Study of heat and moisture transfer within multi-layer clothing assemblies consisting of different types of battings

A theoretical model of simultaneous heat and moisture transfer is presented and applied to consider the moisture accumulation and thermal insulation performance of multi-layer clothing assemblies consisting of different types of fibrous battings. Concerning the boundaries with dramatic change in the multiple ply battings, the numerical model was solved using finite volume method. The computational results were first compared with the experimental measurements and then applied to evaluate whether and how the positions of different types of battings affect on the moisture accumulation and thermal insulation performance of the clothing assemblies. It was found that placing the hygroscopic wool batting in the inner region (i.e. closer to the body) and the non-hygroscopic polyester batting in the outer region (i.e. away from the body) could reduce the moisture accumulation within and the total heat loss through clothing assemblies. This provides potential to improve the performance of the clothing by optimizing the positions of the battings for the clothing having the same materials. © 2007 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.