Indian Journal of Advances in Chemical Science Volume: 6, Issue 1: , January 2018

ISSN No.: 2320-0898 (Print); 2320-0928 (Electronic)

DOI: 10.22607/IJACS.2018.601004

Research Article

The present study deals with the sustainability of various helmet comfort pads incorporated with microencapsulated phase change material (MPCM) under simulated extreme hot (+45°C) and extreme cold (−30°C) weather conditions. Thermal management is one of the important factors in tropical climates wherein the temperature may go beyond 48°C and has a significant influence on the operations and overall efficiency of the fighter aircraft pilot. Hypothesizing a situation wherein a fighter aircraft pilot may be exposed to very hot or frigid temperature while ejecting out in tropical or temperate zones, respectively, the extent to which the comfort pads that is in contact with the scalp of the pilot helps in addressing many issues related to thermal management is studied. PCM based comfort pads have been found to be effective in bringing down the temperature to the extent of 17–18°C under dynamic weather condition from 0°C to +45°C. However, the pads have very limited effect beyond sub-zero climatic conditions. The thermal storage/release properties and sustainability of the MPCM fabric to multiple heating and cooling cycles were evaluated using differential scanning calorimetry. Based on the results, the comfort pads containing MPCM fabric and combination of MPCM fabric and MPCM foam is observed to exhibit good thermal stability.

Key words: Microencapsulated phase change material, Comfort pads, Thermal management, Differential scanning calorimetry, Environmental simulation..

[Download Full Article PDF]