ManandHisEnvironment外文翻译.docVIP

Man and His Environment Body heat losses. The human body, like any other heat engine , consumes fuel(food) to generate heat. The heat leaves the body in the form of radiation and convection from the skin ,evaporation of moisture from pores in the skin ,and in the breath. Radiation and convection occur only if the air temperature or the surroundings are below blood heat. If approaching or above this condition, the sweat glands expand and heat is rejected solely by evaporation. High relative humidity coupled with high temperature renders life increasingly difficult. At low temperatures, the blood vessels near the surface of the skin close up, leaving the epidermis dry and acting as an insulator. Shivering is a provision of nature to cause muscular activity and hence increase blood circulation. Human comfort . Four factors affect comfort: air temperature, radiation, relative humidity, and air movement. Most thermometers measure air temperature but are not influenced by infrared (long-wave) radiation, because their glass envelopes are opaque to such radiation. The human body, however , may receive heat from a radiant source ; if so, air temperature must be reduced if body heat release is to remain normal. Conversely , if the body is losing heat by radiation to its surroundings , such as to the cold walls of a room , the air temperature must be raised for an equal degree of comfort . The study of radiant effects is complex . The mean radiant temperature in an enclosed space is the mean of all the surfaces bounding the space in proportion to their areas and temperature , the latter being calculable from the known conductivity of the materials and an assumed temperature difference between inside and outside . This calculation gives only an approximation ; such factors as the effect of a large area of window , which may be cold in winter and hot in summer, produce variations in different parts of a room . Moreover , the body itself is sizeable, and its response varies accor