In hazardous fire environments, individuals must wear thermal protective clothing to prevent fire-related injuries. Thermal protective clothing is widely used to protect firefighters, steelworkers, and personnel working in other high-temperature environments.
As clothing is exposed to flames, the surface temperature of the fabric gradually rises due to direct burning. Significant heat transfer increases the temperature of both the air layer beneath the clothing and the wearer’s skin. Not only does the fabric’s thermal performance change under flame exposure, affecting its protective ability, but even after leaving the flash fire environment, the clothing surface remains at a high temperature. This continues to transfer heat to the body, raising the skin temperature further.
Research shows that burns can still occur after flash fire exposure, and the energy stored within the fabric is an important factor in predicting burn injuries. Therefore, even if thermal protective clothing can withstand flames for a short period, the cooling process may still cause scalding. Studying the temperature changes of the clothing and the wearer’s skin after burning is therefore crucial.
Burn Dummy System Testing
The burn dummy system uses infrared thermal imaging to monitor changes in clothing surface temperature during testing. Sensors on the dummy’s body measure skin surface temperature, allowing analysis of the effects of flash fire duration, clothing material and thickness, and wearer posture on temperature variations. By testing these parameters, burn dummy systems provide valuable data to guide the design and development of thermal protective clothing.
Studies using the Thermal Protective Performance (TPP) instrument on multilayer protective clothing show that the outermost fabric layer plays a critical role in the overall protective performance. Tests indicate that prolonged exposure to low heat flux can be more damaging than brief exposure to intense flames.
In practice, the thermal protection offered by clothing depends not only on the material itself but also on garment design, specifications, and wearer posture. To realistically simulate the human body in fire conditions and accurately measure both clothing and skin surface temperatures, burn dummy system testing provides a highly effective method.
