Thermal comfort of cricket helmets: An experimental study of heat distribution

This research aims to characterize thermal comfort of sports helmets. For this purpose heat distribution of four selected cricket helmets was investigated using a special purpose thermal mannequin head. The tests were conducted in a laboratory with still air and controlled indoor temperature. K-type thermocouples and an infrared imaging camera were used for the study of temperature distribution. Mean temperature increment varied from 0.9 ± 0.1 °C (temporal region) to 1.7 ± 0.1 °C (parietal region). Temperature increment largely depended upon the location under the helmet at which temperatures were measured - higher temperatures were recorded around the frontal and parietal regions of the mannequin head. However, the differences in mean temperatures between these regions were not statistically significant (p > 0.005). It was found that under standard laboratory test conditions with still air, some helmet vent designs enable more effectively heat to radiate out, and vice versa depending upon the temperature gradient. The paper presents the results of this experimental investigation with specific reference to thermal comfort.