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Abrasion-resistance
A measure of the ability of a wire or wire covering to resist damage by mechanical means.

 

Adapter
A device usually attached to the rear of connectors that provides for the attachment of harnessing components, such as strain-relief clamps, heat-shrinkable boots, and braid.

Adhesive Liner

Lining that melts and flows inside a sleeve or molded part, filling any voids in between the substrate and the sleeve or molded part. DuraSeal has an adhesive liner.

 

Adhesive (Hot Melt)
Dual-wall tubing and precoated molded parts whose inner layer melts and flows when heated, fills voids in the areas being covered,
and forms a mechanical bond to the substrate. Unlike an encapsulant, an adhesive forms a mechanical bond to the substrate.

 

Aging
Change in the properties of a material over time and under specific conditions. Generally refers to environmental stimulus such as
heat and light.

 

Amnesia
The tendency over time for a heat-shrinkable elastomeric tubing or molded part to fail to recover completely to its specified recovered size. See Shelf Life.

 

ASTM
(American Society for Testing and Materials) A nonprofit industry wide organization that formulates test methods and material specifications, and publishes standards, testing methods, recommended practices, definitions, and other materials.

 

AWG
(American Wire Gauge) The recognized method (in the United States) of specifying conductor size. The higher the gauge number,  the smaller the conductor size.

 

See Lot Number

 

Beaming
Crosslinking by means of high-energy electrons.

 

Breakout
A region in a harness assembly where a wire or a group of wires is detached to form a separate, terminated branch. Also known
as a transition.

 

The ability of an insulation to withstand the presence of materials-such as acids, bases, water, salt water, and fuels-that can  deteriorate the insulation, or that, if penetrable to the conductor, can cause dielectric loss of insulating qualities.

 

Color Code
A means of identifying cable components using solid colors or stripes. Also, the scheme that assigns a number from 0 to 9 for each
of 10 colors.

Compound
An insulating or jacketing material made by formulating polymeric materials and additives.

Concentricity
Ratio (expressed as a percentage) of the thinnest to the heaviest wall thickness. Measured on expanded or recovered tubing, or wire insulation, or jacketing.

Conduit
A tubular raceway for holding wires or cables.

Connector
A device used to physically and electrically connect two or more conductors.

 

Contact
The element in a connector that makes the actual electrical connection. Also the parts of a connector that actually carry the  electrical current, and are touched together or separated to control the flow.

 

Continuous Operating Temperature
Maximum temperature at which a component will maintain an acceptable lifetime performance, based on accelerated aging prediction.

 

(time, temperature, environment) that describe the lifetime requirements of a component.

 

Crimp
Final configuration of a terminal barrel formed by the compression of the terminal barrel and conductor.

 

Crosslinking
The formation of bonds between molecular chains in a polymer by means of chemical catalyzation or electron bombardment. The
properties of the resulting thermosetting material are usually improved.

 

Crosslinking by Irradiation
A method of crosslinking polymers that makes a nonflowing material. This generally improves the properties of the polymer.

 

CSA (Canadian Standards Association)
An agency that has developed standard specifications for products with particular emphasis on safety in the end use.

 

Current
A movement or flow of electrons. Also, the measure of this flow, expressed in amperes.

Current Rating
The maximum continuous electrical flow of current for which a device is designed to conduct for a specified time at a specified  operation temperature. Usually expressed in amperes .

 

Cut-through Resistance
Resistance of solid material to penetration by an object (typically a closely controlled knife edge) under conditions of pressure, temperature, and other elements.

Dielectric
Any insulating material between two conductors that permits electrostatic attraction and repulsion to take place across it. A
material having electrical insulating properties.

 

Dielectric Breakdown
The voltage required to cause an electrical failure or breakthrough of the insulation. Determined by a destructive test. See also
Breakdown Voltage.

Dielectric Constant(also K)
The ratio of the capacitance between two electrodes with a solid, liquid, or gaseous dielectric, to the capacitance with air between the electrodes. Also called permittivity and specific inductive capacity. Generally low values are desirable for insulation.

