(576b) A Modeling Approach to Understanding and Improving Thermal Comfort in Polyurethane Mattress Foams
AIChE Annual Meeting
2018
2018 AIChE Annual Meeting
Materials Engineering and Sciences Division
New Methods in Polymer Modeling
Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - 3:45pm to 4:00pm
In order to take a more scientific approach to viscoelastic foam development, the thermal comfort aspect was explored using a multi-physics modeling approach. The model components included finite element analysis to simulate the transport of heat and moisture in a mattress in contact with a human body, a lumped-parameter model to capture the bodyâs heat generation and sweating response to its external environment, and semi-empirical sub-models to relate foam structure to macro-scale foam properties, including moisture and thermal diffusivities. This modeling capability allows for a more detailed analysis of how different parameters, including various foam structures and additives (as well as mattress layer construction), affect the comfort level of the sleeper.