Analysis of thermoregulation properties of PCM garments on the basis of ergonomic tests

Work in impermeable protective clothing leads to a significant thermal load on its user. Limited heat and moisture transport, which is an effect of using air- and moisture-impermeable coated fabrics in protective clothing, causes a significant increase of the temperature and relative humidity in the undergarment microclimate and, as a consequence, a rise of the skin and core temperature. To protect a worker from the thermal load, three types of garments with phase change materials designed to be worn under impermeable clothing have been developed and tested. The research, conducted with the participation of volunteers in a microclimatic chamber, has proved a statistically significant positive effect of the phase change materials, in the form of macrocapsules contained in the garment, on the undergarment microclimate underneath the barrier protective clothing.