Thermal comfort of railway passengers

While traveling in a vehicle, users experience varying internal conditions and can be adversely influenced by the external environment. Research by Hodder and Parsons (2001) quantified the effect of solar radiation on passengers in a car. Conclusions were drawn from laboratory based experiments and field trials, and a predictive model was developed, the PMV solar model. Vaughan et al. (2004) studied the effects of solar radiation, side on exposure, on participant's thermal comfort. Findings were consistent with Hodder and Parsons's work indicating that rail carriage users can also be affected by solar radiation and external conditions. Experiments 1 and 2 of this thesis further researched the effects of simulated solar radiation on rail users' thermal sensation and thermal comfort. The findings of the laboratory experiments extended and further validated the PMV solar model. [Continues.]