Thermographic Assessment of Sweat Evaporation Inside Clothing Systems

The purpose of the research project was to determine whether or not thermography can be used for assessing heat and moisture transport inside clothing systems worn by active duty police officers. An infrared camera system was used to identify temperature patterns over the body of healthy adult males performing controlled physical activities inside a temperature controlled environment. The thermographic documentation revealed complex temperature distribution patterns that were clearly associated with the regional evaporative cooling of sweat. Differences in the temperature patterns between subjects who produced large amounts of sweat and those who produced less sweat were observed. The study showed that thermography is an effective tool for assessing skin temperatures and sweat evaporation from clothing. The information gained can be applied to the design of new clothing systems to maximize the cooling effects of body sweat evaporation.