Skin thermal stimulation on touching cool fabric from the transient stage to steady-state stage
writer：Tian M, Zhu S, Pan N
keywords：Skin thermal stimulation ， Fabric thermophysical properties ，Theoretical analysis ，Thermoreceptor heat transfer ， Skin thickness
source：期刊
Issue time：2012年
This study investigated the whole process of skin thermal stimulation upon contacting a cool fabric using a two-layer fabric piece as an example. This process of heat transfer in our model, considering the influence of both external environmental conditions and the skin structure, was analyzed in both transient and steady-state stages sequentially. Three predictive parameters, the heat flux peak q(max), the corresponding time t(max) and the steady-state heat flux q(0) were defined, and used to describe and predict the heat transfer across the thermoreceptor beneath the skin. Then a series of numerical parametric studies was utilized to study the effects on these three parameters of such variables as fabric thickness, thermophysical properties, the fabric stacking sequences and the skin structure. The results demonstrated that the inner fabric layer had a dominant effect on the first two parameters (q(max) and t(max)) during the transient stage, and combined with the outer layer, also impacted the third parameters (q(0)) during the steady-state condition. In addition, the fabric layer stacking sequence was shown to be another important factor during the transient stage. (C) 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.