Effects of Clothing Ventilative Designs on Thermoregulatory Responses during Exercise

This study report on an experimental investigation of the effects of T-shirts ventilative designs on thermoregulatory response during exercise. Seven short sleeved T-shirts of varying mesh styles and a control piece (100% cotton T-shirts without mesh fabrics) were designed. Six volunteers performed a treadmill protocol, which consisted of 10 min rest, 15 min running at 40% VO_2max and 10 min rest, with a wind of 1~3 m/s facing to the subjects during the whole protocol. Environmental temperature and relative humidity were 25 ± 2°C and 50 ± 5%. Tympanic temperature (T_ty), mean skin temperature (T_sk), clothing microclimate temperature, oxygen uptake (VO₂), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), heart rate (HR), and perceived comfort ratings were recorded. Results were shown that clothing ensembles with mesh fabrics could influence the performance of heat and moisture transfer. Furthermore, the provision of mesh fabrics at appropriate positions in the T-shirts could be the key. Among various designs tested, mesh fabrics applied at centre chest or back was a superior alternative to the control piece with respect to desired thermoregulatory response and wearer comfort.