 

Dielectric Strength
The maximum voltage a dielectric can withstand without rupture. Usually expressed as volts per mil.

EID
See Expanded ID. 

 

Elastic Memory
The ability of a crosslinked polymer to be deformed to some predetermined shape, hold that shape for a period, and then return to its original shape upon the application of heat. Elastomer A material that exhibits very low or zero crystallinity and a high degree of flexibility (rubber is a synonym).

Elongation
The ultimate elongation, or elongation at rupture. Expressed as a percentage of original length.

 

Encapsulant
Description related to the way dual-wall tubing products and precoated molded parts melt and flow when heated, filling any void in the area being covered. Unlike an adhesive, an encapsulant does not form a mechanical bond to the substrate.

Encapsulation
Covering and sealing.

 

Environmentally Sealed
Description of a system to keep out moisture, dirt, air, or dust that might reduce performance.

Epoxy
A family of thermosetting resins usually used as adhesives or encapsulants.

 

Expanded ID (EID)
The specified minimum (as supplied) internal diameter of tubing.

Expansion Ratio
An expression of how much larger the inside diameter of a tubing is before shrinking. Specifically, the relationship of the minimum (expanded) inside diameter of tubing to the maximum (recovered) inside diameter, expressed as a ratio. See also Shrink Ratio.

Extrusion
A process that conveys plastic insulation material, generally via a screw, through forming dies and subsequently cools the insulation material to form a predetermined shape.

 

Feedthru (feedthrough)
A bushing in a wall or bulkhead with terminations on one or both sides.

 

Flame-resistant
A descriptor applied to a material that is inherently resistant to burning.

 

Flame Retardant
A descriptor applied to a material that has been made or treated so as to resist burning.

Fluoropolymer
A polymer that contains atoms of fluorine.

Full Recovery Temperature, Minimum
See Recovery Temperature.

Gauge
A term used to denote the physical size of a wire.See also AWG.

Hardness
A general term that correlates with strength, rigidity, and resistance to abrasion or penetration. Measured on Shore or Rockwell scales. See also Shore.

Harness
A system providing electrical connection between two or more points.

Heat Aging
A test that subjects components or materials to temperatures above normal operating values to evaluate changes in performance
in order to predict service life. See also Accelerated Aging.

Heat Shock
A test to determine the stability of a material by continuously exposing it to an extremely high temperature for a short period of time. The test was developed both to demonstrate that the material is crosslinked and to observe any problems in dripping, cracking, or flowing.

Heat-Shrinkable Material

A polymeric material capable of being reduced in size when exposed to heat.

Hot-Melt Adhesive
An adhesive that becomes activated by heating. When heated, it melts, flows over the substrate surface, and forms an adhesive bond. Reheating causes the adhesive to remelt.

 

ID (Internal Diameter)
The inside or internal diameter of a tubing.

 

Insulated Terminal
A solderless terminal with an insulated sleeve over the barrel to prevent a short circuit in certain installations.

 

Insulation, Electrical
A nonconductive material usually surrounding or separating two conductive materials. Often called the dielectric in cables designed for highfrequency use.

Insulation, Thermal
A nonconductive material that prevents the passage of heat.

Insulation Resistance
Minimum electrical resistance permitted between any pair of contacts and between conductors and grounding devices of the same connectors in various combinations. An indication of the insulating properties of a material.

 

Interconnection
The joining of one individual device with another.

Irradiation
In insulations, the exposure of the material to highenergy emissions for the purpose of favorably altering the molecular structure via crosslinking.

Jacket

kV (Kilovolt)
A unit equal to 1000 volts.

Kynar
Trade name (of Atofina Chemicals, Inc.) for polyvinylidene fluoride and its copolymers.

Life Cycle
A test to determine the length of time before failure in a controlled, usually accelerated environment.

Liner
See Core.

 

Longitudinal Change (Shrink Tubing)
The change in length of tubing when recovered. Expressed in the percent of change from the original length.

