ComfortScience™
How can science increase human comfort?
ComfortScience is the application of science to create materials which deliver the most comfortable experience possible. At Dow, we help bring people to achieve their ideal levels of comfort by combining our knowledge of material science with an understanding of how human beings think, feel, sense and behave. We call this ComfortScience.
Solutions
Whether working, playing or resting, consumers are always looking for a more comfortable experience. Comfort is fundamental to achieving a good quality of life and a sense of wellbeing. At Dow, we work to understand how people experience comfort, and we respond to this through applied science and technology.
Three Dimensions
We’ve identified three dimensions of comfort. By configuring these qualities differently, we can respond to different needs and tailor solutions to deliver the most comfortable experience possible.
Each dimension is created by a number of parameters working together. By understanding what they are and how to measure them, we’re better able to deliver comfort.
Ergonomics
Optimizing the relationship between the weight, shape and size of the body and the material to create a supportive, high-performing system.
Parameters: Elasticity
The ability of a material to maintain or return to its original shape after being stretched or compressed; perceived as stretchiness.
Parameters: Durability
The capacity of a material to withstand pressure, wear or damage; perceived as sturdiness, robustness and strength.
Parameters: Support
The way in which a material bears the weight and pressure applied by all or part of the body; perceived as softness or firmness.
Measurements: Compression Set
The degree by which a material has permanently deformed after a force that has been applied to it over a period of time is removed.
Measurements: Pressure distribution
The level of pressure observed from point to point within a material; the way in which pressure is spread over an area.
Measurements: Hysteresis
The energy absorbed by a material when it is being deformed; high hysteresis can represent poor resilience and slower recovery.
Microclimate
Maintaining comfortable levels of temperature and humidity in the microclimate that exists between materials and the human body.
Parameters: Temperature
The thermal activity in the space between the material and the body; perceived as coolness or warmth.
Parameters: Humidity
The amount of water vapor in the air found within the material and around the body; perceived as levels of humidity.
Parameters: Freshness
The ability of material to retain its original qualities unimpaired by heat and moisture; perceived as a clean look, feel and scent.
Measurements: Micro-compression
The relationship between stress and strain within a material that has been compressed by 10%; represented as slopes of varying steepness.
Measurements: Moisture transport
The movement of water vapour within and around the material; the speed and direction at which it is absorbed and released.
Measurements: Temperature diffusion
The rate and direction at which temperature spreads within and around the material; the time and space in which heat is retained or lost.
Sensation
Understanding a material’s textural qualities and its response to light touch, in order to deliver a tangible sensation of wellbeing.
Parameters: Touch
The initial sensation experienced by applying the lightest pressure and movement across the surface of a material; perceived as roughness, smoothness, softness, elasticity, etc.
Parameters: Imprint
The feeling experienced as a material either presses against or moulds itself to the contours of the body; perceived as enveloping, moulding or malleable.
Parameters: Travel
The experience felt in the time between applying pressure to a material and then settling into it; perceived as sinking, weightlessness or immersion.
Measurements: Micro-compression
The relationship between stress and strain within a material that has been compressed by 10%; represented as slopes of varying steepness.
Measurements: Recovery time
The time in which it takes a material to return to its original shape after being stretched or compressed.
Measurements: Creep
The tendency of a material to move slowly or deform under the influence of stress; the speed and direction in which this occurs.
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