Materials and engineering design for human performance and protection in extreme hot conditions

The level of protective material performance attributes are well defined and highly regulated, however the attributes related to the thermo physiological comfort of materials are not. In this chapter, the application of new materials to firefighting protective clothing systems used in extreme heat is addressed, with a focus on thermo physiological comfort. The new generation of protective textile materials and their structures are evaluated through use of both objective laboratory testing and mathematical modeling methods. In addition, 3D body imaging technology is utilized to demonstrate a method of assessing the fit of protective garments and its potential impact on the thermal status of the wearer. The proposed engineering approach could be used in other areas where the balance between clothing performance and wear comfort is critical, e.g. sport, work wear etc.