A 3D Printed Thermal Manikin Head for Evaluating Helmets for Convective and Radiative Heat Loss

Publication Type:

Conference Paper

Source:

Proceedings of the 20th Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA 2018) Volume VII, Springer International Publishing, Volume VII, p.592–602 (2019)

ISBN:

978-3-319-96070-8

Keywords:

Convective heat loss, Heat transfer, Helmet thermal performance, Radiative heat gain, Thermal manikin head, Wind tunnel

Abstract:

Thermal performance of three bicycle helmets for radiative and convective heat loss was evaluated through heat loss experiments in a wind tunnel. A 3D printed thermal manikin head of a 50th percentile western male population was developed. Thermal performance of a helmet was quantified by comparing the manikin head heat losses with and without helmet. Experiments were performed for two air velocities: 1.6 m/s and 6 m/s. An infrared heat lamp positioned above the manikin simulated the effect of solar load. The results from the experiments showed a convective cooling efficiency between 89{%} and 96{%} for open helmets and between 78{%} and 83{%} for closed helmets. The radiative heat gain ranged from 3.5 W to 4.5 W for open helmets and 5 W to 8 W for closed helmets.

Research area: