Journal of Ergonomics
Open Access

Department of Physics, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, USA

Publications

• Research Article   
  Neutrally Buoyant Ergonomic Segmented Glass-Ceramic Composite Chocobar K4 Diving Suit with Superior Thermal Protection
  Author(s): Garrett Sabesky, Codi Clark, Andrew Waldron, Jeffrey Catterlin and Emil P. Kartalov*
  
  Hypothermia is a serious health hazard for divers, as it can lead to unconsciousness, organ damage, and eventually death. To lessen the heat loss in water, divers typically wear bubbled neoprene wetsuits. However, this thermal protection worsens with depth as the air bubbles in the neoprene shrink under the elevated pressure. Thicker neoprene provides more thermal protection but is less flexible and thus fatigues the wearer more quickly. To solve this problem, we developed the K1 suit, which featured composite plates fitted to the inflexible areas of the body. The plates contained hollow glass microspheres embedded in silicone cured in 3D-printed molds designed from 3D body scans. The K1 combined the ergonomics of a 3 mm suit with thermal protection superior to a 7 mm suit. Next, adding a further outer layer of ceramic composite produced the K2 suit. The K2 increased thermal protectio.. View More»
  DOI: 10.35248/2165-7556-24.14.391

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