An analysis of some observations of thermal comfort in Roorkee, India and Baghdad, Iraq.

SummaryDuring hot dry weather seven subjects in Roorkee and nine in Baghdad assessed their thermal sensation and skin moisture on a total of more than 2000 occasions. Simultaneous records of the globe temperature, wet and dry bulb temperatures and air-movement were compiled for each subject's thermal environment. The data were analysed subject by subject.Thermal sensation and skin moisture were strongly correlated with the globe temperature. None of the several thermal stress indices which were tested correlated significantly better than the globe temperature. In the range 32–40°C moderate air-movement (V>0·25 m/s) reduced both thermal discomfort and skin moisture. The humidity was too low to affect the sensation of warmth. These lightly-clad acclimatized subjects found least discomfort at about 32°C, provided the air-movement exceeded 0·25 m/s. The control of air-movement had a significant role in achieving thermal comfort.