Objectives. This research investigated the performance properties of protective gloves alongside improvement in thermo-physiological comfort properties. Methods. Knitted gloves prepared from filament stainless steel, filament Kevlar, staple spun Kevlar and filament glass were used in the core, while 100% viscose rayon and 50/50% polyester/viscose rayon were used in the sheath. Gloves were tested for cut resistance, tear resistance, puncture resistance and abrasion resistance as the prime focus, and thermo-physiological comfort properties were also tested. In this research, a multi-response optimization technique, i.e., principal component analysis, was applied to identify the best yarn combination for gloves based on the aforementioned properties. Thermal images were also taken in constant ambient conditions for temperature distribution maps across the hand\'s surface. Results. All of the results were evaluated statistically with analysis of variance, and concluded that the effects of the core yarn on thermo-physiological properties were less significant. Conclusion. The results revealed that samples having dual-core yarn exhibited better in terms of overall properties. The sample having dual-core filament Kevlar and staple spun Kevlar ranked the best. In addition, developed samples exhibited better comfort properties than the control sample.

A temperature measurement subsystem (TMS) is a critical piece of infrastructure of the space gravitational wave detection platform, necessary for monitoring minuscule temperature changes at the level of 1μK/Hz1/2 within the electrode house, in the frequency range of 0.1mHz to 1Hz. The voltage reference (VR), a key component of the TMS, must possess low noise characteristics in the detection band to minimize the impact on temperature measurements. However, the noise characteristics of the voltage reference in the sub-millihertz range have not been documented yet and require further study. This paper reports a dual-channel measurement method for measuring the low-frequency noise of VR chips down to 0.1mHz. The measurement method makes use of a dual-channel chopper amplifier and an assembly thermal insulation box to achieve a normalized resolution of 3×10-7/Hz1/2@0.1mHz in the VR noise measurement. The seven best-performance VR chips documented at a common frequency range are tested. The results show that their noise at sub-millihertz frequencies can significantly differ from that around 1Hz.

The current research aimed to develop lightweight, environmentally friendly mortar materials using crop straw fibers with better insulation properties. The lightweight mortar samples were tested for moisture content, thermal conductivity and compressive strength on days 3, 7 and 28, respectively. Scanning electron tomography (SEM) was performed on the fiber-matrix bonding interface and internal fiber structure. The permeability rating was also measured to check the impermeability of the lightweight fiber mortar. Due to the high hygroscopicity of plant fibers, the thermal conductivity of the mortar was high at the initial molding stage; the thermal conductivity measured at day 28 decreased with increasing fiber content, while the mechanical properties gradually decreased. The impermeability test showed that the straw fiber mortar had better impermeability than the standard mortar. However, with the addition of 2% of 10 mm long fibers, we increased the compressive strength and thermal insulation properties. Numerical simulations verified that the fiber insulation mortar has good thermal insulation properties in high-temperature tunnels.

Natural polysaccharides with high viscosity, good thermal stability, and biocompatibility can improve the mechanical properties of inorganic silica aerogels and enhance their application safety. However, the effects of the preparation methods of polysaccharide-silica aerogels on their microstructure and application properties have not been systematically studied. To better investigate the effect of the microstructure on the properties of aerogel materials, two aerogels with different structures were prepared using Konjac glucomannan (KGM) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) via physical blending (KTB) and co-precursor methods (KTC), respectively. The structural differences between the KTB and KTC aerogels were characterized, and the thermal insulation and fire-retardant properties were further investigated. The compressive strength of the KTC aerogels with a cross-linked interpenetrating network (IPN) structure was three times higher than that of the KTB aerogels, while their thermal conductivity was 1/3 of that of the KTB aerogels. The maximum limiting oxygen index (LOI) of the KTC aerogels was 1.4 times, the low peak heat release rate (PHRR) was reduced by 61.45%, and the lowest total heat release (THR) was reduced by 41.35% compared with the KTB aerogels. The results showed that the KTC aerogels with the IPN have better mechanical properties, thermal insulation, and fire-retardant properties than the simple physically blending KTB aerogels. This may be due to the stronger hydrogen-bonding interactions between KGM and silica molecules in the KTC aerogels under the unique forcing effect of the IPN, thus enhancing their structural stability and achieving complementary properties. This work will provide new ideas for the microstructure design of aerogels and the research of new thermal insulation and fire-retardant aerogels.

