Page 176 - Anthropometry, Apparel Sizing and Design

Functional measurements and mobility restriction (from 3D to 4D scanning) 171

Fig. 7.2 Change in the chest girth with a slight lifting movement of the arms.

standing and a bent over forward body position. This means an ease of 21.5% is caused
by the different body position. The small measurement “hip depth” is extended by
7.1cm, which is an increase of 39.7%.
Furthermore, movement-related differences in measurements have a significant
effect on the size allocation for the renting, shipping, and online retailing of work
clothing and protective clothing. This is because the chest girth, which, as the primary
measurement, determines the assignment of clothing sizes, changes considerably as
shown in Fig. 7.2. The chest girth of a test subject varies between the German sizes
56 (chest girth: 112cm) and 60 (chest girth: 120cm) only on the basis of an easily
simulated light lifting motion. This is because every clothing size covers a scope
of 4cm (e.g., size 56 covers the chest girth of 110–114cm). The range, therefore,
includes three clothing sizes or a difference in the chest girth of about 8cm.
Obviously dimensional changes like these affect the fit and the ergonomic wearing
comfort of the clothing. However, it is not yet known what the average degree of
extremity of movement-related changes is nor to what extent the fit and comfort
are affected by it. This blank space should be filled by the “functional measurements”
study (Morlock, 2015a, b). The aim of the project was the foundational research of
movement-related body changes and the deduction of the respective dimensional dif-
ferences (functional measurements). For the efficient application of functional mea-
surements in clothing, the results were implemented into both ergonomic- and
movement-oriented size system. The connection to traditional clothing sizes and
known size designations ensures the acceptance and application of the new size sys-
tem in practice. The focus was on the ergonomic design of work clothing and protec-
tive clothing and thus the analysis of typical postures and movements.