title: The response of human thermal sensation and its prediction to temperature step-change (cool-neutral-cool).
abstract: This paper reports on studies of the effect of temperature step-change (between a cool and a neutral environment) on human thermal sensation and skin temperature. Experiments with three temperature conditions were carried out in a climate chamber during the period in winter. Twelve subjects participated in the experiments simulating moving inside and outside of rooms or cabins with air conditioning. Skin temperatures and thermal sensation were recorded. Results showed overshoot and asymmetry of TSV due to the step-change. Skin temperature changed immediately when subjects entered a new environment. When moving into a neutral environment from cool, dynamic thermal sensation was in the thermal comfort zone and overshoot was not obvious. Air-conditioning in a transitional area should be considered to limit temperature difference to not more than 5°C to decrease the unacceptability of temperature step-change. The linear relationship between thermal sensation and skin temperature or gradient of skin temperature does not apply in a step-change environment. There is a significant linear correlation between TSV and Qloss in the transient environment. Heat loss from the human skin surface can be used to predict dynamic thermal sensation instead of the heat transfer of the whole human body.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China; National Centre for International Research of Low-carbon and Green Buildings, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Xiuyuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China; National Centre for International Research of Low-carbon and Green Buildings, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Baizhan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China; National Centre for International Research of Low-carbon and Green Buildings, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China; National Centre for International Research of Low-carbon and Green Buildings, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China; National Centre for International Research of Low-carbon and Green Buildings, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China; National Centre for International Research of Low-carbon and Green Buildings, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Jianke
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China; National Centre for International Research of Low-carbon and Green Buildings, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Zhichao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China; National Centre for International Research of Low-carbon and Green Buildings, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Kechao
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Xia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000389:Air Conditioning; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012881:Skin Temperature / Q000502:physiology*; D013697:Thermosensing / Q000502:physiology*