Glossary

Abrasion Resistance: Ability of a wire, cable or material to resist surface wear.

Accelerated Aging: Tests where voltage, temperature, etc., are increased above normal operating conditions to obtain observable deterioration in a relatively short period of time. The plotted results give expected service life under normal conditions.

A.C. Resistance: The total resistance offered by a device in an alternating current circuit due to inductive and capacitive effects, as well as the direct current resistance.

Active Current: In an alternating current, a component in phase with the voltage; the working component as distinguished from the idle or watt less component.

Active Pressure: In an A.C. circuit the pressure that produces a current as distinguished from the voltage impressed upon the circuit.

Adhesion: The state in which interfacial forces that may be chemical or mechanical in nature hold two surfaces together.

Aging: The irreversible change in properties or appearance of a material with time and under specific conditions (usually accelerated representations of environmental states, such as high temperature, oxygen or other various conditions or media.)

Air Gap: The minimum gap of air between two conducting surfaces permissible at given voltages.

Alloy: A metal formed by combining two or more different metals to obtain different properties.

Alternating Current (AC): Electric current that continually reverses its direction. It is expressed in cycles per second (hertz or Hz).

Ambient Temperature: An all-encompassing temperature within a given area.

Ampacity: The maximum current an insulated wire or cable can safely carry without exceeding either the insulation or jacket material limitations. (Sometimes referred to as Current Carrying Capacity.)

Amp or Ampere: The unit of current. One ampere is the current flowing through one ohm of resistance at one volt potential.

Anneal: The relief of mechanical stress through heat and gradual cooling. Annealing copper renders it less brittle.

Area of conductor: The size of a conductor cross section measured in circular mils, square inches, etc.

Armor: A wrapping of metal, usually steel or aluminum, used for mechanical protection. Placed over the jacket sheath.

Armored Cable: A cable having a metallic covering for protection against mechanical damage.

ASME: The American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

ASTM: The American Society for Testing and Materials.

Attenuation: Power loss in an electrical system. In cables, generally expressed in dB per unit length, usually 1,000 ft.

AWG: Abbreviation for American Wire Gauge. The standard system used for designating wire diameter. The lower the AWG number, the larger the diameter.

AWM: UL or CSA designation for Appliance Wiring Material.

Band Width: The frequency range of transmitted electrical signals, expressed in Hertz.

Bare Conductor: An electrical conductor with no coating or cladding on the copper.

Binder: A spirally served tape or thread used for holding assembled cable components in place awaiting subsequent manufacturing operations.

Bond: The attachment at an interface between an adhesive and an adherent or between materials attached together by adhesive.

Braid: A fibrous or metallic group of filaments interwoven in cylindrical form to form a covering over one or more wires.

Braid Angle: The smaller of the two angles formed by the shielding strand and the axis of the cable being shielded.

Braid Carrier: A spool or bobbin on a braider which holds one group of strands or filaments consisting of a specific number of ends. The carrier revolves during braiding operations.

Braid Ends: The number of strands used to make up one carrier. The strands are wound side by side on the carrier bobbin and lie parallel in the finished braid.

Breakdown of Insulation: Failure of an insulation resulting in a flow of current through the insulation. It may be caused by the application of too high
voltage or by defects or decay.

Breakdown Voltage: The voltage at which the insulation between two conductors breaks down.

Breakout: The point at which a conductor or group of conductors break out from a multi-conductor cable to complete circuits at various points along the main cable.

Building Wire: Wire used for light and power, 600 volts or less, usually not exposed to an outdoor environment.

Bunch Stranding: A group of wires of the same diameter twisted together without a predetermined pattern.

Cable Assembly: A completed cable and its associated hardware ready to install.

Cable Filler: The material used in multiple conductor cables to occupy the spaces formed by the assembly or components, thus forming a core of the desired shape (normally cylindrical).

Cabling: The twisting together of two or more insulated conductors to form a cable.

Cabling Factor: Used in the formula for calculating the diameter of an unshielded, unjacketed cable. D=Kd, where D is the cable diameter, K is the factor and d is the diameter of one insulated conductor.

Capacitance: Storage of electrically separated charges between two plates having different potentials. The value depends largely on the surface area of the plates an the distance between them.

Capacitance, Direct: The capacitance measured directly from conductor to conductor through a single insulating layer.

Capacitance, Mutual: The capacitance between two conductors with all other conductors, including shield, connected to ground.

Cellular Polyethylene: Expanded or "foam" polyethylene consisting of individual closed cells suspended in a polyethylene medium.

Certificate of Compliance (C of C): A certificate which is normally generated by the Quality Control Department, which shows that the product being shipped meets customer's specifications.

