Research on the thermal environment in a climate chamber with different high-temperature combinations

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe ambient summer temperature within the spinning workshop consistently exceeds the upper limit of the comfort zone. This study aims to assess individuals’ thermal responses under various high-temperature combinations resembling those encountered in the spinning workshop. Forty students were recruited as participants and exposed to 112 state points within a controlled climate chamber. These conditions encompassed diverse high-temperature combinations, comprising four temperature levels (29 °C, 32 °C, 35 °C, and 40 °C), seven humidity levels (30%, 40%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, and 70%), and four air velocity levels (0, 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 m/s). Participants donned single-layer clothing with a thermal resistance of 0.6 clo, and their subjective evaluations were collected via questionnaires. The study confirms that the GB/T 50481 guidelines for workshop temperature appear to be reasonable, considering the low thermal expectation and adaptation of workers. However, nearly 100% of the participants deemed temperatures surpassing 38 °Cwithin the spinning workshop as unacceptable, with approximately 80% of participants categorizing it as distinctly unacceptable. Consequently, it is recommended that the GB/T 50481 standards be extended to explicitly declare temperatures above 38 °C within the spinning workshop as unacceptable. This study lays a robust foundation for forthcoming research concerning high-temperature conditions within spinning workshops.KEYWORDS: Spinning workshoppredicted mean vote (PMV)thermal sensation vote (TSV)thermal comfort vote (TCV)thermal acceptability vote (TAV) Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationFundingWe would like to thank China National Textile and Apparel Council (No. 2021053).