Thermal sensors for performance evaluation of protective clothing against heat and fire: a review

Many thermal sensors can simulate and predict the heat flux transmitted through human bodies under hazardous fire exposures. These sensors are usually used to evaluate the thermal protective performance of firefighters’/industrial-workers’ clothing. This paper presents a thorough review on the latest thermal sensors and their applications in evaluating the performance of protective clothing. Several important aspects associated with the sensor development – constructional features, working principles, and characteristics – were discussed and their applications in protective textile materials testing were summarized. The application procedures of sensors both in heat source calibration and heat flux measurement were introduced. Finally, several research cases were explored. This review could help in understanding basics of the current thermal sensors and their nature in testing protective clothing performance.