The thermal properties of clothing products are influenced by external environmental parameters, such as temperature, humidity, air flow and parameters related to the user\'s body, which mainly include temperature and humidity. Depending on the type of raw material, its thickness and the material manufacturing technique, clothing products are characterised by certain insulating properties to protect the human body from external factors. A multilayer system made of different material groups can change the thermal insulating capacity significantly, which cannot be determined by the testing of individual layers used in the production. In order to determine the influence of weather conditions on thermal insulation and air permeability, tests were carried out for two types of sleeping bags (summer and autumn) produced by the same manufacturer, differing in insulation thickness. Simulations were carried out using SolidWorks and verified using a Newton thermal mannequin. During tests, both the temperature (range from -20 °C to 20 °C) and humidity values were changed (range 40-80% humidity). For sleeping bags, the effective thermal insulation decreases along with the increase of temperature and decrease of humidity. It can be observed, for the autumn sleeping bags, that for a temperature of 20 °C and humidity of 60%, the thermal insulation is 1.063 m2·K·W-1, while for a temperature of -20 °C and humidity of 60% thermal insulation increases significantly and amounts to 1.111 m2·K·W-1. A similar situation occurs for the effective thermal insulation of a summer sleeping bag (20 °C/60% thermal insulation is 0.794 m2·K·W-1, while for -20 °C/60%-0.851 m2·K·W-1. During the tests, the humidity and temperature between the layers of the clothing system were also controlled, in order to learn more about the influence of these parameters on the thermal insulation properties of the sleeping bags.

Increasingly advanced applications of polymer fibers are driving the demand for new, high-performance fiber types. One way to produce polymer fibers is by electrospinning from polymer solutions and melts. Polymer melt electrospinning produces fibers with small diameters through solvent-free processing and has applications within different fields, ranging from textile and construction, to the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Modeling of the electrospinning process has been mainly limited to simulations of geometry-dependent electric field distributions. The associated large change in viscosity upon fiber formation and elongation is a key issue governing the electrospinning process, apart from other environmental factors. This paper investigates the melt electrospinning of aerogel-containing fibers and proposes a logistic viscosity model approach with parametric ramping in a finite element method (FEM) simulation. The formation of melt electrospun fibers is studied with regard to the spinning temperature and the distance to the collector. The formation of PET-Aerogel composite fibers by pneumatic transport is demonstrated, and the critical parameter is found to be the temperature of the gas phase. The experimental results form the basis for the electrospinning model, which is shown to reproduce the trend for the fiber diameter, both for polymer as well as polymer-aerogel composites.

Herein, multiscale nanocelluloses (NCs) were prepared and blended with fumed silica and organosilane to fabricate freeze-dried aerogels in various combinations. The cooperation of multiscale raw materials optimized the porous structures of aerogels, thus improving the thermal insulation properties. The use of NCs with different characteristics endowed the resultant aerogels with distinct mechanical performance. The addition of high-aspect-ratio NCs in the composite aerogels was essential for improving the bendability. Furthermore, lower-aspect-ratio NCs helped to resist the compression deformation of the cross-linked aerogels. The functional groups on NCs made a difference in the thermal stability of the as-prepared aerogels. However, after treating at 150-350 ℃, the aerogels could maintain structural integrity and high elastic recovery rate, possessing ultralow density (7.2 kg/m3) and thermal conductivity (25.4 mW m-1 K-1). The outstanding thermal properties and controllable mechanical performance make these aerogels potential candidates in different fields such as textile and building industries.

This paper reports on an experimental investigation on the effects of air gap, wind and walking motion on the thermal properties of traditional Arabian thawbs and Chinese cheongsams. Total thermal resistance (It) and vapour resistance (Re) were measured using the sweating fabric manikin - \'Walter\', and the air gap volumes of the garments were determined by a 3D body scanner. The results showed the relative changes of It and Re of thawbs due to wind and walking motion are greater than those of cheongsams, which provided an explanation of why thawbs are preferred in extremely hot climate. It is further shown that thermal insulation and vapour resistance of thawbs increase with the air gap volume up to about 71,000 cm(3) and then decrease gradually. Thawbs with higher air permeability have significantly lower evaporative resistance particularly under windy conditions demonstrating the advantage of air permeable fabrics in body cooling in hot environments. Practitioner Summary: This paper aims to better understand the thermal insulation and vapour resistance of traditional Arabian thawbs and Chinese cheongsams, and the relationship between the thermal properties and their fit and design. The results of this study provide a scientific basis for designing ethnic clothing used in hot environments.