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Fashion and function: challenges faced by textiles incorporated with phase change materials

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Author

Editor

  • Minna Varheenmaa

Summary, in English

Designers focus on fashion and appearance, whereas safety and protection engineers and physiologists emphasize functions in terms of developing functional and protective clothing. Phase change materials (PCMs) have been used in textiles and clothing to achieve cooling or warming function. The objective of this paper was to compare effectiveness of PCM cooling or warming determined by critical factors. Cooling or warming effectiveness and duration were directly dependent on physical activity level (body heat production), PCM mass and temperature gradient between the skin temperature and PCM phase change temperature. Given these factors, textiles and clothing incorporated with PCMs may be lightweight, well-designed, smart and fashionable, but are insufficiently functional when the amount of the PCM and latent heat are small relative to the body heat production and duration of activities. It is therefore challenging by incorporating PCMs into textiles and clothing to achieve desirable light weight, fashion, thermal comfort and effective alleviation of body heat strain unless the critical factors are taken into account.

Publishing year

2014

Language

English

Publication/Series

[Host publication title missing]

Document type

Conference paper

Topic

  • Production Engineering, Human Work Science and Ergonomics

Keywords

  • fashion and function
  • design challenge
  • smart textiles
  • phase change material
  • thermal comfort and physiology

Conference name

Ambience14&10i3m, Scientific Conference on Smart and Functional Textiles, Well-Being, Thermal Comfort in Clothing, Design, Thermal Manikins and Modelling

Conference date

2014-09-07 - 2014-09-09

Conference place

Tampere, Finland

Status

Published

Research group

  • Thermal Environment Laboratory

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 2342-4540