The coreheat dry-on-the-inside wetsuit
June 5, 2006 The wetsuit was invented in 1951 by UC Berkeley
physicist Hugh Bradner to help the U.S. Navy’s “underwater
swimmers” who were experiencing difficulties thanks to the advent
of the Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) putting
them in cold water for long periods. Bradner recognised that divers
did not need to be dry to be warm and that thermal insulation could
be obtained by air entrapped in the material of the suit … and
the wet suit was born. The wetsuit facilitated humans spending long
periods in cold water in relative comfort and the protection it affords
has been a key enabling factor in the evolution of a host of water-based
recreational activities such as sail boarding, body boarding, canyoning,
triathlons, swimming, water skiing, diving, sailing and surfboard riding.
As the quality of neoprene has improved and wetsuit design has evolved
in particular ways for particular sports, the global wetsuit market
has grown to somewhere between three and five million units annually.
Until recently, wetsuit panels were stitched together, allowing water
to enter between the stitching but in recent years, glue-based systems
have overcome this problem, though water still enters through the suit’s
zipper, plus neck, wrist and ankle openings. Now a patented system for
preventing water entering the wetsuit altogether raises the possibility
of an upmarket, premium drysuit. The coreheat system eliminates many
of the problems associated with current wetsuits in that it offers a
lighter, more thermally efficient and much more comfortable wet suit
that is immune from the cold water flushing which saps the body’s
core temperature.
Research has shown that the coreheat sealing system coupled with this
glue joining system on a neoprene wetsuit will comprehensively mitigate
most, if not all, water from entering a wetsuit. The quality of neoprene
material has incrementally improved over the past 70 years through improved
manufacturing processes, however the only significant change to the
material when used in the construction of wetsuits has been the ability
to vary the amount of air that is trapped in the neoprene during its
manufacture creating varying neoprene densities.
This ability to vary the air density has allowed for the thickness
of neoprene used in wetsuit construction to vary in thickness and hence
tailor wetsuits for differing uses, such as thick high density neoprene
for buoyancy in triathlon wetsuits or thin, lower-density, more flexible
neoprene which surf board riders prefer.
The coreheat Sealing System relates to improvements to the neck, wrist,
ankle and zips of a conventional wetsuit. These improvements collectively
and separately, minimise and potentially stop water entering into a
shallow water wetsuit by substantially increasing the sealing and waterproofing
functionality. By adding these improvements to a conventional wetsuit,
the suit remains significantly dryer, warmer and lighter in weight resulting
in an increase in comfort.
In addition, these improvements incorporate more effective use of the
thermodynamic properties of the materials used in constructing a conventional
shallow water suit, the skin of suit wearer and the environmental elements
that surround a suit wearer such as water and air.
These improvements through sealing out water from entering a suit and
keeping trapped air inside the suit significantly reduce heat and energy
loss to these elements. These improvements reduce the wearer’s
heat and energy transfer to the air surrounding their body and the internal
layer of the suit’s material, which is typically made of insulating
material that has a Specific Heat value lower than water. In sum, these
improvements lower the transfer of heat and energy from the wearer’s
body to the immediate surrounding areas within a conventional shallow
water wetsuit, thereby saving the wearer’s body heat and energy
and prolonging their time participating in their recreation.
Inventor Steven Brady is seeking to joint venture with or license to
potential partners. He can be contacted here.