The protective clothes worn by those working in very high temperatures in various industries such as steel glass and mining industries, carry great importance. These clothes, protecting the workers from the heat, should be heatproof and non-flammable. However these protective clothes often do not provide the ability to move freely and they cause a high ambient temperature.
Until today, the protective feature of these work clothes has been the focus of their designs. The comfort has been of secondary importance. Wearing clothes with inadequate heat and moisture management in high temperatures seriously affects the performance and health of the workers. The scientists in Hohenstein Institute Textile Research Center carry out studies in order to fill the gap in this regard.
As a part of the research project ( AiF No. 16782 N) carried out at the institutue, the limit values and design principles which should be standardised in order to optimise the protective clothing systems for use in hot industrial working environments are tried to be established. The researches at Hohenstein Institute underline that it is possible to improve the thermo-physiological properties of protective clothes without having a detrimental effect on their protective functions.
The research project that is planned to be completed in November 2012, has focused on protective clothing for iron and steel industry. Those working close to the furnaces, where temperatures can reach over 2000°C, are not included within the scope of this project. The workers have to wear special protective clothes in these areas, where safety is a higher priority than comfort.
The Main Focus is Carrying the Sweat Away
The aim of the research project is described as; to extend the existing DIN EN ISO 116112 “Clothing to protect against heat and flames” and to include procedures and limit values for measuring pyhsiological properties, taking account of factors such as the ambient temperature, different stress levels and durations. The main focus of the research is the ability of the textile materials to carry away sweat. In this regard, great importance is being attached to the composition of layers of clothing and how heat and moisture is transported by consisting of outer wear and underwear.
Until now, the outer clothing in hot environments has been focused on. The underwear that has not been standardised before, will own its own standards as a result of this research.
It is stated that especially the small and medium sized companies in Germany, which manufacture protective clothing for hot environments, will benefit from this research. Standardised parameters will increase the safety for workers who are exposed to high temperatures every day. For the workers, who are subjected to less heat, will less frequently become ill and consequently the productuvity of them and the company will increase.
Extreme Heat May Lead to Death
Being exposed to the high ambient temperatures may disrupt the thermo regulation of the ones who do not wear suitable clothes. In the long term, the core body temperature above 37 °C can also disrupt and collapse the circulatory system and cause death. High temperature may also cause the risk of heat exhaustion.
The human organism has various mechanisms to regulate the core body temperature. If the ambient temperature is at the same level with the skin temperature, evaporating 32 °C of sweat is the only way to regulate the body temperature. For that reason, it is very important for the body to transport moisture. If the wearer is sweating heavily, the textile material must be able to buffer the volume of sweat that is given off (in the form of vapour or liquid). Large quantities of sweat should be absorbed effectively and carried away from the body.
