The Thermal Protective Performance of Wetted Fabrics-A Review

Moisture accumulation in firefighter protective clothing has complex effects on its thermal protective performance. The moisture transfer through wetted protective clothing may increase or decrease the heat transfer depending on various factors like the type, intensity and duration of exposure, the amount and location of moisture as well as the type of materials, etc. Significant amounts of research have been conducted on the effects of moisture on the heat protection of thermal protective clothing. This paper presented a brief review of the research and development in the field of thermal protective performance of wetted fabrics. The main factors affecting thermal protective performance were discussed and the models coupled with heat and moisture were highlighted. It was found that there is still a lack of systematic understanding of moisture on the thermal protective performance of fabrics for heat exposures of different types and intensity. Further systematic research adopting new methods and facilities is required to understand the influence parameters of the thermal protective performance for wetted fabrics.