Characteristic Impedance: The impedance that, when connected to the output terminals of a transmission line of any length, makes the line appear
infinitely long. The ratio of voltage to current at every point along a transmission line on which there are no standing waves.

Circuit: The complete path through which a current flows or part of the complete path, such as one conductor.

Circular Mil: The area of a circle one mil (.001") in diameter; 7.845 x 10-7 sq. in. Used in expressing wire cross sectional area.

Coating: A material applied to the surface of a conductor to prevent environmental deterioration and helps to facilitate soldering.

Coaxial Cable: A cable consisting of two cylindrical conductors with a common axis, separated by a dielectric.

Cold flow: Permanent deformation of the insulation due to mechanical force or pressure (not due to heat softening).

Cold Test: Any test to determine the performance of cables during or after subjection to a specified low temperature for a specified time.

Color Code: A system for circuit identification through use of solid colors and contrasting tracers.

Common Axis Cabling: In multiple cable constructions, a twisting of all conductors about a "common axis" with two conductor groups then selected as pairs. This practice yields smaller diameter constructions than does a separate axis construction, but tends to yield greater susceptance to EMI and ESI.

Composite Cable: A cable consisting of two or more different types or sizes of wires.

Compound: An insulating or jacketing material made by mixing two or more ingredients.

Concentric Stranding: A central wire surrounded by one or more layers of helically wound strands in a fixed round geometric arrangement.

Concentricity: In a wire or cable, the measurement of the location of the center of the conductor with respect to the geometric center of the surrounding insulation.

Conductance: The ability of a conductor to carry electric current. It is the reciprocal of resistance and is measured in mhos.

Conductivity: The capability of a material to carry electrical current - usually expressed as a percentage of copper conductivity (copper being 100%).

Conductor: An uninsulated wire or combination of wires suitable for carrying electrical current.

Conduit: A tube or trough in which insulation wire and cables are run.

Connector: A device used to physically and electrically connect two or more conductors. Connectors are a generic device for providing an electrical
interface between electrical equipment and/ or a power source. Our connectors may not be mated or unmated under load.

Contact: The part of a connector, which actually carries the electrical current, and are, touched together or separated to control the flow.

Continuity Check: A test to determine whether electricity current flows continuously throughout the length of a single wire or individual wires in a cable.

Control Cable: A multi-conductor cable made for operation in control or signal circuits.

Copolymer: A polymer formed from two or more types of Monomer.

Cord: A small, flexible insulated cable.

Core: In cables, a component or assembly of components over which additional components (shield, sheath, etc.) are applied.

Corona: A discharge due to ionization of air around a conductor due to a potential gradient exceeding a certain critical value.

Corona Test: A test to determine the ability of a cable to withstand the formation of corona under an increasing applied voltage and to extinguish corona when a corona-producing voltage is reduced.

Corrosion: The deterioration of a material by chemical reaction of galvanic action.

Creep distance: The minimum dimension along the surface of an insulating material between two conducting surfaces.

Crimp Termination: A connection in which a metal sleeve is secured to a conductor by mechanically crimping the sleeve with pliers, presses or
automated crimping machines.

Cross-Linked: Inter-molecular bonds between long chain thermoplastic polymers by chemical or electron bombardment means. The properties of the resulting thermosetting materials are usually improved.

Crosstalk: Signal interference between nearby conductors by pickup of stray energy. It is also called induced interference.

C.S.A.: Abbreviation for Canadian Standards Association. A not-for-profit membership based association that serves business, industry, government, and consumers in Canda and the global marketplace.

Current: The rate of flow of electricity in a circuit, measured in amperes.

Current-Carrying Capacity: The maximum current an insulated conductor or cable can continuously carry without exceeding its temperature rating. This is also called ampacity.

Decibel (dB): A unit to express difference of power level. Used to express power gain in amplifiers or power loss in passive circuits of cables.

Derating Factor: A factor used to reduce the current carrying capacity of a wire when used in environments other than that for which the value was established.

Dielectric: Any insulating material between two conductors which permits electrostatic attraction and repulsion to take place across it.

Dielectric Breakdown: The voltage at which a dielectric material is punctured, which is divisible by thickness to given dielectric strength.

Dielectric Constant (K): The ratio of the capacitance of a condenser with dielectric between the electrodes to the capacitance when air is between the electrodes. Also called Permittivity and Specific Inductive Capacity.

Dielectric Strength: The voltage which insulation can withstand before breakdown occurs. Usually expressed as a voltage gradient (such as volts per mil).

Dielectric Test: A test in which a voltage higher than the rated voltage is applied for a specified time to determine the adequacy of the insulation under normal conditions.