Lot Number
The number that identifies one production run of material. Also known as a batch number.

 

Lug
A termination, usually crimped or soldered to a conductor, that allows connection to be made with a retaining screw.

 

Marking
A printed identification number or symbol applied to the surface of a wire or cable

 

Megarad
A unit for measuring radiation dosage.

Melt/Flow Index
Measurement of the flow of thermoplastic material under given conditions of temperature and pressure. Expressed as grams per
unit of time.

 

Melting Point
The temperature at which crystallinity disappears when crystalline material is heated.

 

MIL-SPEC
Abbreviation for Military Specification, which is a document the U.S. Government issues to define a product that will be used in military end-use applications.

 

 

Nominal
A descriptor applied to a dimension representing the center of the range of tolerance or a value if no tolerance is applied.

OFT (Optional Flame Test)
Canadian Standards Association's test for flameretardance. Tubing with an OFT rating is highly flameretardant.

 

Ohm
The unit of electrical resistance.

 

The maximum internal temperature at which a system, harness, or connector may operate in continuous service; generally  expressed as a time and temperature.

Operating Temperature Range
The range between the maximum and the minimum internal temperature of insulation in a system, harness, or connector in  continuous service. The lower limit is determined by low-temperature flex test.

 

Optional Flame Test
See OFT.

 

Packaging
The process of physically locating, connecting, and protecting devices or components.

 

 

Polyamide
A polymer formed by the reaction of a diamine and a diacid. Nylons are commercial polyamides characterized by toughness. solvent
resistance. and sharp melting point.

Polymer
A material of high molecular weight formed by the chemical union of monomers.

 

Polyolefin
A family of polymers (such as polyethylene and polypropylene) made from olefin monomers.

 

Potting
The permanent sealing of the cable end of a connector with a compound or material that thermosets into an elastomer, to exclude moisture and/or to provide strain relief.

Primary Insulation
The inner member of a dual-wall wire insulation. The insulation applied directly on the conductor. Also referred to as the core. See also Core.

 

PVC (Polyvinyl chloride)
A polymer compound used as wire insulation.

 

PVDF
Polyvinylidene fluoride.

 

Quality Assurance
Systematic, planned, and documented activities designed to provide confidence that a product will meet specifications.

Quality Control
Activities that monitor, measure, and control the characteristics of a material, component, or product to documented specifications.

 

Radiation Crosslinking
The act of crosslinking a material with ionizing radiation. (Most Raychem products are radiation crosslinked, with an electron beam as the form of ionizing radiation.) See also Crosslinking by Irradiation.

 

Rated Temperature
The maximum temperature at which a component can operate for extended periods with acceptable changes in its basic properties.

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

Recover (Heat-shrinkable Components)

Activation of the elastic memory principle (usually with heat) to cause a tubing or molded part to return to its original size.

Recovered ID (RID)
In heat-shrink tubing, the guaranteed maximum internal diameter of tubing after being freely recovered.

 

Recovery Temperature
The minimum temperature required to fully shrink a product, that is, for the product to recover completely.

Resistance
A measure of the difficulty in moving electrical current through a conductor or insulation when a voltage is applied. It is measured in
ohms.

 

See Recovered ID.

 

RT and RW specifications
Specification that describes standard product properties. Qualification and acceptance inspection criteria are incorporated into RT and RW specifications. RT and RW specifications are issued and controlled by the Specifications Group.

SCD (Specification Control Drawing)
Drawing that defines configuration and material parameters. Issued and controlled by the specifications group, SCDs are frequently used in conjunction with RT. Specifications for Thermofit products.

 

Sealant
Soft, tacky, pliable material that seals where mechanical strength is not required.

 

Sealed

Environmentally protected by the thermoplastic inserts or core of encapsulant / adhesive that has melted down around the substrate.

