Clothing Heated with Textile Heating Elements

Presents the possibility of utilization of the textile heating element for designing protective clothing. Investigation of the textile heating element has been carried out and it has been found that a conductive woven fabric of specific resistance should not be higher than 4*10−2 (Ω*m). Physical behaviour of the heating element can be described according to Ohm's law. A number of variants of heating packs have been tested by means of thermovision. Attention was paid to the problem of ensuring an appropriate distribution of temperatures on the inner side of clothing and obtaining a possible low temperature on the outside of clothing. A model of the system, body/heated clothing/environment, has been developed, making assumptions related to: the structure and physiology of the body; the structure of clothing and properties of materials; outer climatic conditions. Clothing prototypes were subjected to laboratory tests to verify correctness of the assumptions concerning both the heating system construction and the active clothing designing. The laboratory and functional investigations of active clothing have been positively verified by the developed model. Garments so designed are absolutely safe for the user and protects him efficiently against cooling‐down during his stay in a low temperature environment.