Development and validation of a computer program for simulation of the human body thermophysiological response

Abstract

The purpose of this work is the development and the validation of an accurate computer program for modeling of the thermal, the respiratory and the cardiovascular responses of a live or dead person exposed to any kind of environment while wearing different kinds of clothing and at rest or doing a moderate or intensive activity. The range of possible utilization is extensive, e.g., the optimization of sportive performance, the quantification of the thermal comfort achieved on exposition to moderate thermal environments, the evaluation of thermal stress and the risk of collapse in the execution of tasks in very hot or very cold situations or requiring high levels of effort and as support for medical activities. This manuscript describes the research efforts performed at the Mechanical Engineering Department of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of University of Coimbra (DEM-FCTUC) in order to achieve mathematical and computational models suitable for the prediction of human body thermophysiological behavior.