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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Would a Mylar sheet with holes to allow some heat to pass prevent over-heating?
« on: 21/10/2016 06:51:22 »
I have heard mylar blankets can trap some 90% of your body heat. The issue being, they're so good at it, they can also cause overheating, and I understand this as the reason we don't see the material used more widely than it already is. This made me wonder, however.
Could you poke minuscule holes in the mylar, so that it only traps 85%, or 70%, or 50% of the heat? Then, perhaps, you could have overlapping layers of mylar, and a simple adjustment could let you control this?
I expect this is a stupid question, and I apologize. I don't know much about how heat radiates. The issue I see with this idea is that, say the air was at -30C, traces of that could get through the tiny holes so that it's not a matter of 50% of the heat escaping, but of 50% of your heat escaping and cold air absorbing heat as well.
If someone could please help me to understand this, I would appreciate it. Thank you.
Could you poke minuscule holes in the mylar, so that it only traps 85%, or 70%, or 50% of the heat? Then, perhaps, you could have overlapping layers of mylar, and a simple adjustment could let you control this?
I expect this is a stupid question, and I apologize. I don't know much about how heat radiates. The issue I see with this idea is that, say the air was at -30C, traces of that could get through the tiny holes so that it's not a matter of 50% of the heat escaping, but of 50% of your heat escaping and cold air absorbing heat as well.
If someone could please help me to understand this, I would appreciate it. Thank you.