance will be degraded by MOPP, task completion time will increase as a result of wearing MOPP, and errors will increase as a result of wearing MOPP. Results of six primary analyses indicated that team process performance was not degraded and the number of errors did not increase when teams were wearing MOPP 4. Results did show, however, that task completion time was significantly longer when teams were wearing MOPP 4. The implications of these results are discussed in the thesis and design changes are put forth. / Master of Science

Personal protective ensembles (PPE) are required for people exposed to hazard, which may prevent heat dissipation from the human body, leading to suffering from heat stress. To protect the PPE wearer from heat stress, a liquid cooling garment is widely accepted to provide personal cooling inside the PPE. For an impermeable PPE or a high humid environment, sweat evaporation is also prevented, and moisture accumulation may lead to discomfort. It is important to make sure that the liquid cooling garment removes enough heat to suppress sweat while not over-cooling the wearer. A thermoregulatory model was introduced and modified, in which the human body is divided into six parts, including the head, trunk, arms, hands, legs and feet. A whole/partial liquid cooling model, formed with a network of tubing, is developed. A thermal resistance network for the tubing system is built up and the control volume method is employed to carry out the numerical calculation. The liquid cooling model, thermoregulatory model and heat/mass transfer involved are integrated into one model, which can simulate a PPE wearer thermally interacting with the water cooling system, predict the physiological responses and ensure the wearer is free of heat stress. The mathematical model is verified by comparing its simulation results to experimental data from other researchers. This model is to be used to provide guidance to properly choose PPEs in various conditions.

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Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries