• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.209-219
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• 2019

This study analyzed and compared wearer mobility for different types of clothing that also included the potential to develop firefighter station uniforms using range of motion (ROM) and electromyography (EMG). This study focused on a comparison of wearer mobility affected by different materials and shapes of the station uniforms worn under firefighter turnout gear. Japanese standard uniform (UNI), stretch-wear (ST), and compression-wear (CP) were used as station uniforms for the experiment. This study analyzed wearer movements and quantified ROM and EMG. In addition, the subjective evaluation of wearer mobility and comfort were assessed for comparisons. Nine healthy male students participated in the experiment. Wearer mobility was analyzed using ROM and EMG data obtained by measuring five motions; in addition, subjective evaluations were also obtained. As compared with the standard station uniform, ROM increased 6.8 % and 7.2 % due to stretch-wear and compression-wear. The benefits of wearing stretch material or compression material to improve muscle performance (such as reduced percent of maximum voluntary contraction) were not proven. Differences between materials and designs influenced subjective wearer comfort. In particular, the wearing of compression materials was shown best in terms of wearer comfort that may also allow greater wearer mobility.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.281-292
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• 2017

Objective: This study aims to identify important physical design variables in designing a necklace type wearable device, and to present design guidelines to maximize comfort that a user feels upon wearing the device. Background: Interests in fitness culture and personal health are on the rise recently. In such a situation, demand for necklace type wearable devices is projected to increase a lot, as the devices enable users to use their hands freely and to enjoy various contents through connection with mobile devices. However, the necklace type wearable device's comfort was assessed to have the lowest comfort in a running situation, where human body moves up and down and left and right more than other devices wearable on other human body parts. Therefore, the usability of a necklace type wearable device was low. In this regard, studies on identification of the variables affecting user comfort upon wearing a necklace type wearable device and on physical design direction maximizing comfort and usability are needed. Method: A pretest and a main test were carried out to draw the direction of necklace type wearable device design. In the pretest, wearing evaluation on the diverse types of devices released in the market was conducted to draw physical design variables of the devices affecting comfort. Furthermore, variables significantly affecting the comfort of a device were selected through an analysis of variance (ANOVA). In the main test, anthropometry was performed, and information on anthropometric items corresponding to the design variables selected in the pretest was acquired. Based on the pretest results and the anthropometric information in the main test, the present study produced design guidelines maximizing the comfort of a necklace type wearable device with regard to major design variables upon dynamic tasks. Results: According to the pretest results, the variables having effects on comfort were the angle of side points, width, and height. Due to interactions between variables, those need to be simultaneously considered upon designing a device. Upon dynamic tasks, the angle of side points and width of a device was designed to be smaller than mean angle of the trapezius muscle and neck width, and thus attachment to human body was high. As height was designed to be larger than mean neck front and rear point width, comfort was higher due to feeling of stability. Conclusion: Because user sensitivity to comfort was high at human body's inflection points, a device needs to be designed for users not to feel high pressure on specific body parts with the device fitting human body shape well. A design considering user's situation is also required in further studies.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.43-61
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• 2017

The inverted T-type abutments are generally used in highway bridges constructed in Korea. This type of abutment is used because it has greater stability, with more pile foundations embedded in the bedrock, while simultaneously providing support for lateral earth pressure and vertical loads of superstructures. However, the cross section of inverted T-type abutments is large compared with the piers, which makes them more expensive. In addition, a differential settlement between the abutment and embankment, as well as the expansion joints, causes driving discomfort. This study evaluated the driving comfort of several types of abutments to improve driving comfort on the abutment. To achieve this objective, a traditional T-type abutment and three types of candidate abutments, namely, mechanically stabilized earth wall (MSEW) abutment supported by a shallow foundation (called "true MSEW abutment"), MSEW abutment supported by piles (called "mixed MSEW abutment"), and pile bent and integral abutment with MSEW (called "MIP abutment"), were selected to consider their design and economic feasibility. Finite element analysis was performed using the design section of the candidate abutments. Subsequently, the settlements of each candidate abutment, approach slabs, and paved surfaces of the bridges were reviewed. Finally, the driving comfort on each candidate abutment was evaluated using a vehicle dynamic simulation. The true MSEW abutment demonstrated the most excellent driving comfort. However, this abutment can cause problems with respect to serviceability and maintenance due to excessive settlements. After our overall review, we determined that the mixed MSEW and the MIP abutments are the most appropriate abutment types to improve driving comfort by taking the highway conditions in Korea into consideration.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.38 no.9
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• pp.979-988
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• 2014

Recently, the interest in the thermal comfort is ever increasing as the time people stay in the automobile is gradually increasing. So far, however, the cooling performance of the HVAC(heating and ventilation air conditioning) system is evaluated by thermal environment criteria such as indoor air velocity and temperature, not by a thermal comfort index. Furthermore, the precise criteria has not been established yet when the thermal comfort for the automobile is evaluated using numerical analysis. In this study, the numerical analysis of automobile indoor thermal comfort according to various parameters such as HVAC operating mode, airflow, passenger boarding conditions is performed during the HVAC system's initial operating time(20 minutes). The solar ray tracing model and S2S radiation model are used and validated to simulate an external heat source. Based on this study, an evaluation model which can predict the thermal comfort index for the combination of the above parameters is presented.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.105-115
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• 2017

