2007, Piran, Slovenia

Personal protective equipment
the skin temperature falls below the comfort range and reaches values where pain sensation is
starting to occur. The essential dependence of the heat balance of the hands on the arterial
blood supply (heat flow in the simulation), and the strong influence of the vasoconstriction
becomes obvious in the evaluation of the obtained data. The consideration of work load and
vasoconstriction are the crucial point in specifying useful values for temperature, or time
limits concerning a predicted thermal comfort range of handwear under cold conditions.
DISCUSSION
The described simulation procedure allows a physiologically-related and more reliable
prediction of the thermal comfort and safety range for cold protective handwear systems,
compared to former measurements with constant heat flow into the hand phantom. The
database of temperature limits and time periods for a safe use within the thermal comfort
range is a first step towards a guideline for soldiers operating in extreme climates, as well as
for the civilian users of cold protecting gloves. These data are based on physiologicallyrelated
simulations, in contrast to the more or less heuristic declaration of comfort
temperatures for handwear, widely used in the consumer area.
REFERENCES
Glitz K J, Seibel U, Kurz B, Uedelhoven W, Leyk D (2005), Thermophysiological and selfperceived
sensations during cold exposure of the hands: Data for a biophysical Device. In
Holmer I, Kuklane K, Gao C, Environmental Ergonomics XI 2005, Ystad, 564-566
Heus R, Daanen H A M, Havenith G. (1995), ‘Review of physiological criteria for
functioning of unprotected hands in the cold’, in Tikuisis P et al., Handbook on predicting
responses to cold exposure, NATO AC/243 Panel 8
Zimmermann C, Uedelhoven W, Kurz B, Glitz K J (2006), ‘Prediction of the thermal comfort
range of handwear by thermophysiological simulation’, in Fan J, Thermal Manikins and
Modelling 6I3M, Hong Kong, 115-118
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