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The Book of Terms

The Book of TermsThe WJI Book of Wire & Cable Terms: an interactive experience of learning and sharing
This book, written by industry volunteers and containing more than 5,000 entries, is an asset for newcomers to wire and cable.

At the same time, it also represents an opportunity for industry veterans to give back by either updating or adding to the more than 5,000 entries. This is an honor system process. Entries/updates must be non-commercial, and any deemed not to be so will be removed. Share your expertise as part of this legacy project to help those who will follow. Purchase a printed copy here.

   

 

All   0-9   A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Lintel Wire

See Head Lining Wire.

Linz-Donawitz Process

Also known as the basic oxygen process, this half-century-old practice embodied a furnace design that enabled oxygen to be added to the air intake to permit more rapid refining of the charge of the material in the furnace. See Furnace, Basic Oxygen.

Liquid Lubricants

Term used for lubricants in the liquid state as opposed to the dry powdered or paste state. Liquid lubricants are usually referred to as coolants that perform various functions during a metal working operation.

Liquor Finish

A smooth, bright finish characteristic of wet-drawn wire when a liquor from fermented grain mash is used as a drawing lubricant.

Lissajous Figure

A special case of an x-y plot in which the signals applied to both axes are sinusoidal functions. This can be used for determining phase and harmonic relationships.

Listed

1) Items having the trademark of nationally recognized testing labs. 2) Equipment included in a list published by an organization that is acceptable to the authority that has jurisdiction and maintains periodic inspection of the production of listed equipment.

Litz Wire

Generally understood to apply to conductors built-up by successive stranding of wires in groups of three, each individual wire being insulated with enamel or silk. The wire is constructed of individual film-insulated wires bunched or braided together in a uniform pattern of twists and length of lay. Used for products such as high frequency transformers and kitchen products, it is designed to prevent heat generation and decrease AC resistance. The name is derived from the German word litzendraht, meaning woven wire.

Live

A term to denote that the equipment or wire is energized with electrical power.

LLDPE

Designation for Linear Low Density Polyethylene made by a low-pressure process that provides significantly improved physical characteristics.

LMWPE

Designation for Low Molecular Weight Polyethylene.

Load

The term for: 1) The burden put on an electrical or mechanical device such as the torque on a motor. 2) The power delivered to a device such as a power line or cable. 3) Force applied to a spring that makes it deflect.

Load Center

An assembly of circuit breakers or switches.

Load Factor

The ratio of the average to the peak load over a period.

Load Losses

Those losses incidental to providing power.

Loaded Cable

An electric cable in which inductance is added along its length to reduce transmission losses.

Loaded Line

A transmission line that has lumped elements (inductance or capacitance) added at uniformly spaced intervals. Loading is used to provide a given set of characteristics to a transmission line.

Local Area Network

A network spanning a limited geographical area, providing data communications between computers and peripherals and switching equipment.

Localized Annealing

Term used where there is localized grain growth in sections of the metal product that yields a much softer structure causing failure problems and degradation of quality.

Locked Coil Rope Wire

Wire shaped so as to lock with connecting wires to form locked coil wire strand and rope.

Locked Rotor

When the circuits of a motor are energized but the rotor is not turning.
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