Research on More Effective Local Cooling Ways to Human Thermal Comfort in Hot Environment

Abstract

Local heating or cooling of body has been the research hotspot in the field of thermal comfort. This paper analyses the impact of local cooling of forehead, back, and foot on overall thermal response under specific environmental parameters. The experiment uses thermal manikin as the subject. Based on the orthogonal experimental design, in a climate chamber with different ambient temperature of 28, 31, 34 °C, local cold stimulation of 22, 24, 26 °C were given to the different three parts of thermal manikin. According to the average skin temperature recorded, thermal comfort could be evaluated. The results indicated that local cooling of each one of the three parts can reduce the average skin temperature to some extent. The key part of local stimulation is foot > back > forehead. The findings have important implications for further research.