Center for the Built Environment

A detailed model of heat and moisture transfer through clothing is developed and has been implemented in the UC Berkeley Comfort Model (UCB Model), to simulate dry heat loss and moisture absorption/evaporation through clothing. Equations are presented to describe four paths of heat and moisture transfer between naked skin and environment, clothed skin and environment, and naked and clothed skin in direct contact with a solid surface. Case studies are presented for different typical clothing ensembles and different contact fractions of the contact area with a solid surface, a chair. The results show that the developed clothing model is a useful tool for the study of heat and moisture transfer through clothing and contact surfaces, and the assessment of thermal comfort in transient, non-uniform environments.