Cooling Dynamics of Wet Clothing

Protective clothing is frequently used to provide safety and comfort for persons exposed to various temperature environments. Water absorbed by clothing can significantly influence the heat transfer characteristics of the clothing material. Understanding the dynamics of evaporative fabric cooling is important in the development of new garments. To investigate the cooling dynamics associated with wet clothing, a series of experiments was conducted to document the cooling created by single and multi-layered fabric samples exposed to controlled temperature, humidity and airflow conditions. The results revealed that the onset and the magnitude of evaporative cooling are determined by the amount of water absorbed in a fabric. The number of fabric layers used in turn, determines the amount of water retained within a material. This information can now provide the basis for determining the number of fabric layers to be used in new garment design and development