Direct Burial Cable: A cable installed directly into the earth.

Direct Capacitance: The capacitance measured directly from conductor to conductor through a single insulating layer.

Direct Current (DC): An electric current, which flows in only one direction.

Direct Current Resistance (D.C.R.): The resistance offered by any circuit to the flow of direct current.
Drain Wire: In a cable, the uninsulated wire in contact with a shield to provide for easier termination of such a shield to a group point.

Electrostatic: Pertaining to static electricity or electricity at rest. A constant intense electric charge.

Elongation: The fractional increase in length of a material stressed in tension.

EMI: Abbreviation for Electromagnetic Interference.

Ends: In braiding, the number of essentially parallel wires or threads on a carrier.

Ethylene Propylene Rubber (EPR): An ozone resistant rubber consisting primarily of ethylene propylene copolymer (EPM) or ethylene propylene diene monomer (EDPM).

Extrusion: The process of continuously forcing both a plastic or elastomer and a conductor core through a die, thereby applying a continuous coating of insulation or jacket to the conductor or core.

FEP: Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene is a "Teflon" fluorocarbon resin and is a registered TM of the DuPont Company. This is a melt extrudable
fluorocarbon resin.

Filler: A material used in multi-conductor cables to occupy large interstices formed by the assembled conductors. 2) An inert substance added to a
compound to improve properties or decrease cost.

Flame Resistance: The ability of a material to extinguish flame once the heat source is removed.

Flame Retardance: Ability of a material to prevent the spread of combustion by a low rate of travel so the flame will not be conveyed.

Flammability: The measure of the material's ability to support combustion.

Flammability Test: A test to determine the ability of a cable to resist ignition when placed near a source of heat or flame and to self-extinguish when removed the heat source.

Flat Cable: A cable with two smooth or corrugated but essentially flat surfaces.

Flex Life: The measurement of the ability of a conductor or cable to withstand repeated bending.

Flexible: The quality of a cable or cable component which allows for bending under the influence of an outside force, as opposed to limpness which is bending due to the cable's own weight.

Flexibility: The ease with which a cable may be bent.

Frequency: Number of times that an alternating current reverses itself in one second. Expressed in Hertz (Hz), which is one cycle per second.

Harness: An arrangement of wires and cables, usually with many breakouts, which have been tied together or pulled into a rubber or plastic sheath, used to interconnect an electric circuit.

Heat Resistance: Ability of a substance to maintain physical and chemical identity and electrical integrity under specified temperature conditions.

Heat Shock: A test to determine stability of a material by sudden exposure to a high temperature for a short period of time.

Helical Stripe: A continuous, colored, spiral stripe applied to a conductor for circuit identification.

Henry: Unit of inductance such that the induced voltage in volts is numerically equal to the rate of change in current in amperes per second.

Hertz (Hz): A term replacing cycles-per-second as a unit of frequency.

Hi-Pot: A test designed to determine the electrical integrity of an insulation.

Hook-up Wire: A single insulated conductor used for low-current, low voltage (usually under 600 volts) applications within enclosed electronic equipment.

Hypalon: DuPont's trade name for their chlorosulfonated polyethylene, an ozone resistant synthetic rubber.

Hz: Abbreviation for Hertz.

IEC: European Standardization agency; International Electrtechnical Commission.

Impedance: The total opposition that a circuit offers to the flow of alternating current or any other varying current at a particular frequency. It is a combination of resistance and resis and is measured in ohms.

Inductance: The property of a circuit or circuit element that opposes a change in current flow, thus causing current changes to lag behind voltage changes. It is measured in Henrys.

Insulation: A material having high resistance to the flow of electric current. Often called dielectric in radio frequency cable which is used to separate close electrical components, such as cable conductors and circuit components.

Insulation Resistance (I.R.): That resistance offered by insulation to an impressed DC voltage, tending to produce a leakage current through the insulation.Insulation Thickness: The wall thickness of the applied insulation.

Interference: Any undesired electrical signal induced into a conductor by electrical or electromagnetic means.

Interstices: Voids or valleys between individual strands in a conductor or between insulated conductors in a multi-conductor cable.

Irradiation: In insulations, the exposure of the material to high-energy emissions for the purpose of favorably altering the molecular structure by cross-linking.

Lay Direction: The twist in the cable as indicated by the top strands while looking along the axis of the cable away from the observer. Described as"right hand" or "left hand".

Line Voltage: The value of the potential existing on a supply or power line.

Load: A device that consumes power from a source and uses that power to perform a function.

Longitudinal Shield: A tape shield, flat or corrugated, applied longitudinally with the axis of the core being shielded.

