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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

Braid Angle

The angle between the axis of the cable and the axis of any one member or strand of the braid. It is the smaller of the two angles formed by the carrier and the longitudinal axis of the braid.

Braid Carrier

A spool or bobbin on a braider that holds one group of strands or filaments consisting of a specific number of ends. The carrier revolves during braiding operations.

Braid Ends

The number of strands used to make up one carrier. The strands are wound side-by- side on the carrier bobbin and lie parallel in the finished braid.

Braided Conductors

Term used in coaxial cables where the outer braided material is made of woven strands of copper. The copper may be bare or plated with tin or silver. In addition to serving as an outer conductor, the braid allows the cable to be flexed during use and provides additional mechanical strength and often serves as an electrical shield.

Braided Wire

Woven bare or tinned copper wire used as shielding for wires and cables and as earth wires for batteries or heavy industrial equipment.

Braider

See Braiding Machine.

Braiding

1) The interweaving of wires or yarns diagonally to form tubes, solid cords or flat ribbons. 2) The interweaving of cotton or yarn over an electrical conductor or wire for shielding and/or structural reinforcement.

Braiding Machine

Machine used to apply braids to wire and cable and to produce braided sleeving and braids for tying or lacing purposes. Braiding machines are identified by the number of carriers, such as 16-carrier or 24-carrier. Strands from the individual supply packages are braided as the upper and lower carriers revolve in opposite directions.

Brake Cable Wire

Produced from control cooled or patented high-carbon steels in various sizes, dependent on type or size of cable required.

Brass

An alloy con­sisting essentially of copper and zinc. A brass alloy that is 70 percent copper, 30 percent zinc is malleable and ductile, offers excellent cold-working characteristics and is excellent for soft-soldering and good for silver alloy brazing or oxyacetylene welding. Conversely, it has poor hot-working and machining properties and is considered fair for resistance or carbon-arc welding.

Brass Coating

A coating of brass can be put on by electrolytic deposition that is excellent for rubber bonding applications and often used for tire bead and hose reinforcement wires. The wire must have an absolutely clean surface for proper adhesion. Another method is to coat the wire electrolytically first with copper and then with zinc, followed by heating the wire to 420 to 550ºC (790 to 1020°F), which results in fusion of the two coatings to form “brassed” wire.

Brass Wire

These copper alloys contain zinc as the principal alloying element with or without other designated elements such as iron, aluminum, nickel and silicon. Most brass wires have 62-65 percent copper for products such as pin wire, screw wire, nipple wire, riveting wire, etc. Higher copper content alloys, such as 70:30 brass, possess greater ductility and better corrosion resistance, and are used for large-headed rivets, woven wire, etc.

Brassed

See Brass Coating.

Braze

See Brazing.

Brazing

Joining metals by flowing a thin layer, capillary thickness, of nonferrous filler metal into the space between them. Bonding results from the intimate contact produced by the partial dissolution of a small amount of base metal in the molten filler metal without melting of the base metal. Sometimes the filler metal is put in place as a thin solid sheet or as a clad layer and the composite is heated as in furnace brazing. The term brazing is used where the temperature exceeds some arbitrary value, such as 425°C (800°F); the term soldering is used for temperatures lower than the arbitrary value.

Brazing Alloy

Same as brazing filler metal.

Brazing Filler Metal

A nonferrous filler metal used in brazing and braze welding.

Brazing Rod

Rod (rolled, extruded, or cast) that is manufactured to a specially controlled chemical composition for use in joining metals by brazing.

Brazing Solder

Granulated copper-zinc alloy, which is manufactured to a specially controlled chemical composition, for use in joining metals by brazing.

Brazing Wire

Wire made for use in joining metals. Brass brazing solder wire generally consists of 60 percent copper and 40 percent zinc, but solders of a lower melting point (54 percent copper, 46 percent zinc and the 50/50 alloy) are also used. Can be produced as rough slitting from rolled strip, as exact finish is not required.

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