PH-2527 (RP-118) -- A Human Thermoregulatory Model for Heat Acclimation

During the past fifty years extensive studies were conducted to determine man's physiologicalreactions when exposed to different combinations of environmental parameters (dry-bulb and meanradiant temperatures, vapor pressure, and air movement), clothing, and activity levels. Mostof the efforts in this area were primarily experimental. One of the major contributions of suchstudies was the identification of generally acceptable thermal conditions for comfort forslightly active, healthy, normally clothed subjects when-the air movement is less than 0.2 m/s.Because of the number of factors which influence man's physiological reactions, a completelyexperimental evaluation of all possible combinations of these factors is very time consuming andexpensive, if not an impossible task. An alternative approach to the experimental evaluationprocess is the use of modeling of the human thermoregulatory system.

The objective of the present paperis to present the development of a new thermal regulation model for heat acclimation and itsexperimental verification, as well as discuss its application possibilities.