Lower limit temperature: The lower limit temperature is the minimum permissible temperature at which a Heavy Duty connector can still be operated.

Magnetic Noise: Caused by change in current level, e.g., AC power line (created magnetic field around the cable) this magnetic field causes the magnetic noise.

Mating cycles: Mating cycles are the number of insertion and extraction cycles a connector can withstand before electrical or mechanical failure in relationship to the connector’s design specification.

Megohm: One million ohms.

Member: A group of insulated wires to be cabled with other stranded groups into multiple-element cable.

Messenger: The linear supporting member, usually a high strength steel wire, used as the supporting element of a suspended aerial cable. The messenger may be an integral part of the cable, or exterior to it.

Mil: A unit used in measuring diameter of a wire or thickness of insulation over a conductor. One one thousandth of an inch (.001").

Moisture Absorption: The amount of moisture, in percentage, that a material will absorb under specified conditions.

Moisture Resistance: The ability of a material to resist absorbing moisture from the air or when immersed in water.

Multiconductor: More than one conductor within a single cable construction.

Mylar®: DuPont trademark for polyester tape material.

NEMA: National Electrical Manufacturers Association.

Neoprene: Trade name for polychloroprene synthetic rubber, a compound used for jacketing.

Nylon: A group of polymers that are used for the jacketing of wire and cable.

Ohm’s Law: E = I X R. Voltage (E) is directly proportional to the product of current (I) and resistance (R) of circuit.

OSHA: Abbreviation for Occupation Safety and Health Act. Specifically the Williams-Steiger law passed in 1970 covering all factors relating to safety in places of employment.

Overall Diameter: Finished diameter over wire or cable.

Overlap: The amount the trailing edge laps over the leading edge of a tape wrap.

Oxygen Index: Percentage of oxygen necessary to support combustion of a material.

PAP: A commonly used term for air core (unfilled) direct burial telephone cable with a corrugated aluminum shield.

Parallel Cable: Two insulated conductors run parallel in a cable.

PCB Solder Contacts: Circular contacts which mount directly to a circuit board.

PE: Physical Earth, the same as ground

Peak Voltage: Maximum instantaneous voltage.

Pick: Distance between two adjacent crossover points of braid filaments. The measurement in picks per inch indicates the degree of coverage.

Pitch: In flat cable, the nominal distance between the index edges of two adjacent conductors.

Pitch Diameter: Diameter of a circle passing through the center of the conductors in any layer of a multi conductor cable.

Plastic Deformation: Change in dimensions under load that is not recovered when the load is removed.

Plasticizer: A chemical agent added to plastics to make them softer and more pliable.

Plenum: The air return path of a central air handling system, either ductwork or open space over a dropped ceiling or beneath a floor.

Plenum Cable: Fire and smoke resistant cable Listed by Underwriters Laboratories for installation in plenums without the need for conduit.

Polyester: Polyethylene terephthalate that is used extensively in the production of a high strength moisture resistant tape or film used as a cable core wrap.

Polyethylene: A thermoplastic material having the chemical identity of polymerized ethylene.

Polymer: A substance made of many repeating chemical units or molecules. The term polymer is often used in place of plastic, rubber, or elastomer.

Polyolefin: A family of thermoplastics based upon the unsaturated hydrocarbons known as olefins. When combined with butylene or styrene polymers they form compounds such as polyethylene and polypropylene.

Polypropylene: A thermoplastic polymer of propylene.

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC): A thermoplastic material composed of polymers of vinyl chloride that may be rigid or flexible, depending on specific formulation.

Porosity: Multiple air voids in an insulation or jacket wall.

Rated Temperature: The maximum temperature at which an electric component can operate for extended periods without loss of its basic properties.

Rated Voltage: The maximum voltage at which an electric component can operate for extended periods without undue degradation or safety hazard.

Reinforcement: A material used to strengthen or give dimensional stability to another material.

Resin: An organic substance of natural or synthetic origin characterized by being polymeric in structure and predominantly amorphous. Most resins, though not all, are of high molecular weight and consist of long chain or network molecular structure.

Resistance: In DC circuits, the opposition a material offers to current, measured in ohms. In AC circuits, resistance is the real component of impedance, and may be higher than the value measured at DC.

Retractile Cable: A cable that returns by its own stored energy from an extended condition to its original contracted form.

RG/U: Abbreviation for Radio Government, Universal. RG is the military designation for coaxial cable and U stands for "general utility."

Ribbon Cable: A flat cable of individually insulated conductors lying parallel and held together by means of adhesive or woven textile yarn.

Ringing Out: The process of locating or identifying specific conductive paths by means of passing current through selected conductors.

