EN 342 THERMAL INSULATION EN342 STANDARD AND THERMAL MANIKIN TESTING The principal test in EN342:2017 uses a heated manikin. During the test the manikin is heated to and maintained at a specified temperature. Thermal insulation is determined from the power required to maintain the manikin surface at this constant temperature. The resulting effective insulation value is used to classify the performance of the garment. It can also be used to estimate the maximum duration of wear based on the activity level of the wearer, the temperature of the environment and the insulation value of the clothing. The unit of measurement is Icler and is stated in M 2 .
b: Air permeability AP (mm/s)
Application: air speed
Class 1 Class 2 Class 3
100 < AP
< 1 m/s indoors
5 < AP ≤ 100
< 5 m/s
AP ≤ 5
5m/s, typical for outdoors
Wearer: Moving
Wearer: Standing
Insulation
Light activity, 115 W/m²
Moderate activity
Insulation
Light activity, 75 W/m² Air speed
Air speed
Air speed
0.4 m/s
3 m/s
0.4 m/s
3 m/s
0.4 m/s
3 m/s
8 h
1 h -12 -18 -28 -38 -45 -55
8 h
1 h
8 h -12 -18 -29 -40 -49 -60
1 h -28 -36 -49 -60 -71 -84
8 h
1 h -16 -22 -33 -43 -52 -61
8 h
1 h
8 h
1 h
0.265 m².K/W 0.310 m².K/W 0.390 m².K/W 0.470 m².K/W 0.540 m².K/W 0.620 m².K/W
3
9 6 0
-3 -8
-2 -7
0.265 m².K/W 0.310 m².K/W 0.390 m².K/W 0.470 m².K/W 0.540 m².K/W 0.620 m².K/W
13 10
0
19 17 13
7 3
-2 -9
-4
-16 -24 -30 -38
-16 -24 -32 -40
5 0
-12 -20 -26 -32
-3 -9
-17 -24 -31
-6
7 4 0
-11 -17
-5
-14 -20
-10
You locate the Icler value (in m².K/W), in the left-hand column (on the label). In the corresponding row to the right of it you will find an indication of the minimum temperature in °C (corrected for wind chill) for various activity levels and air speeds to which one can be exposed for 1 or 8 hours.
AIR PERMEABILITY Air Permeability measures the ease with which the air can pass through a material. It is a measure of how windproof the garment is and there are 3 classes – 1 to 3. The higher the class the better the result.
RESISTANCE TO WATER PENETRATION An optional test is resistance to water penetration (a hydrostatic head test), which has two performance level classifcations. Clothing that claims this must also be breathable and pass a test for the water vapour resistance of the complete material ensemble i.e. outer, insulation, lining. Clothing claiming to meet the requirements of EN 342 must be marked with the pictogram detailed below. Alongside the pictogram it is necessary to display the performance recorded in the various EN 342 tests:
A = Thermal Insulation, measured value
B = Air Permeability Class (1 – 3 where 3 is best) C = Resistance to Water Penetration Class (optional) (1-2 where 2 is best) The standard also includes requirements for the strength of the outer fabric, dimensional stability to cleaning, coated materials flexibility (-50°C) and innocuousness.
+ =
0.356 (M².K/W) 2 x
TESTED TO PROTECT AGAINST EXTREME COLD
298
PW369 51
PW351 52
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