Element, chemical symbol Ca. Used in injection metallurgy as calcium silicide. Sulfur and oxygen contents of the molten steel are reduced considerably. Calcium silicide is also added to aluminum grain refined steel before continuous casting to convert solid aluminum products into liquid calcium aluminate, which improves the castability.

Quick lime. When combined with water (slaking), calcium hydroxide is formed (slaked lime).

Material used as a base for dry, powdered wiredrawing lubricant for ferrous wire. Other compounds may be added to enhance specific wiredrawing characteristics or requirements of the finished wire surface.

A machine that mixes and makes slabs of polymers by squeezing heated, viscous material between two counter rotating rollers.

The process of adjusting and setting a measurement instrument by use of commonly recognized standards.

The curve used to convert readings of an instrument to usable values of the parameter being measured. Example: a curve is used to convert optical percentage readings from an indirect refrac­tometer to the actual concentration of soluble oil in a water-based coolant.

A measurement instrument used to measure internal and external dimensions. This instrument is also referred to as a Vernier caliper.

Deviation from edge straightness usually referring to the greatest deviation of side edge from a straight line.

An increased diameter at the middle of rolls designed to counterbalance the bending of the rolls when they are subjected to high pressures during rolling.

Fine weave linen or cotton fabric used for insulating purposes.

The building and grounds of a complex (i.e. a university, college, industrial park or military establishment).

The property of a system of conductors, electronic components and dielectrics that permits the storage of electricity when potential differences exist between the conductors. It is measured in farads. For cables it is usually measured as picofarads per foot (pf/ft), which indicates how much charge the cable can store within itself. If a voltage signal is being transmitted by a twisted pair, the insulation of the individual wires becomes charged by the voltage within the circuit. Since it takes a certain amount of time for the cable to reach its charged level, this slows down and interferes with the signal being transmitted. Digital data pulses are a string of voltage variations that are represented by square waves. A cable with a high capacitance slows down these signals so that they come out of the cable looking more like “saw-teeth” rather than square waves. The lower the capacitance of the cable, the better it performs at higher frequencies.

A-C high voltage capacitance bridges are used for the measurement of capacitance and dissipation factor for testing of insulators, cable and dielectrics.

The ratio of the electrostatic charge on a conductor to the potential difference between the conductors required to maintain that charge.

The inequalities of the capacitances of the wires of a circuit to other wires or to earth that will produce interference. Various forms of unbalance arise according to the circuits concerned in the measurement.

The difference in capacitance between the four conductors of two pairs of twisted insulated conductors. The unit of measurement for pair-to-pair capacitance unbalance is usually expressed in picofarads per 1,000 feet. Any difference in the wire diameter, the insulation thickness, uneven twisting of one or both pairs among the four conductors may result in pair-to-pair capacitance unbalance. Similarly, the lay length and proximity of the two pairs will also affect the capacitance unbalance pair-to-pair.

The difference between capacitance of each conductor in a twisted pair and the shield.

An inequality of capacitance between the ground capacitance of the conductors of a pair that results in a pickup of external source energy, usually from power transmission lines.

There are three basic ways to control cable capacitance: increasing the insulation wall thickness decreasing the conductor diameter and using an insulation with a lower dielectric constant.

The capacitance measured directly through a single insulating layer.