Laboratory assessment of cold weather clothing

Reducing Muscle Temperature Drop after Warm-up Improves Sprint Cycling Performance

“…When the heating element was activated, insulation of the legs and hips increased by 0.378 m^'K'W"' (2.4 clo) to give a total insulation for the pants of 0.815 m^'K'W"' (5.3 elo), with whole body insulation increasing to 0.263 m^'K'W' (1.7 clo). Effective insulation values for the heated pants will be even higher than those reported here (18). As the heating input from the pants reduces the manikin heat loss to zero, and even warms up the manikin, the measured values underestimate the full effect of the heating.…”

External heating garments used post-warm-up improve upper body power and elite sprint swimming performance

“…When unheated, both jackets had similar insulation as measured on a thermal manikin. 25 The heated jacket was selected based on market research to find the best coverage of the torso and arms with heating elements. The heated elements targeted the major muscle groups: pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, tricep brachii and covered the lower deltoids 26 (Figure 1).…”

Innovation in the Comfort of Intimate Apparel

“…Wicking is an important property to uphold a feel of comfort during sweating conditions and is affected by fabric properties [4]. Discomfort is linked to the presence of liquid on the skin, and the removal of this, either by optimized evaporation or by wicking the moisture away from the skin, is thus a relevant factor [19]. Wicking is the spontaneous flow of liquid in a porous substrate, driven by capillary forces produced in the fabric.…”

“…When a person starts to sweat in garment, this sweat can be absorbed by fabric, spreading over a bigger area and thus facilitating evaporation. Also, by removing the liquid from the skin and transporting it away from the skin-fabric interface, clinging of clothing with its associated discomfort is reduced [4,19]. The transport of liquid moisture is a complex mechanism dependent on the hydrophilic properties of the material (fibers), the inter-and intra-yarn capillaries, as well as the water absorption capacity (hygroscopicity) of fibers.…”