Rise Time: The time required for the initially zero potential existing on transmission line (which is terminated in its characteristic impedance) to change from 10% to 90% of its full DC value after a DC potential source is instantaneously applied.

Routing: The path followed by a cable or conductor.

Rupture: In the breaking strength or tensile strength tests the point at which the material physically separates or comes apart, as opposed to elongation, yield strength, etc.

Self-Extinguishing: The characteristic of a material whose flame extinguishes after the igniting flame is removed.

Self-Supporting Cable: Any cable that incorporates a steel rope or steel sheath for added tensile strength, thus enabling it to be suspended between widely spaced supports.

Semi-Rigid PVC: A hard semi-flexible polyvinylchloride compound with low plasticizer content.

Separator: A layer of insulating material such as textile, paper, polyester, etc. Used to improve stripping qualities, flexibility, mechanical or electrical protection of the components.

Serve: A filament or group of filaments such as fibers or wires, wound around a central core.

Served Wired Armor: Spiral wrap of soft galvanized steel wires wrapped around a cable to afford mechanical protection and increase the cable pulling tension characteristics.

Sheath: The outer covering or jacket of a cable.

Shield: A metallic layer placed around a conductor or group of conductors to prevent electrostatic interference between the enclosed wire and external fields.

Shield Coverage: The physical area of a cable that is actually covered by the shielding material and is expressed in percent.

Shock Test: A test to determine the ability of a cable to withstand a violent physical concussion such as might occur during handling or use.

Signal: A current used to convey information, either in digital, analog, audio or video.Solid Conductor: A conductor consisting of a single wire.

Specific Gravity: The ratio of the density (mass per unit volume) of a material to that of water.

Stranded Conductor: A conductor composed of groups of wires twisted together.

Strip Force: The force required to remove a small section of insulating material from the conductor it covers.

Suggested Working Voltage: AC voltage that can be applied between adjacent conductors.

Temperature Rating: The maximum temperature at which an insulating material may be used in continuous operation without loss of its basic properties.

Tensile Strength: The pull stress required to break a given specimen.

Test Voltage: The test voltage is the maximum voltage at which a connector will not be subjected to flashover under the set conditions.

Thermal Rating: The maximum and/or minimum temperature at which a material will perform its function without undue degradation.

Thermocouple: A device consisting of two dissimilar metal in physical contact, which when heated will develop an emf output.

Thermoplastic: A material that will soften, flow or distort appreciably when subjected to heat and pressure.

Thermoset: A material which hardens or sets by heat, chemical or radiation cross-linking techniques and which, once set, cannot be resoftened by heating.

Tray: A cable tray is a unit or assembly of units or sections, and associated fittings, made of noncombustible materials forming a rigid structural system used to support cables.

Tray Cable: A factory-assembled multiconductor or multipair control, signal or power cable specifically approved under the National Electrical Code for installation in trays.

Twisted Pair: A twisted pair is composed of two small separately insulated wires twisted together without a common covering.

UGF: Abbreviation for ultra high frequency, 300 to 3000 MHz.

UL: Abbreviation for Underwriters Laboratories, an independent, not for profit product safety testing and certification organization.

Unilay: More than one layer of helically laid wires with the direction of lay and length of lay the same for all layers.

Upper limit temperature: The upper limit temperature is the maximum permissible temperature, at which a Heavy Duty connector can still be operated, due to the heating up of the contacts by the ambient temperature or other environmental conditions.

Velocity of Propagation: The speed of an electrical signal down a length of cable compared to speed in free space expressed as a percent. It is the reciprocal of the square root of the dielectric constant of the cable insulation.

Video Pair Cable: A transmission cable containing low-loss pairs with an impedance of 125 ohms. Used for TV pick-ups, closed circuit TV, telephone carrier circuits, etc.

Volt: A unit of electrical pressure. One volt is the amount of pressure that will cause one ampere of current in one ohm of resistance.

Voltage: Electrical potential or electromotive force expressed in volts.

Voltage Rating: The highest voltage that may be continuously applied to a wire in conformance with standards or specifications.

Vulcanization: An irreversible process during which a rubber or polymeric compound through a change in its chemical structure (for example, cross-linking) becomes a thermoset.

Water Absorption: Water by percent weight absorbed by a material after a given immersion period.

Watt: A unit of electrical power. One watt is equivalent to the power represented by one ampere of current under a pressure of one volt in DC circuit.

Wavelength: The distance, measured in the direction of propagation, of a repetitive electrical pulse or waveform between two successive points.

Wicking: The longitudinal flow of liquid in a wire or cable due to capillary action.