Study of the Effect of Material Assembly on the Moisture and Thermal Protective Performance of Firefighter Clothing

Abstract

Heat protection and moisture comfort are important for firefighter protective clothing. In this study, the thermal protective performance (TPP) and water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) were measured for 16 assemblies. It was established that outer heat resistant fabric and the moisture barrier have significant effects on the TPP rating of assemblies. The moisture barrier also has a strong influence on the water vapour transmission rate of assemblies, and the WVTR of three-layer assemblies is much lower than that of single layer material. At the same time, the low moisture permeability of any layer will lead to a low WVTR of the turnout system. Considering thermal protection and moisture comfort, the optimal assembly of the overall materials is A1B1C2.