Physiological aspects of electrically heated garments.

Abstract Inactive man exposed to cold climates and dressed in conventional cold-weather clothing experiences difficulty in maintaining the temperature of the hands and feet. Comfort and performance, especially manual dexterity, are degraded as the temperature of the extremities falls with duration of exposure, and there is also the risk of cold injury. Electrical heating (EH) is a form of auxiliary heating which can offer a solution in some circumstances and is most useful when the wearer can conveniently connect to a power supply of a vehicle or some other type of military equipment. Physiological evaluations and user trials on various types of electrically heated (EH) items including coveralls, gloves, mitts, socks and insoles have been reviewed in this paper, using studies done by the Army Personnel Research Establishment (APRE) as the main source material. Cold-chamber trials showed the effectiveness of EH in maintaining hand temperatures and slowing the fall in foot temperatures even in the extremely...

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