Continuous lifting and carrying of babies constitutes a serious physical burden, leading to issues such as muscle fatigue and pain in child-care workers. However, there is a lack of research on the pressure and subjective comfort of baby carriers that are commercially available in the market. Therefore, this study was intended to determine the most comfortable and least burdensome type of baby carrier. This was done by analyzing muscle activity and pressure when subjects carried babies using three types of baby carriers. The types of baby carriers evaluated included a 'baby carrier of thin shoulder straps without back support band (X-type)', a 'baby carrier with a back-support band and without a hip sheet (H-type)', and a 'baby carrier with back support band and hip support (H-hip type). The subjective comfort of subjects wearing each type of baby carrier was investigated and compared to the objectively measured data. As a result, the X-type baby carrier showed the heaviest pressure on the shoulders and the subjective comfort was found to not be good. On the waist region, the H-type and H-hip type baby carriers showed significantly less muscle activation than the X-type baby carrier. However, subjects showed a stronger preference for the X-type baby carrier on the waist region, despite greater muscle activation. This appears to be because although the back-support band disperses the weight and thus improves physiological comfort; the wearers feel cramped and thus, lower their psychological comfort.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.214-222
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• 2017

Objectives: A hospital is a complex building that serves many different purposes. The indoor environment in a hospital plays a major role in patient well-being and the work efficiency of the hospital staff. This study was conducted to evaluate overall comfort in two major hospitals over the course of one year. Methods: Various indoor environmental conditions were measured in two general hospitals for one year (April 2014 to April 2015). Monitoring alternated between the hospitals at one month per respective monitoring session. The indoor air temperature, relative humidity (RH), mean radiant temperature and air velocity were measured in order to calculate the predicted mean vote (PMV). Carbon dioxide concentration, noise level and illumination level were concurrently measured and applied to the overall IEQ acceptance model for the hospitals (IEQh). Results: The IEQh at the two general hospitals was different at five spaces within a building. The IEQh for summer and winter were significantly different. Real-time IEQh demonstrated that indoor comfort was affected by the hospital's operating hours due to operation of the HVAC system. The percentage of indoor comfort in the hospitals was higher using PMV than IEQh. Conclusion: IEQh in the hospitals was different at locations with different purposes. Indoor comfort assessment using IEQh was stricter than with PMV. Additional research is needed in order to optimize the IEQh model.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Emotion and Sensibility Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.21-22
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• 2003

여름철 더운환경과 냉방환경에서 안감소재별 6종의 원피스 드레스의 주관적 착용감을 평가한 결과, 안감소재에 따라 원피스 드레스의 주관적 착용감은 유의한 차이를 나타내어 고온환경에서는 레이온 안감이, 냉방환경에서는 아세테이트 안감의 착용감이 좋은 것으로 나타났다. 여름철 환경에서는 의복기후보다 주관적 착용감이 쾌적감에 더 큰 영향을 미치는 요인을 나타났다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Emotion and Sensibility Conference
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.24-24
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• 2004

• Proceedings of the Korean Fiber Society Conference
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• 1997.10a
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• pp.364-368
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• 1997

The purpose of this Study was to determine thermal sensation and physiological responses for men in summer indoor environment, under various air temperature and relative humidity, with male university students. Subjective Evaluation, Heart Rate Variability(HRV), Electroencephalogram(EEG) were examined. We found that comfort of people was achieved at 50% R.H., 24C, and the difference of skin temperature was found at the calf area as air temperature changes. At low air temperature and low humidity, heart rate was decreased, but there was no change at brain wave, keeping a-wave.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.12-20
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to evaluate human thermal comfort by spatial structure and to explore solutions to improve the thermal environment of a small urban space. The study site was Korea University campus. Thermal conditions were measured to evaluate the quality of the thermal environment in each type of space within the study site. Micrometeorology measurements, analysis of space characteristics for using fish-eye lens photography, and thermal comfort modeling through the use of collected meteorological data, such as temperature and humidity, were performed. Results showed that the level of thermal comfort for humans differs depending on the types of space within the study site. Thermal comfort is better in open spaces than enclosed in the aspect of radiative mean temperature, Predicted Mean Vote(PMV), and Physiologically Equivalent Temperature(PET). This fact is probably due to shadows or buildings or trees that may block solar radiation. Thus, it is necessary to consider the spatial arrangements of buildings and trees to enhance openness and ventilation in the space. Paving materials and exterior building materials should also be selected to lower the radiant temperature. Given these results, a quantitative evaluation on human thermal comfort could propose a way to plan user comfortable small urban spaces. Study methods used and results provided in the study can promote a better way for urban space planning direction to improve environmental quality.