Physical Science

The Effectiveness of Polypropylene in Thermal Clothing

Introduction

Polypropylene is a common and inexpensive synthetic polymer used in a variety of applications including food containers , carpeting , insulation and clothing . Polypropylene in clothing is commonly seen in thermal underwear , jackets and pants that are used in extreme conditions (Farnworth Dolhan , 1985 . Polypropylene was used in military uniforms and vests to protect the body from extreme cold weather . Polypropylene has many applications , but clothing seems to be the least of it , and not many researches had been done to assess its effectiveness in retaining

br body heat

Thermal clothing protects the body in extremely cold environments it is designed to enable the body to conserve and retain body heat and to protect it from hypothermia . Body heat in cold environments quickly dissipates due to heat diffusion (Fukazawa , Lee , Matsuoka et al , 2004 The body generates heat to protect itself from the cold environment but since the body is porous the heat evaporates in the environment . Thermal clothing prevents body heat from dissipating to the environment and also to keep the cold from entering the body , thermal clothing is analogous to thermal insulation in building materials and in food and beverage containers

Heat and moisture is a major consideration in the research and design of clothing , and heat transfer models have been developed to simulate the movement of heat from the body through the fabric and to the environment and vice versa . Most research had been done using a hot plate or the use...