Heat strain in chemical protective clothing in hot-humid environment:Effects of clothing thermal properties

Heat strain experienced by individuals wearing chemical protective clothing(CPC)is severe and dangerous especially in hot-humid environment.The development of material science and interdisciplinary studies including ergonomics,physiology and heat transfer is urgently required for the reduction of heat strain.The aim of this paper was to study the relationship among clothing thermal properties,physiological responses and environmental conditions.Three kinds of CPC were selected.Eight participants wore CPC and walked(4 km/h,two slopes with 5%and 10%)on a treadmill in an environment with(35±0.5)℃ and RH of(60±5)%.Core temperature,mean skin temperature,heart rate,heat storage and tolerance time were recorded and analyzed.Physiological responses were significantly affected by the clothing thermal properties and activity intensity in hot-humid environment.The obtained results can help further development of heat strain model.New materials with lower evaporative resistance and less weight are necessary to release the heat strain in hot-humid environments.

Structure and Properties of Polytetrafluorethylene and Polyurethane Layered Membrane for Protective Clothing

This paper presents a new idea for intensifying protective and stretch recovery properties of micro porous polytetrafluorethylene and hydrophilic polyurethane (PTFE/PU) layered membrane through a co-stretching process. The structure and properties of co-stretching PTFE/PU layered membrane and coated PTFE/PU layered membrane by means of directly coating the PU on the PTFE membrane were investigated using Electron Microscope, Universal Materials Testing Machine, and the water vapor permeability (WVP) was measured according to absorption method of water vapor of GB/T 12704-91. Contrasted to PU coating process, the PU membrane on the co-stretching PTFE/PU membrane is nonporous because of heat treatment process, which can prevent the SARS virus from permeating the Co-stretching PTFE/PU membrane. The stretch and recovery properties of the Co-stretching PTFE/PU membrane is at least 66% after being stretched to 50% of its original length in transverse directions and that of the coated PTFE/PU membrane is 52%. The WVP of the Co-stretching PTFE/PU membrane is 13 523 g/24 h·m^2. The results suggest that when Co-stretching PTFE/PU membrane is laminated to a stretchable fabric, the fabric would have excellent stretch and recovery properties while waterproof and being permeable to water vapor. So, the Co-stretching PTFE/PU membrane laminated fabric will be a comfortable protective clothing material.

Numerical Estimation of the Thermal Response of Thermal Protective Clothing-Air Gap-Human Skin Micro-system

Thermal protective clothing has been recognized as the primary shielding against emergency fire hazard and inflammable gas leakage. Therefore,the thermal response of human covered with thermal protective clothing under high temperature is the key work to investigate the thermal insulation of thermal protective clothing. A coupling model composed of thermal protective clothing,air gap and human skin is established and the temperature of the micro-system is numerically solved via the finite element method( FEM).Especially,the heat transfer of air gap located between clothing and human skin considering conduction and radiation is established while the human skin layers involve the effect of blood perfusion. Then the effect of thermophysical properties( thermal conductivity and volumetric capacity) of fabric and thickness of fabric and air on the thermal response of the micro-system is elucidated and compared.The results indicate that the volumetric heat capacity of fabric is the key parameter to affect the thermal shielding performance of thermal protective clothing,and the thicker fabric thickness and air gap thickness can improve the thermal protective properties of the micro-system.

Superabsorbent Fibers for Comfortable Disposable Medical Protective Clothing

Disposable medical protective clothing for 2019-nCoV mainly consists of stacked layers with nanopore films,polymer coated nonwoven fabrics and melt-blown nonwoven fabrics against anti-microbial and anti-liquid penetration.However,such structures lack moisture permeability and breathability leading to an uncomfortable,stuffy wearing experience.Here,we propose a novel medical protective clothing material with a superabsorbent layer to enhance moisture absorption.Poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide)/polyvinyl alcohol superabsorbent fibers(PAAAM/PVA fibers)were prepared via wet spinning.And the superabsorbent composite layer was stacked from PAAAM/PVA fibers,bamboo pulp fibers(BPF)and ethylene-propyl-ene side by side fibers(ESF).The novel disposable medical protective composite fabric was obtained through gluing the superabsorbent layer to the inner surface of strong antistatic polypropylene nonwoven fabric.The resultant composite fabric possesses excellent absorption and retention capacity for sweat,up to 12.3 g/g and 63.8%,and a maximum hygroscopic rate of 1.04 g/h,higher than that of the conventional material(only 0.53 g/h).The moisture permeability of the novel material reached 12,638.5 g/(m^(2) d),which was 307.6%of the conventional material.The novel material can effectively reduce the humidity inside the protective clothing and significantly improve the comfort of medical staff.