Secant Modulus
A measure of material stiffness; stiffer material has a higher secant modulus. More specifically, the secant modulus is the ratio of stress (nominal) to corresponding strain at any specified point on the stress-strain curve. It is expressed in force per unit area  (usually kilograms per square centimeters or pounds per square inch), and reported together with the specified stress or strain.

Service Life
Period of time during which the product is expected to perform satisfactorily.

 

Service Rating
The maximum voltage or current that a termination is designed to carry continuously.

 

Shelf Life
Generally, the length of time a product or material may be stored without deterioration. Specifically, the length of time during which shrink tubing will retain its expanded 10 and return to its recovered 10. Usually not a concern-except for some "amnesic" materials.
See Amnesia.

Shore
A scale for comparing hardness. Higher Shore values represent harder materials. The hardness of a polymer, for example, is  usually represented as Shore A or Shore 0, with 0 being harder.

 

Shrink Ratio
An expression of how much the inside diameter of shrink tubing will reduce in size when recovered. The inverse of the expansion
ratio. See also Expansion Ratio.

Shrink Temperature, Minimum
The minimum temperature at which a product begins to recover.

 

Solvent Resistance
The ability of a material to retain physical and electrical properties after being immersed in specific solvents.

 

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

 

Specific Inductive Capacity
See Dielectric Constant.

 

Splice
A joint connecting conductors with good mechanical strength and conductivity; a terminal that permanently joins two or more wires.

Strain Relief
The technique for or act of removing or lessening the strain or stress on a joint, splice, or termination. SolderSleeve devices provide strain relief.

Strip
To remove insulation from a wire or cable.

Stripe
A continuous longitudinal or spiral color strip applied on the surface of a wire, cable, or tubing for identification.

 

Substrate
The material-such as a wire, post, or tab--over which an interconnection device is used.

Temperature Rating
The maximum temperature at which the insulating material may be used in continuous operation without loss of its basic properties. Usually time dependent.

 

Tensile Strength
The pull stress (in force per unit area) required to break a given specimen.

Thermal Rating
The effect of heat or cold applied at such a rate that nonuniform thermal expansion or contraction occurs within a given material or
combination of materials. In electrical terminations the effect can cause inserts and other insulation material to pull away from the metal parts.

Thermal Shock
The effect of high and low temperatures applied at a rapid rate such that nonuniform thermal expansion or contraction occurs  within a given material or combination of materials. The result could be stress-cracking or -shattering of material.

Thermoplastic
A material that softens (melts and flows) when heated and becomes firm when cooled. A type of plastic that can be remelted a number of times without any important change in properties. Nylon, GE's Lexan, and PVC - Examples of this type of plastic are
resilient after molding.

 

Tolerance
The total amount by which a quantity is allowed to vary from nominal; thus, the tolerance is half the algebraic difference between  the maximum and minimum limits.

 

Traceability
The ability to trace the history, application, or location of an item and like items or activities by means of recorded identification. The lot number/manufacturing order (MO) number, or SMO number used to identify items or groups of items is traceable back to inspection and procurement records.

 

UL (Underwriters' Laboratories)
A nonprofit independent testing organization that operates a listing service for electrical and electronic materials and equipment.

Ultraviolet Degradation

The degradation caused by long-time exposure of a material to sunlight or other ultraviolet rays.

Voltage
The term most often used in place of electromotive force, potential, potential difference, or voltage drop to designate the electric
pressure that exists between two points and that is capable of producing a current when a closed circuit is connected between the two points.

 

Voltage Breakdown
The voltage necessary to cause insulation failure.

 

Voltage Rating
The voltage that may be continuously applied to wire.

 

Volume Resistivity
Reciprocal of conductivity; the resistance of a material to the flow of electrical current, usually expressed in ohm-em.

 

VW-1
A rating determined by the Underwriters' Laboratories' (UL) optional Vertical Wire Flame Test-the most difficult flame test for tubing. Tubings with a VW-1 rating are highly flame-retardant.

 

The thickness of the applied insulation or jacket.

 

Water Absorption Test
A method to determine the water uptake of a material. It is time and temperature dependent.