Comparison of human thermal comfort improvement strategies in cold environments

 In the cold environmental conditions of -10 ℃ and -20 ℃, an experimental study is carried out with two typical strategies to improve human thermal comfort. The results show that under the condition of -10 ℃, continuous local heating cannot significantly improve the human thermal comfort, while the intermittent ambient temperature rising has a significant positive effect on the human thermal comfort. Under the condition of -20 ℃, both the two methods have significant effects on human thermal comfort improvement. It is analysed that the asymmetry of thermal sensation is the reason that the local heating effect is different under the two temperature conditions. The correlation between local and overall thermal perceptions in cold environment is further analysed, and it is revealed that the hands and feet have a significant impact on the overall thermal perception. This study can provide data support for practices in device development and construction projects with human thermal comfort needs in cold environments (e.g., winter sports venues).