Establishment of the key Technical Indicators of Positive Pressure Biological Protective Clothing

Objective:Trying to establish the key technical indicators related to positive pressure biological protective clothing(PPBPC),providing technical support for the establishment of PPBPC standards in the future.Method:We examined the protection standard systems established by the major standards organizations in China and other developed countries.We also analyzed the technical indicators of the gas-tight chemical protective clothing and ventilated protective clothing against particulate radioactive contamination which closely related to PPBPC.And tested the performance of a set of imported dual-purpose PPBPC to verify the fit of its technical indicators with the standards.We aimed to identify the status of China’s standards in the area of personnel protection and put forward feasible suggestions for the production of PPBPC in China.Results:Developed countries in Europe and North America have a complete system of standard protective clothing.China should also strengthen the construction of standard protective clothing,especially PPBPC.Conclusion:With the improvements in infectious disease prevention and control on a global scale,the demand for PPBPC continues to increase and consideration should be given to the establishment of standards for this.

Common damage and repair of positive pressure protective clothing for BSL-4 laboratory

Positive Pressure Protective Clothing(PPPC)is the most important personal protective equipment for BSL-4 laboratory and a primary barrier to avoid exposure to pathogenic microorganisms.However,during the process of storage,utilization,disinfection and inspection,it will be inevitable damaged in varying degrees.PPPC is expensive;therefore,effective repairs become an important procedure to prolong service life of PPPC and to ensure their protective function.This paper analyzed those common damages in PPPC during routine BSL-4 laboratory operations and provided repair plans which can be used as references for users and maintenance personnel.

Effect of Phase Change Materials on the Thermal Protective Performance of the Multi-layered Fabrics Examined by TPP Tester under Flash Fire

Cotton fabrics treated with phase change materials( PCMs)were used in multi-layered fabrics of the fire fighter protective clothing to study its effect on thermal protection. The thermal protective performance( TPP) of the multi-layered fabrics was measured by a TPP tester under flash fire. Results showed that the utilization of the PCM fabrics improved the thermal protective performance of the multi-layered fabrics. The fabric with a PCM add on of 41. 9% increased the thermal protection by 50. 6% and reduced the time to reach a second degree burn by 8. 4 s compared with the reference fabrics( without PCMs). The employment of the PCM fabrics also reduced the blackened areas on the inner layers. The PCM fabrics with higher PCM melting temperature could bring higher thermal protective performance.

Effect of Air Gap under Fabric on Thermal Protective Performance Using an Improved Apparatus

The bench top test is one of the most important and effective methods to evaluate the total thermal protective performance(TPP) of firefighters' protective clothing,which is greatly influenced by the air gaps entrapped.In this paper,to investigate the effect of air gap width on TPP,a new improved apparatus with two height changeable buttons to hold the thermal sensor was developed to get a series of air gap sizes from 0 mm to 40 mm.The TPP of two types of flame-resistant outer fabrics was measured with TPP test apparatus respectively.Analysis of temperature rise with each air gap width was made to determine the effects of different air gaps on protective performance.It was indicated that air gap size had great effect on TPP of fabrics in the bench top test.An air gap width above 8 mm was suggested for the thermal protective clothing design.

Dynamic Model for Evaluation of Risk Factors During Work in Hot Environment

Mathematical model is developed for prediction of physiological changes in man during work in hot environment taking into consideration intensity of work, clothing and environment. To evaluate human functional state the heat stress index was calculated. Modeling researches made the conclusion that the main risk factor during work in hot environment is water losses that happens through thermoregulatory sweat evaporation. Modeling showed that in humid environment man wearing protective clothing has short time to work as water losses became more than 2% of human weight that means body dehydration. Preliminary model prediction can be used as preventive method to avoid hazard of human health.

Solution Blowing of Poly(dimethylsiloxane)/Nylon 6 Nanofiber Mats for Protective Applications

A new strategy was developed to fabricate superhydrophobic nylon 6 nanofibers, in which the blend solutions of poly（dimethylsiloxane） （PDMS） prepolymer and nylon 6 was spun using an innovative solution blowing process, and then the PDMS prepolymer contianning nanofibers were cured to obtain PDMS/nylon 6 nanofiber mats. Morphology, surface composition, non-wetting property and protective performance were investigated. The results showed that the addition of PDMS prepolymer improved the spinnability of the spinning solutions, and the PDMS/nylon 6 nanofibers had smooth surfaces and diameters from 100 nm to 350 nm. The presence of PDMS effectively enhanced the hydrophobicity of the nanofiber mats, showing water contact angles of 132° to 161° for PDMS contents of 1 wt% to 3 wt%. The PDMS/nylon 6 mats also possessed excellent protective and transport properties. The results indicated the potential application of the novel nanofiber mats in protective clothing.

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