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The Book of Terms

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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.

   

 

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

Fracture, Shear

A straight plane frac­ture at an angle of about 45 degrees to the principal stress axes, i.e., the axis of a tensile specimen. Also known as an Angular Fracture.

Fracture, Silky

A smooth gray frac­ture of very fine grain giving a lustrous appearance reminiscent of silk. Usually a characteristic of tough, strong metals.

Fracture, Star

A fracture that has a broken surface resembling a star or rosette. Also known as a rosette fracture.

Fracture, Woody

A fracture that has slag particles that appear similar to wood.

Fragmentation

The subdivision of a grain into small discrete crystallites, or sub-grains, outlined by a heavily deformed network of intersecting slip as a result of cold working. These small crystals or fragments differ slightly from one another in orientation and tend to rotate to a stable orientation determined by the slip systems. Also referred to as dislocation cell structure.

Fraying

In cabling, a term used to describe the unraveling of a fibrous braid.

Free Angle

The angle between the legs of an unloaded torsion spring.

Free Carbon

The part of the total carbon in steel or cast iron that is present in elemental form as graphite or temper carbon.

Free Connector

A connector for attachment to the free end of a wire or cable.

Free Cutting Steel Wire

Wire made from steel that has had sulfur, lead or other elements added to improve machinability.

Free Fatty Acid

A component in the blended coolant to attach the lubricant particles to the wire so they will be carried through the die for proper lubrication. Note: if the FFA level climbs too high, the result could be unwanted dirtiness or unwanted slippage caused by the formation of copper soaps.

Free Ferrite

Ferrite that is formed directly from the decomposition of hypoeutectoid austenite during cooling, without the simultaneous formation of cementite. Also called proeutectoid ferrite.

Free Length

The length of a spring when it is unloaded.

Free Machining

The property that makes machining easy because of the forming of small chips, a characteristic imparted to steel by sulfur, lead or bismuth. Similarly, free machining brass contains lead.

Free Slab Equilibrium

A phrase used in computing forming forces where shear losses over surfaces of velocity discontinuity are added.

Fremont Test

A type of impact test.

Frequency

The number of cycles by an alternating current in one second. Usually expressed as hertz, which is equivalent to one cycle per second.

Frequency Response

The characteristic of a device denoting the range of frequencies over which it may be used effectively.

Fretting

A type of wear that occurs between tight fitting surfaces, such as wire on spools that are subject to a small cyclical motion as often found in surface transportation. Fretting usually manifests itself as a problem known as fretting corrosion in the area of the metal-to-metal contact.

Fretwork Saw Blade Wire

A narrow saw blade, typically 5 in. long, that is made from steel wire having a carbon content varying from 1.0 to 1.4 percent. This type of saw, which can be used for ornate designs requiring sharp turns, is called a scroll saw.
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