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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

Nichrome

Driver Harris Company’s trade name for an alloy of 60-percent nickel, 16-percent chromium and 24-percent steel. Used extensively in wire wound resistors and heating elements.

Nickel

Element, chemical symbol Ni. A metallic element used in some steels. A silvery-white metal of medium hardness, highly ductile and resistant to chemical and atmospheric corrosion. Widely used as an alloying agent in iron and copper base alloys. As an alloying element in steel, it imparts a finer and more homogeneous structure. The most suitable composition for cold working is said to be 0.2 to 0.5 percent carbon and 2 to 3.5 percent nickel. Also used for plating and coating.

Nickel Alloy

A combination of nickel and one or more other metals to form a new or different metal with specific or desirable qualities. Some of the most common nickel alloys include nickel bronze, nickel chrome, nickel copper, nickel iron, nickel manganese and nickel silvers.

Nickel Bronze

A series of bronzes in which part of the tin content is replaced by nickel. Usual composition is 1 to 20 percent tin, 3 to 40 percent nickel, up to 30 percent aluminum, up to 3 percent lead and up to 12 percent zinc.

Nickel Chrome

Nickel-base alloy in which iron is usually also present. Used for electric resistant heating wire and heat-resistant products. Nickel-chrome iron is an alloy supplied in varying content usually defined by the figures given after the name (e.g. 37/18 is 37 percent nickel, 18 percent chromium and the balance is ferrous).

Nickel Copper

Cupro-nickel, an alloy of copper and nickel varying in content and usually defined by the figures given after the name (e.g. cupro-nickel 96/4 is 96 percent copper and 4 percent nickel).

Nickel Iron

Wire in this alloy usually contains from 25 percent to 50 percent nickel according to quality.

Nickel Manganese

Nickel wire of this type contains up to about 15 percent manganese. Used largely for electric resistance purposes.

Nickel Plating

Widely used as an under­coat for chromium plating. Small amounts of complex organic addition agents are in­cluded in the nickel sulfate plating solu­tions to provide a bright coat. Steel articles are sometimes thinly copper plated before application of nickel and chromium. By selecting suitable addition agents, scratches can be leveled out and eliminated as the deposit builds up. See Chromium Plating.

Nickel Silvers

White alloys consisting of copper, zinc and nickel. The copper content usually lies between 55 and 63 percent while the nickel ranges from 10 to 30 percent. As the nickel content is in­creased, the corrosion and tarnish-resisting properties in certain media are improved. Nickel silver wire is used in jewelry and for other decorative purposes, for cold heading, thread rolling and springs. The alloys serve as an excellent basis for silver plating.

Nickel Wire

Usually called pure nickel to distinguish it from alloy wire. Contains 99.1 percent nickel. The remainder should not include more than the following percen­tages of other materials: copper 0.25, iron 0.50, manganese 0.50, magnesium 0.20, silicon 0.50, sulfur 0.02 and other elements 0.50 percent (including carbon not more than 0.2 percent). A tin-nickel coating is said to give good results for nickel alloy welding wires liable to discolor in storage; for nickel heating wire, deteriorating in electric blankets, a tin coating is satisfactory.

Nickel-Clad Copper Wire

A wire with a layer of nickel on a copper core where the area of the nickel is approximately 30 percent of the conductor area. The nickel is rolled and fused to the copper before drawing.

Niobium

See Columbium.

Nitric Acid

A chemical compound of hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen (HNO3). It is used for pickling stainless steel either following immersion in hot sulfuric acid or mixture with hydrochloric acid.

Nitriding

A process of case hardening in which a nitrogen is introduced into the surface of a ferrous alloy, usually of special composition. In the process, the part is heated in an atmosphere of ammonia at about 500° to 540°C (932° to 1004°F) or in contact with nitrogenous material to produce surface hardening by the absorption of nitrogen, without quenching.

Nitrile-Butadiene Rubber

Specific properties depend on the actual composition, but this rubber generally offers excellent resistance to oils and solvents. Low temperature flexibility is good. Nitrile rubber has a very low resistivity value. Tensile strength, hardness, toughness, oil and solvent resistance, and resilience vary with the acrylonitrile content (the rubber is the result of the copolymerization of acrylonitrile and butadiene). Also known as nitrile rubber.

NM

Type NM, nonmetallic-sheathed cable, braid or plastic covered. For dry use, building wire.

NM-B

Designation for non-metallic sheathed cable, plastic covered. For dry use, 90°C.

NMC

Type NMC, nonmetallic-sheathed cable, corrosion resistant plastic or neoprene covered, 60°C wet or dry locations.

NMS

Type NMS, nonmetallic-sheathed cable with communications or signaling conductors, which may be cabled in an overall outer jacket.
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