ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on strategies for the laboratory analysis and decision logic related to textile structures used in clothing systems for personal protection and textile structures used to provide or maintain an aseptic environment for infection control purposes. Bulk density calculations for textiles can be related to the insulative properties and may also be useful in helping to understand the liquid, air, moisture vapor, and microbial penetration resistance characteristics. Generally speaking, for textiles with similar physical and chemical structures, as the bulk density increases the penetration resistance increases. The thermal manikin is used to assess the impact of the end garment as influenced by the geometry of the human body on heat and mass transfer. Human subjects are also used to evaluate clothing systems to more directly measure the physiologic factors important to thermal comfort and to qualitatively assess comfort variables that are difficult to determine in the laboratory.
