It has been reported that wearing a protective helmet reduces airflow around the head and leads to an increase in heat-related stress and discomfort due to excessive sweat. The main objective of this study is to investigate vent designs in order to improve the air ventilation and heat dissipation in cricket helmets. An experiment was conducted in a research wind tunnel using a thermal manikin headfoam at a constant wind speed of 2.3m/s. Thermal comfort was measured in terms of heat dissipation and heat gain with ten K-type thermocouples. A comparison was made between four different helmets in terms of the vent design variations and temperature distributions. An increase in heat dissipation and a reduction in temperature in thermocouples were observed in the design incorporating suspension straps. The heat dissipation increases when there is an air gap between the head surface and the helmet shell/liners and where an air gap allows cooling air to circulate through the helmet. The thermal manikin experiment provided an efficient investigation of heat gain and/or loss for different vent designs, whereby its application is restricted to controlled experimental conditions.
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