Maximizing thermal performance of divers´ gloves by use of insulating liquids

A diver´s ability to perform meaningful work is greatly diminished in long duration missions if his hands are cold when the mission objective has been reached. Unfortunately, in extremely cold water diving, conventional gloves use thick, foam neoprene or layered insulating materials worn beneath waterproof glove shells to reduce the loss of body heat to the surrounding cold water. These gloves tend to be inherently buoyant, highly variable in insulating effect due to material squeeze, excessively bulky-inhibiting articulation and tactile sensitivity, and difficult to keep waterproof-an uncertainty that could fatally reduce the diver´s thermal protection during long duration missions. The authors are developing a unique approach to diver hand protection through the use of an inner glove liner filled with insulating fluid. The insulating liquids used in this glove system have been characterized to have insulation values comparable to foam neoprene at shallow depths and, due to the incompressible behavior of these liquids, superior to foam neoprene at depth. These fluid liners, engineered to be neutrally buoyant, minimize decrements in hand articulation and finger sensitivity. Unlike conventional foams or batt insulations, the liquid insulations disperse from the immediate contact points between the fingers and the underwater object, only to return in a uniform thickness after the object is released. Additionally, variable insulation values can be readily achieved by controlling the quantity of liquid injected into the glove liner. This paper describes the liquid diver glove design and presents an overview of the thermal testing conducted on this new diver glove system. It also describes the laboratory investigations conducted to identify and maximize the most thermally efficient insulating liquid