Evaluation of thermal comfort in a vehicle cabin

The objective of the work presented in this article was to study the airflow in a vehicle cabin with the typical dimensions and geometry of a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) with a view to evaluating the thermal comfort through the equivalent temperature index. Tests were carried out on a life-size laboratory model of a car cabin, constructed with a simplified geometry, for different conditions: with and without the presence of a thermal mannequin, with different values of air velocity and temperature and with different regulation of the air inlets.

The values of equivalent temperature were determined for each one of the various parts of the body, by two distinct forms: from the measurements performed by the thermal mannequin and from the physical parameters of the airflow, i.e. air velocity and temperature. The mapping of these flow parameters inside the cabin was done through a scanning process carried out with a traversing mechanism with eight low-velocity thermal anemometer probes, controlled from the exterior of the car cabin. Thus, using the values measured in plans in the neighbourhood of the different parts of the thermal mannequin, the equivalent temperature profiles were computed during tests carried out without the presence of the thermal mannequin.