Abstract
This study examined the effects of two kinds of functional sun hats through a head-manikin test and a climatic chamber trial for farm workers in summer. Experiment was composed of four conditions. The first condition was the condition without any hat (Control). The second was the condition with a sun hat on the market (Hat A). The third was the condition with a functional sun hat made of reflective fabric (Hat B). The last was the condition with a functional sun hat having a ventilating structure as well as reflective fabric (Hat C). For the subjects in the climatic chamber trials, 12 healthy males volunteered. Air temperature, relative humidity and globe temperature in the chamber was maintained at $33{\pm}0.5^{\circ}C,\;65{\pm}5%RH\;and\;39{\pm}1^{\circ}C\;(WBGT\;33^{\circ}C)$. Subjects did a simulated red pepper-work (50-min work and 10-min rest, twice repetition) for 120 min. As the result of head-manikin test, the surface temperature on middle of back-neck was the lowest in Hat B of four conditions and the surface temperature on top of head was the lowest in Hat C. As the result of climatic chamber trials, there were apparent differences between with (Hat A, Hat B, Hat C) and without a sun hat (Control). In rectal temperature ($T_{re}$), mean skin temperature ($\={T}_{sk}$), heart rate (HR), total sweat rate (TSR), The physiological heat strain was less in the condition with hats than in the condition without a sun hat. As the increasing rate in Tre, Hat B is the most effective hat for alleviation heat strain. As the subjective responses, Hat B was the most effective hat for thermal comfort even though the difference was not significant. Hat C was less effective than Hat B and the reason might be the increase of weight due to inserting the ventilating structure.
