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Assessment of Thermal Discomfort when Wearing Bicycle Helmets – A Modelling Framework

Bröde, Peter ; Aerts, Jean-Marie ; De Bruyne, Guido ; Sotto Mayor, Tiago ; Kuklane, Kalev LU and Fiala, Dusan (2015) 4th International Cycling Safety Conference
Abstract
Excessive sweating is a major ergonomic concern in bicycle helmet use and low wearing rates are suspected to originate, at least partly, from impaired thermal comfort due to accumulated sweat increasing skin wettedness at the head region. As a development from COST Action TU1101 WG4, we introduce a modelling framework for assessing the thermal comfort of bicy-cle helmet use. We predicted local sweat rate (LSR) at the head region as ratio to gross sweat rate (GSR) of the whole body and also based on sudomotor sensitivity (SUD), which relates the change in LSR to the change in body core temperature (ΔTre). We coupled those local models with models of thermoregulation predicting ΔTre and GSR, thus modelling head sweating in re-sponse to the... (More)
Excessive sweating is a major ergonomic concern in bicycle helmet use and low wearing rates are suspected to originate, at least partly, from impaired thermal comfort due to accumulated sweat increasing skin wettedness at the head region. As a development from COST Action TU1101 WG4, we introduce a modelling framework for assessing the thermal comfort of bicy-cle helmet use. We predicted local sweat rate (LSR) at the head region as ratio to gross sweat rate (GSR) of the whole body and also based on sudomotor sensitivity (SUD), which relates the change in LSR to the change in body core temperature (ΔTre). We coupled those local models with models of thermoregulation predicting ΔTre and GSR, thus modelling head sweating in re-sponse to the characteristics of the thermal environment, clothing, level of activity, and expo-sure duration. We then validated the predictions of several local models (SUD, LSR/GSR) com-bined with different whole-body models against head sweat rates measured in the laboratory. Eventually, we developed thermal comfort criteria from head LSR by relating skin wettedness to the thermal properties of bicycle helmets. We discuss the potential of this approach as well as needs for further research. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
keywords
bicycle helmet human factors thermal Comfort sweating model
host publication
International Cycling Safety Conference 2015
editor
Otte, Dietmar
pages
14 pages
publisher
Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Germany
conference name
4th International Cycling Safety Conference
conference location
Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Germany
conference dates
2015-09-15 - 2015-09-16
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a6d77f6c-4efd-4428-b3e3-ce2b789b390d (old id 7867914)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 11:49:03
date last changed
2018-11-21 21:07:23
@inproceedings{a6d77f6c-4efd-4428-b3e3-ce2b789b390d,
  abstract     = {{Excessive sweating is a major ergonomic concern in bicycle helmet use and low wearing rates are suspected to originate, at least partly, from impaired thermal comfort due to accumulated sweat increasing skin wettedness at the head region. As a development from COST Action TU1101 WG4, we introduce a modelling framework for assessing the thermal comfort of bicy-cle helmet use. We predicted local sweat rate (LSR) at the head region as ratio to gross sweat rate (GSR) of the whole body and also based on sudomotor sensitivity (SUD), which relates the change in LSR to the change in body core temperature (ΔTre). We coupled those local models with models of thermoregulation predicting ΔTre and GSR, thus modelling head sweating in re-sponse to the characteristics of the thermal environment, clothing, level of activity, and expo-sure duration. We then validated the predictions of several local models (SUD, LSR/GSR) com-bined with different whole-body models against head sweat rates measured in the laboratory. Eventually, we developed thermal comfort criteria from head LSR by relating skin wettedness to the thermal properties of bicycle helmets. We discuss the potential of this approach as well as needs for further research.}},
  author       = {{Bröde, Peter and Aerts, Jean-Marie and De Bruyne, Guido and Sotto Mayor, Tiago and Kuklane, Kalev and Fiala, Dusan}},
  booktitle    = {{International Cycling Safety Conference 2015}},
  editor       = {{Otte, Dietmar}},
  keywords     = {{bicycle helmet human factors thermal Comfort sweating model}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Germany}},
  title        = {{Assessment of Thermal Discomfort when Wearing Bicycle Helmets – A Modelling Framework}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}