title: Thermo-physiological comfort of soft-shell back protectors under controlled environmental conditions.
abstract: The aim of the study was to investigate thermo-physiological comfort of three back protectors identifying design features affecting heat loss and moisture management. Five volunteers tested the back protectors in a climatic chamber during an intermittent physical activity. Heart rate, average skin temperature, sweat production, microclimate temperature and humidity have been monitored during the test. The sources of heat losses have been identified using infrared thermography and the participants answered a questionnaire to express their subjective sensations associated with their thermo-physiological condition. The results have shown that locally torso skin temperature and microclimate depended on the type of back protector, whose design allowed different extent of perspiration and thermal insulation. Coupling physiological measurements with the questionnaire, it was found that overall comfort was dependent more on skin wetness than skin temperature: the participants preferred the back protector with the highest level of ventilation through the shell and the lowest level of microclimate humidity.
authors.affiliation: DISAT, Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Torino, Italy. Electronic address: francesca.dotti@polito.it.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dotti
authors.affiliation: DISAT, Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Torino, Italy. Electronic address: ada.ferri@polito.it.
authors.forename: Ada
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferri
authors.affiliation: DICAM, Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, University of Bologna, Via Terracini 28, 40131, Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: matteo.moncalero@unibo.it.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moncalero
authors.affiliation: DICAM, Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, University of Bologna, Via Terracini 28, 40131, Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: martino.colonna@unibo.it.
authors.forename: Martino
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Colonna
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019567:Back Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D006813:Humidity; D008297:Male; D011482:Protective Devices; D012865:Skiing / Q000293:injuries*; D012881:Skin Temperature; D019876:Sports Equipment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013546:Sweating; D013697:Thermosensing; D060726:Torso / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Foams; Microclimate; Polymeric; Skin temperature; Snow sports