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Prediction of the local and total thermal insulations of a bedding system based on the 3D virtual simulation technology

  • Research Article
  • Advances in Modeling and Simulation Tools
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Abstract

The thermal insulation of a bedding system is one of the most critical factors affecting sleeping thermal comfort. This study reported a mathematical model to evaluate both local and total thermal insulations of a bedding system. To determine the geometric parameters in the model, the geometric model of the bedding system was developed using a 3D virtual simulation program. Its reliability was validated by comparing it with the 3D scanning model. The predicted local and total thermal insulations of bedding systems were compared with those measured by the thermal manikin obtained in a previous study. The bedding systems included six down quilts with different filling weights and involved three body postures. The results showed that the predicted thermal insulation values agreed well with the experimental values. The predicted local and total thermal insulations were with acceptable accuracy, whose errors were within 20% and 10%, respectively. Finally, the research discussed the effects of two main parameters (i.e., the proportions and partial thermal resistances of heat transfer parts) on bedding thermal insulations and provided practical suggestions for regulating bedding thermal insulation. This study has important implications for evaluating the thermal comfort of the bedding system and contributes to improving the sleeping environment.

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Abbreviations

α n :

proportion of surface area of a heat transfer part (−), αn = An/As, n = 1–4

A m,i :

area of surrounding mattress surface at local body segment i (m2)

A n :

surface area of a heat transfer part corresponding to Qn (m2), n = 1–4, A, B, D

A n,i :

surface area of a heat transfer part at local body segment i corresponding to Qn (m2), n = 1–4, A, B, D

A q,i :

area of surrounding quilt surface at local body segment i (m2)

A s :

total area of a local body segment or the whole body (m2)

A s,i :

area of local body segment i (m2)

f i :

area factor (−)

h :

combined heat transfer coefficient (W/(m2·K)), h = hc + hr

h c :

convective heat transfer coefficient (W/(m2·K))

h r :

radiative heat transfer coefficient (W/(m2·K))

Q n :

heat flow (W), n = 1–4, A, B, D

r m :

thermal resistance of mattress (m2·K/W)

r q :

thermal resistance of quilt (m2·K/W)

r t :

thermal insulation of a local body segment or the whole body (m2·K/W)

R n :

partial thermal resistance corresponding to Qn (m2·K/W), n = 1–4, A, B, D

T a :

ambient air temperature, (°C)

T s :

skin temperature (°C)

T sa :

air gap temperature (°C)

v :

air velocity (m/s)

w :

area weight of quilt (kg/m2)

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the MOE (Ministry of Education of China) Project of Humanities and Social Sciences (No. 20YJCZH063).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Textile Science and Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China

    Qing Zheng & Hongbo Wang

  2. School of Design, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China

    Ying Ke

Authors
  1. Qing Zheng
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  2. Hongbo Wang
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  3. Ying Ke
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Qing Zheng. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Qing Zheng and Ying Ke, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Hongbo Wang.

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Zheng, Q., Wang, H. & Ke, Y. Prediction of the local and total thermal insulations of a bedding system based on the 3D virtual simulation technology. Build. Simul. 16, 1467–1480 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12273-023-1029-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12273-023-1029-x

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