MAGNUM BONUM · Modelling of human body and protective textiles for estimation of skin sensorial comfort and life risk of fire-fighters working in extreme external conditions

The objective of this IOF project is the application of finite element method (FEM) to model a digital human body (Avatar) while wearing virtual protective textiles (PTs) in order to estimate human skin sensorial comfort and life risk conditions in varied extreme external conditions, like heat, flames.The methodological context focuses on: 1) achievement of realistic human simulation (RHS) in Abaqus programme and estimation of human tissue compliance and stretch resulting from contact with PTs as well as heat stress conditions; 2) estimation of divergences between the results of laboratory wear comfort and burning tests on manikins and finite element model simulation of human torso covered by PTs.The proposed IOF project will contribute to advancement in non standard measuring techniques for investigating the interaction between human body and textiles. It will also seek to tease out the mechanisms of comfort equilibrium, skin sensorial wear comfort and prediction of comfort basing and life risk of fire-fighters, which is the novelty.The project entails a sizable training-through-research component that coexists with research plan as well as enables me to strength my international position as a scientist and to establish an independent position, which have been taken into account while designing my Personal Career Development Plan.The European host in this project is Ghent University (Belgium) and the third country host is North Carolina State University (USA). The choice of both universities is based on unique combination of top-drawer research units in tangible research domains which together sustain the ideal environment for carrying out the proposed research project.