Design process for developing a liquid cooling garment hood
A liquid cooling garment (LCG) protects astronauts by providing cooling effects and preventing them from overheating. The objectives of this project were to improve fit and comfort of the original LCG hood of the MACS-Delphi garment and develop a new prototype. The project was conducted
by researchers with different backgrounds: apparel design and physiology and psychology. A design process framework developed by LaBat and Sokolowski (1999) was used in order to help facilitate the process and aid in communication during the multi-disciplinary collaboration. Four crucial problems
were identified: 1) the tubing layout that circulates water did not conform to the shape of the head and tubing distribution was not maximised; 2) a difficult stitching method was being used to attach tubing; 3) fabric sources were inconsistent; 4) the hood did not fit properly. Each problem
was addressed, improvements implemented and a revised hood was developed. The hood was tested in an environmental chamber and demonstrated effective cooling. Revisions implemented for the LCG hood may be applied to revisions of the whole-body LCG. Statement of Relevance:The objectives of this
project were to improve fit and comfort of the original LCG hood and develop a new prototype. The new prototype will increase safety of the astronauts by providing better heat extraction quality and improved fit and increased wearer comfort.
Keywords: fit and size; functional clothing; liquid cooling garment; product design; thermal comfort
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: 1: Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, CA, USA 2: Department of Design, Housing, and Apparel, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
Publication date: 01 June 2010
- Editorial Board
- Information for Authors
- Subscribe to this Title
- Ingenta Connect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites
- Access Key
- Free content
- Partial Free content
- New content
- Open access content
- Partial Open access content
- Subscribed content
- Partial Subscribed content
- Free trial content