7. Thermal and visual comfort

7.1 Heat exchange

The body is constantly exchanging heat with its immediate environment.

Thermal comfort is the feeling of well-being when the humidity, speed and temperature of the ambient air are optimal.

Clothing enables people to control the effects of these exchanges, which take place in three different ways (figure 10 ):

• by conduction: heat transfer by contact between hot and cold parts without displacement of material;

• by convection: heat exchange with gaseous fluids resulting in convection currents that set them in motion;

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