A Modular Steam/Heat Test Apparatus

Convective heat and steam pose serious threats to Navy personnel during fire fighting and damage control, but the only test environments available for testing of protective clothing for such conditions are large and very costly to use. The proposedconvective heat and steam test apparatus will enable rapid and low-cost evaluation of candidate fabric samples in the laboratory. During Phase I, a comprehensive design for the complete test apparatus was developed using unique computational models forfluid flow and heat and mass transfer through textiles. The apparatus is compact, modest in acquisition and operational cost, flexible, and easy to use. During the proposed Phase II base project, a prototype apparatus will be constructed and thoroughlytested and will include evaluation of Navy-supplied textile samples. The proposed Phase II option will result in construction and delivery of a refined commercially-ready version of the apparatus. The proposed test apparatus will enable the Navy, othermilitary services, and others in government and industry to quickly and inexpensively evaluate the protective characteristics of candidate textiles for fire fighting and steam-protective ensembles. The result will be lower development costs and improvedprotective clothing that better protects the wearer against burns while reducing development and acquisition cost. The proposed apparatus is intended to become standard test equipment for developers and evaluators of steam/heat protective clothing.