Radiation Area of the Human Body

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Abstract
A method for determining directly the area of that part of the body surface which takes part in radiation exchange with the surround is descr., together with results obtained for 3 subjects of divergent body shape and for 4 different body postures. The analytical basis of the method is developed from the concept of the local shape factor integrated over all space, permitting, by use of the reciprocity theorem, an evaluation of the equivalent total projected area, defined as the radiation area. The exptl. procedure involves the photographing of the human subject at a fixed distance from viewing angles chosen to sample effectively the surface of a hemisphere descr. about the sagittal plane as the equator. The planimetered areas from each photograph, representing projections of the body, are plotted as functions of 2 angles which define the viewing position, and by a graphical integration procedure the total area "seen" by the whole of the surround is obtained. Data were obtained by this method for the nude radiation area of an "average" young man, whose body dimensions closely approximate those of the Air Force median cadet, in 4 distinct postures described as erect, semi-erect, seated and crouched. For the erect and seated postures, data were also obtained for a heavy and a light individual. The influence of clothing was evaluated for the avg. man in the erect posture. While radiation area is a function of posture, as expected, no evidence for a relationship with body type was found. The results are expressed in the form of a factor expressing radiation area as a proportion of the DuBois body surface area. The avg. values of this radiation area factor for nude subjects in the 4 postures from erect to crouched are 0.77, 0.72, 0.70 and 0.65, respectively. Since the radiation area of the clothed individual will vary widely with the particular type and amt. of clothing, the most useful form of presentation for our clothed results is as an avg. ratio of projected areas, clothed over nude. For the light clothing used, the value of this ratio was 1.14, such a ratio for any clothing assembly may be reliable determined from a total of 10 photographs taken at selected viewing angles. The actual radiation area of the clothed subject may then be estimated by utilizing the nude data provided in this report.

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