Thermax | Glossary

Tank Test - A term used to describe a voltage dielectric test where the specimen to be tested is submerged in a liquid (usually water) and a voltage potential applied between the conductor and the liquid as ground.

Temperature Rating - The maximum temperature at which the insulating material may be used in continuous operation without loss of its basic properties.

Tensile Strength - The pulling stress required to break a given specimen.

Thermal Conductivity - Ability of a material to conduct heat.

Thermal Expansion (Coefficient of) - The fractional change in length (sometimes volume) of a material for a unit change in temperature.

Thermal Shock - The resulting characteristics when a material is subjected to rapid and wide range changes in temperature in an effort to discover its ability to withstand heat and cold. In connectors, the effect can cause inserts and other insulation materials to pull away from metal parts.

Thermocouple - A device for measuring temperature where two electrical conductors of dissimilar metals are joined at the point of heat application and a resulting voltage difference, directly proportional to the temperature, is developed across the free ends and is measured potentiometrically.

Thermoplastic - A classification of resin that can be readily softened and resoftened by repeated heating.

Thermosetting - A classification of resin which cures by chemical reaction when heated and, when cured, cannot be resoftened by heating.

Tinsel Wire - A low voltage, stranded wire where each strand is a very thin conductor ribbon spirally wrapped around a textile yarn. Insulation is generally a textile braid. Intended usage is for severe flexing.

Topcoat - Term used to describe an unplated stranded conductor fused together with an overall tin coating.

Transfer Impedance - For a fixed cable length, transfer impedance relates a current on one surface of a shield to the voltage drop generated by this current on the opposite surface of the shield. Transfer impedance is a measure of the shield effectiveness. Cables with low transfer impedance are more effective than cables with high value.

Transmission Line - One or more insulated conductors arranged to transmit electrical energy signals from one location to another, or to transmitting electrical energy over long distances for power purposes.

Transmission Loss - A term used to denote a decrease or loss in power during the transmission of energy from one point to another. Usually expressed in decibels.

Triaxial - refers to a three-conductor cable with one conductor in the center, a second circular conductor shield concentric with the first, and third circular conductor shield insulated from and concentric with the first and second, usually with insulation, and a braid or impervious sheath overall.

Triboelectric Noise - Noise generated in a shielded cable due to variations in capacitance between the shield and conductor as the cable is flexed.

UHF - Abbreviation for Ultra High Frequency.

UL - Abbreviation for Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.

Ultra Violet Degradation - Deterioration caused by long time exposure of a material to sunlight or other ultraviolet rays containing radiation.

Unbalanced Line - A transmission line in which voltages on the two conductors are unequal with respect to ground. A coaxial cable is an example.

Unidirectional Concentric Stranding - A stranding where each successive layer has a different lay length, thereby retaining a circular form without migration of strands from one layer to another.

Unilay Strand - A conductor constructed with a central core surrounded by more than one layer of helically-laid wires, with all layers having a common length and direction of lay.

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