The thermal performance of partial coverage wet suits.
A wet-suit worn external to normal clothing and covering the trunk and arms only has been assessed as a method for providing short-term immersion protection for helicopter passengers in offshore oil field operations. Manikin measurements of effective insulation in water give a mean figure of 0.54 togs for the areas covered by the suit and 0.09 togs for uncovered areas. These figures were used to obtain model predictions of survival time for 'thin' and 'average' men which suggest that the suit can give adequate protection for 1 h at 5 degrees C subject to care in fitting. Direct measurements of heat flux have demonstrated the presence of water flushing beneath the suit and the potentially serious loss of insulation that can result.
D001833:Body Temperature Regulation; D004242:Diving; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011481:Protective Clothing; D013814:Thermal Conductivity