The results of a recent study (1) conducted by the Institute for Environmental Research at Kansas State University determined the relative effects of convection and radiation heat transfer with a uniform radiant field on the thermal sensation of sedentary human subjects.

The results of a more recent study (2) at that laboratory examined the effect of an asymmetric radiant field on the thermal and comfort sensations of sedentary subjects. In that study subjects were exposed to enclosure surfaces with 12 F temperature separations.

It was the purpose of the present study to extend the results of these previous studies by investigating the thermal and comfort sensations of subjects exposed to more severe degrees of asymmetric radiant fields. The asymmetries investigated are felt to be as severe as those usually encountered in well designed building systems in the field.