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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

ST Cord

Cord of sturdy construction for vacuum cleaners, motors on washing machines, portable tools such as electric drills or other appliances. They consist of two or more stranded conductors with a serving between the copper and the insulation to prevent the fine strands from sticking to the insulation. Fillers are twisted together with the conductors to make a round assembly. The complete cord is then covered with a jacket of high quality rubber.

STA

Designation for Steel Tape Armored. Usually applied to cables.

Stabilized Wire and Strand

Pre-stressed concrete wire and strand which has under­gone special treatment to further improve quality beyond that achieved by normal stress relieving.

Stabilizer

For insulating purposes, a metallic compound used in some plastics to maintain the physical and chemical properties of the insulation compound during processing and service life.

Stabilizing Anneal

A treatment applied to austenitic stainless steels that contain titanium or columbium. This treatment consists of heating to a temperature below that of a full anneal in order to precipitate the maximum amount of carbon as titanium carbide or columbium carbide. This eliminates precipitation at lower temperatures, which might reduce the resistance of the steel to corrosion.

Stabilizing Treatment

A low temperature thermal process used in continuous casting. A thermal treatment designed to precipitate material from solid solution, in order to improve the workability, to de­crease the tendency of certain alloys to age harden at room temperature or to obtain dimensional stability under service at slightly elevated temperatures.

Stacker Pin

A holding mechanism of bound coils used in the rod manufacturing operation prior to transferring them to the next location.

Stainless Steel

Generally, any steel containing more than 10.5 percent of chromium is classified as stainless. However, there are many grades for specific purposes. These may contain nickel or molybdenum or both, but always chromium. High chromium steel, often including nickel, is resistant to corrosive and oxidizing influences. The best known form of stainless steel is 18-8, an austenitic steel containing about 18 percent chromium, 8 percent nickel, with the carbon content kept low.

STALPETH

A cable sheath consisting of a corrugated steel (ST) shield applied over a corrugated aluminum (AL) shield and an outer polyethylene (PETH) jacket.

Stamping

Process of using a powerful die to press a metal blank into a predetermined shape (or pattern). The metal used must be ductile (malleable) enough to bend into shape without breaking.

Stand of Rolls

The simplest unit of a rolling mill, which consists of a set of rolls, the housings, bearings and guides, which are required for the rolling of metal.

Standard Reference Position

The non-operated or de-energized condition.

Standing Wave

The stationary pattern of waves produced by two waves of the same transmission line.

Standoff

An insulated support to hold wire or other components away from various surfaces, particularly if the surface is a conductor.

Star

See Connection, Star.

Star Quad

Telephone cables that consist of four individual insulated conductors twisted around a paper or other core to form one unit. The conductors are at the four corners of a square, with diametrically opposite wires used to provide the circuits. Have largely displaced multiple twin types as the star quad has a lower pair capacitance and can therefore provide up to 50 percent more circuits of the same capacitance in a given size of cable.

Starch

A chemical that is sometimes added to a lime bath to provide a smooth polished coat on the coated and drawn wire, reducing resistance to slip.

Static

Interference caused by electrical disturbances in the atmosphere.

Static Condition

The environmental conditions of an installed cable rather than the conditions that exist during cable installation.

Static Resistant Heating

Annealing wire by passing a current through sections of the wire to generate heat at a given temperature for a given period.
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