How will moisture affect the insulation of your clothing?

Zoe Bornhorst
outdoorgearlab.com/expert-advice
2.671 Measurement and Instrumentation

Abstract Results
Weather and sweat can decrease clothing’s insulating ability, causing a change in body
temperature that may be dangerous or simply uncomfortable. This research measured the
degree to which moisture affected the thermal conductivity of various common clothing
materials. Material samples were sandwiched between a heating pad and metal plate. The
power output of the heating pad and temperature difference across the sample were
measured to calculate the thermal conductivity of each material, with the clothing sample in
dry and soaked conditions. The thermal conductivity of the 50% cotton/ 50% polyester
sample increased by (55 ± 3)% when wet, while the thermal conductivity of neoprene only
increased by (0.42 ± 0.01)%. The experiment concluded that neoprene would be the best
material to wear for insulation in wet conditions, next wool, and cotton and polyester would
be the worst in wet conditions.

Experimental Design
Metal plate

Watt’s Up Pro (Q)

Material sample
(thickness t) 60

Heating pad
(area A) Variac AC 50

% Δk from dry to wet

power supply
Cardboard
box 40
Thermocouple 1 (𝑻𝟏 )
Thermocouple 2 (𝑻𝟐 ) 30
55

% mass 20
Material Mass Dry (g) Mass Wet (g)
change
Cotton 43 144 ± 5 235% 25
10
50% Cotton/
50% Polyester 71.3 198 ± 7 178%
6.0 0.42
0
Wool 62.3 193 ± 5 210% Cotton 50% Cotton/ 50% Wool Neoprene
Neoprene 20.2 22.8 ± 0.5 13.0%
Polyester
• Last 20 seconds of ∆𝑇'' averaged to calculate k value
Wet = material sample completely soaked but not dripping
• Steady state criterion: dT/dt < 0.003 K/s Conclusions
• Moisture will significantly decrease the insulation of cotton and polyester
Conduction through Material
• Moisture has an insignificant effect on the insulation of neoprene
𝑸̇ 𝒕 • Main mode of heat transfer = conduction
High moisture levels:
𝒌 = • Neglecting evaporation
𝑨 (𝑻𝟐 −𝑻𝟏 )𝒔𝒔 Need neoprene
Medium moisture levels:
𝑸 ̇: power output of heating pad [W] Area A
𝑻𝟏 Wear wool - more comfortable than neoprene and provides some
𝒕 : material thickness [𝑚] Material having insulation
𝑨 : cross-sectional surface area [𝑚. ] t thermal
𝑻𝟐 conductivity, k Light moisture levels:
(𝑻𝟐 − 𝑻𝟏 )𝒔𝒔 : temperature difference at steady state [K]
Q Wear cotton - lightweight and breathable when dry
𝒌 ∶ thermal conductivity of material [W/m*K]
Acknowledgements
Lower k value provides better insulation Thank you to Dr. Kevin Cedrone and Dr. Barbara Hughey
for help with experimental design and analysis.
May 8, 2018