Zimmermann Carsten, Uedelhoven Wolfgang H, Kurz Bernhard, Glitz Karl Jochen
Bundeswehr Research Institute for Materials, Explosives, Fuels and Lubricants, Institutsweg 1, 85435, Erding, Germany.
Eur J Appl Physiol. 2008 Sep;104(2):229-36. doi: 10.1007/s00421-007-0660-z. Epub 2008 Jan 3.
The thermal insulation properties of a military wet/cold protection glove of the German Bundeswehr were investigated using the thermophysiological simulation device CYBOR with a heated full-scale hand model. The aim of this study was the physiology related and more reliable estimation of a database for the thermal comfort range of the glove in terms of environmental limit temperatures and maximum safe wearing times (limit times). For that purpose the simulation device CYBOR is equipped with a control feature allowing the simulation of the physiological effect that the blood flow into the hands as the dominant heat source is reduced with decreasing skin temperature (vasoconstriction effect). In the simulation test, the criterion defining the thermal comfort range of the glove was the maintenance of a minimum hand phantom skin temperature of 15 degrees C. For various assumed metabolic rates between 50 and 175 W m(-2) and environmental temperatures down to -22 degrees C, the maximum safe wearing times within the thermal comfort range of the military glove were estimated between only 20 min and almost 1 h. The used simulation scenario for the prediction of environmental limit temperatures, however, tends to deliver too low values in correlation to the estimated limit times and needs further critical consideration. The estimated data concerning the thermal comfort range of the wet/cold protection glove of the German Bundeswehr leads to the recommendation for a use of this model in mild cold climatic regions. The presented thermophysiological simulation procedure for the evaluation of the cold protection properties of gloves in terms of maximum safe wearing times within the thermal comfort range can be a useful tool to establish practical operating instructions for soldiers or civilians acting in cold environments.
利用热生理模拟装置CYBOR和加热的全尺寸手部模型，对德国联邦国防军的一款军用湿冷防护手套的隔热性能进行了研究。本研究的目的是从环境极限温度和最大安全佩戴时间（极限时间）方面，对该手套热舒适范围的数据库进行更可靠的生理学相关估计。为此，模拟装置CYBOR配备了一种控制功能，可模拟随着皮肤温度降低，作为主要热源流入手部的血液减少的生理效应（血管收缩效应）。在模拟测试中，定义手套热舒适范围的标准是保持手部模型皮肤最低温度为15摄氏度。对于50至175 W m(-2)之间的各种假定代谢率以及低至-22摄氏度的环境温度，军用手套热舒适范围内的最大安全佩戴时间估计仅在20分钟至近1小时之间。然而，用于预测环境极限温度的模拟方案，与估计的极限时间相关时往往给出过低的值，需要进一步审慎考虑。关于德国联邦国防军湿冷防护手套热舒适范围的估计数据，得出了在温和寒冷气候地区使用该型号手套的建议。所提出的根据热舒适范围内的最大安全佩戴时间来评估手套防寒性能的热生理模拟程序，可为制定在寒冷环境中行动的士兵或平民的实际操作指南提供有用工具。
