Applications of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) in Occupational Clothing Textiles
(A review study)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33193/IJoHSS.74.2026.988الكلمات المفتاحية:
Phase Change Materials, Occupational Protective Clothing, PCM, Thermal performance, Thermal Comfort, Microencapsulationالملخص
Phase change materials (PCMs) are increasingly proposed for occupational clothing, either to delay heat transfer to the skin during thermal hazard exposure or to relieve heat strain during work in hot environments. This critical review examines PCMs incorporated through three distinct routes: fiber, yarn, or fabric incorporation; coatings and laminated structures; and removable packs or modules and follows each from material properties through garment construction and heat and moisture transfer to wearer outcomes and maintenance. The evidence comes mainly from firefighting and includes numerical models, bench tests, full-scale room fires, and a small number of human trials. In fire-protective layers, PCM generally slowed heat transfer during exposure, yet part of the reported gain reflected added mass or thermal resistance rather than latent heat. Models of wetted fire-protective clothing from one research group predicted that heat released on re-solidification can cause burns that a PCM-free garment would not, particularly after brief, intense exposures or with melting points above 50 °C, and glove-sample tests showed prolonged post-exposure temperature rises. Removable PCM vests produced marked local cooling, but beneath heavy firefighting clothing did not lower core temperature, heart rate, or thermal sensation during exercise in the heat. Fiber-route evidence for occupational textiles stops at fabric characterization; laundering has not been linked to burn-protection or comfort outcomes, and no PCM-specific studies were found for arc flash, molten-metal, or welding clothing. Joint testing of exposure and cooling phases against thickness- and mass-matched controls should precede wider use.
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التنزيلات
منشور
كيفية الاقتباس
إصدار
القسم
الرخصة
الحقوق الفكرية (c) 2026 Noorah Hassan Al-Amari، Prof. Dr. Rania Mostafa Dabes
هذا العمل مرخص بموجب Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
